Introduction

This guide covers what your stores need to run Fixably well. For each area, it gives a minimum and a recommended setup, so you can plan around what each store already has.

How Fixably is delivered

Fixably is a cloud platform you use in a web browser. Each customer has its own subdomain (for example yourcompany.fixably.com). Nothing needs to be installed on a workstation to use the core platform. A few optional add-ons have local components, covered in section 7.

All processing happens on our servers, so workstation performance mainly affects how quickly pages render in the browser.

Workstation hardware

Memory matters most in practice, because staff often keep several Fixably tabs open alongside Apple GSX or Samsung GSPN and email.

Operating systems and browsers

• Operating systems: any current, supported version of Windows, macOS or ChromeOS. Workstations that print labels should run Windows or macOS, because QZ Tray (one-click printing, see section 7) cannot be installed on ChromeOS.
• Browsers: the latest Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge or Safari is recommended. Current Firefox also works. Please keep browsers on automatic updates. Very old browsers and Internet Explorer are not supported.
• Mobile: the Fixably Camera App (iOS and Android) lets technicians photograph devices and attach the photos straight to an order.

Bandwidth

Day-to-day use is light because pages are small. Bandwidth demand comes mainly from uploading photos and documents and from downloading PDFs.

Upload speed is easy to overlook. Stores that take many device photos or scan documents will feel a slow uplink first. Individual uploads can be up to 250 MB.

Network quality

• Latency: under 100 ms to the internet is recommended. Under 200 ms is workable.
• Stability: a stable connection with low packet loss matters more than raw speed. A wired connection is recommended for fixed workstations and for any payment terminal.
• Backup connectivity: for stores with unreliable lines, a 4G/5G failover router is a sensible fallback. Fixably has no offline mode.

Firewalls and filtering

Please allow HTTPS (port 443) to:

• *.fixably.com: the platform, the Signature App and the knowledge base
• *.amazonaws.com: Amazon S3, where attached files and photos are stored
• *.firebaseio.com, identitytoolkit.googleapis.com, securetoken.googleapis.com: Google Firebase, for live updates and the Signature App (including secure WebSockets)
• cdnjs.cloudflare.com, cdn.jsdelivr.net, maxcdn.bootstrapcdn.com, fonts.googleapis.com, fonts.gstatic.com: page components and fonts
• the endpoints of your payment terminal provider, if you use an integrated terminal

IP allowlisting (optional)

Fixably can restrict sign-ins to your stores’ public IP addresses, including whole ranges (for example 203.0.113.0/24). This is a security option rather than a requirement, but it is worth considering if your stores have static IPs. The list also applies to API connections, so systems that call the Fixably API must be listed too.

Features most sensitive to slow or unstable connections

• Card payments on integrated terminals (Stripe, Adyen, Moneris, CCV or Tyro, depending on your region). Payments are confirmed in real time, so a dropped connection mid-payment means the payment has to be checked and possibly retried.
• Digital signatures on the Fixably Signature App, usually an iPad at the front desk. The tablet, Fixably and the staff member’s screen stay in sync in real time.
• Photo and document uploads, including the Camera App, which mainly depend on upload speed.
• Apple GSX and Samsung GSPN steps. These run on our servers, but staff wait on screen for Apple or Samsung to respond, so slow local connections add to that wait.
• Silent printing, described in section 7. The print job is fetched over the internet when you print.
• Live updates. Background job progress updates on screen automatically, and staff are alerted if someone else changes an order they have open. On an unstable connection these may lag until the page is refreshed.

Peripherals, printing and supporting systems

Printing and QZ Tray

Standard printing through the browser works with any printer. For one-click printing of repair stickers, product and part labels, shipping labels and A4 documents without a print dialog, we use QZ Tray, a small desktop app installed on each printing workstation. It needs:

• Windows or macOS
• permission for local connections between the browser and QZ Tray on the workstation (local ports 8181 to 8485)
• HTTPS access to your Fixably subdomain, which QZ Tray uses to fetch the document to print

Each user selects their document and label printer in Fixably by printer name, so give printers the same name on every workstation.

Label printers

Fixably prints labels as PDFs, so any label printer with a standard Windows or macOS driver works. Our default label sizes match DYMO LabelWriter labels. If stores will print 4×6-inch carrier shipping labels, choose a 4-inch-wide model. A standard A4 laser printer covers documents.

Barcode scanners

Any USB or Bluetooth scanner that works as a keyboard (HID) can be used.

Tablets for signatures

If you use the Signature App, place an iPad at each front desk on a reliable Wi-Fi connection. Use iPads that run iPadOS 18 or later, which the Signature App requires.

Payment terminals

If you take card payments through an integrated terminal, the terminal needs its own network connection. We recommend a wired connection where possible.

Integrations

Integrations such as Apple GSX, Samsung GSPN, accounting, shipping carriers, SMS and email run between our servers and the third party. They do not depend on your store network.

Documentation and next steps

Our knowledge base at https://kb.fixably.com covers configuration and day-to-day use. During implementation, we are happy to:

• review your store connectivity and hardware against this guide
• go through firewall and allowlisting requirements with your IT team

What an optimal store looks like

• Current Chrome, Edge or Safari on 16 GB workstations with SSDs
• Wired 50/20 Mbps or better broadband with low latency
• A 4G/5G failover router
• QZ Tray on every printing station (Windows or macOS)
• A wired payment terminal, if you use one
• An iPad running iPadOS 18 or later for signatures, on stable Wi-Fi

Stores with slower connections can still run Fixably well. The areas most likely to be affected are payments, signatures and photo uploads, so test those first in a store before rolling out more widely.