The CorChow Plumbing Guide: Getting Data to Dance

How the Hub, waiter devices, and printers talk to each other — and the IP addresses that keep the kitchen from going silent at 8pm on a Saturday. Read this. Keep it in your tool bag. Don't lose it.

The Family Tree (Network Topology)

Solid line = Ethernet cable. Dashed line = Wi-Fi. Everything lives under the Router on the same 192.168.1.x street.

The Address Book (IP Configuration)

Device	IP Address	Type	Why (in plain English)
The Hub / Bridge (mini-PC)	192.168.1.100	Static	The Brain. Do not let DHCP mess with its identity.
Kitchen Thermal Printer	192.168.1.101	Static	Where the chef reads your handwriting.
Bar / Drinks Printer	192.168.1.102	Static	So the bartender actually sees the order.
Backup / 2nd Kitchen Printer	192.168.1.103	Static	Spare voice for when #1 eats paper.
Waiter Devices (Phones/Tablets)	192.168.1.150–200	DHCP	Wanderers. They don't need fixed addresses, just good Wi-Fi.
Router / Wi-Fi Access Point	192.168.1.1	Static	The traffic cop. Usually already set.

Golden rule: The Hub and all printers MUST have static IPs. Waiter devices can use DHCP (the router hands them an address). If a printer is on DHCP, the router will move it in the night and the kitchen will stop printing. Do not let this happen.

The "Don't Panic" Install Steps

1. Plug in the Brain (Hub)

Connect the Hub mini-PC to the router via Ethernet. Set its IP to 192.168.1.100 (static). If you skip this, the Brain forgets its own name and nobody talks to nobody.

2. Give each Printer a Permanent Address

On each thermal printer's network menu, set a static IP from the 101–103 slots. Write the IP on a sticky note and slap it on the printer — future-you will say thank you.

3. Put Everything on ONE Wi-Fi

The Hub, the printers, AND the waiter phones must be on the same network (same subnet 192.168.1.x). Different Wi-Fi = different worlds. They will ignore each other like exes at a party.

4. Tell the App Where the Brain Lives

In CorChow → Bridge Settings, enter the Hub IP (192.168.1.100). Hit Test. Green = the waiter just shook hands with the Brain. Red = check the cable, the Wi-Fi, and your will to live.

5. Send a Test Order

On a waiter device, add one item and Send to Kitchen. If a ticket pops out the kitchen printer, congratulations — you're a network engineer now. If not, re-read Step 3.

6. Tell the App Which Printer is Which

On the Take Order screen, tap the Printers button (top-right, gear icon). This opens the device printer settings where you map each prep station (Kitchen, Bar, Dessert) to the IP address you gave its printer in Step 2. Do this on EVERY waiter device — the map is saved per device, not centrally.

The "Printers" Button on the Take Order Screen

Once the network addresses are set, you still have to introduce the app to the printers. On the Take Order screen (the POS where waiters build orders), look top-right for the Printers button — a small gear icon next to the Bridge button. Tap it.

You'll see one row per prep station (Main Kitchen, Bar, Dessert, etc.) — these come from the venue's Prep Stations.
For each station, switch the printer ON and enter the printer's IP address from the Address Book (e.g. 192.168.1.101 for Kitchen, .102 for Bar).
Optionally rename the printer so it reads nicely (e.g. "Kitchen Epson"). Hit Save.
Repeat on every waiter device. The printer map is saved on the device itself (in its browser), not on the Hub — so each phone/tablet needs its own setup.

If a station's printer is left OFF, orders to that station print to the device's own browser print dialog instead of the thermal printer — which nobody wants at 8pm. Wire every station that should print.

If It All Goes Sideways

Problem:Printer is silent as a vow

Fix:Check IP is in the 101–103 range, paper loaded, and it's on the same subnet. Printers are dramatic — they need power AND attention.

Problem:Waiter can't find the Hub

Fix:Different Wi-Fi network. Put the phone on the SAME Wi-Fi as the Hub. Same password, same SSID. No guest networks, no "trial" networks.

Problem:"Static IP? In this economy?"

Fix:Yes, static. DHCP will reassign your printer's address at 2am and break the kitchen. Fix the IP. Fix the chaos.

Problem:Hub shows red / offline

Fix:Ping 192.168.1.100 from a laptop. No reply = Hub is off, unplugged, or sulking. Check Ethernet and power.

Problem:Everything was working yesterday

Fix:Someone rebooted the router and DHCP shuffled the printers. Re-assign static IPs. This is why we don't trust DHCP with printers.

Problem:Order sent but no ticket prints

Fix:Open the Printers button on the Take Order screen and check the station's printer is ON and its IP matches the sticky-note address. The map lives on the device — check it on the device that sent the order.