Card Terminal Troubleshooting
When you take a card payment with an Ingenico Lane 5000, Petsoft talks to the terminal through Elavon Commerce Web Services (CWS), a small program running on the Windows computer the terminal is plugged into. If that conversation never starts, the payment dialog shows:
We were unable to communicate with the terminal. Please ensure the device is plugged in, turned on, and that the necessary software is running.
Nothing was charged. Work through the checks below in order, then click Try Again. Each one takes a minute or less, and together they cover almost every cause we see.
This guide is for terminals installed by following Ingenico Lane 5000 Setup.
1. Use the computer the terminal is connected to
Petsoft can only reach the terminal from a browser running on the same Windows computer that Commerce Web Services is installed on. Opening the invoice on a laptop, tablet, or another front-desk PC and choosing the terminal will always fail with this message, even though everything is switched on.
If you have more than one terminal, each has its own computer. Pick the payment option whose Name matches the terminal in front of you.
2. Check the terminal itself
Verify that the card terminal is powered, the Welcome screen is visible on the terminal, and the USB cable is securely connected to the computer running Petsoft. A dark screen means it has no power — reseat the power adapter and the USB terminal cable at both ends. If the screen shows an error, hold the power button to restart the terminal and wait for it to return to the Welcome screen.
3. Check the two tray icons
Both the Petsoft Certificate Update Agent and Elavon CommerceWebServices show an icon in the Windows notification area (the system tray, near the clock — click the ^ arrow if they're hidden).
Both icons should be present. If either is missing, the software is not running or not installed on this computer.
If one icon is missing, restart the computer first — both programs start automatically with Windows. If it's still missing afterwards, that software is not installed on this computer: reinstall it by following step 2 (CommerceWebServices) or step 3 (Certificate Update Agent) of the installation guide.
4. Confirm CommerceWebServices is running
- Right-click the CommerceWebServices icon and select Show....
- Verify that both Service and CWS say Running, that Port says 9790, and that a value is present in Card Reader. An empty Card Reader means CWS can't see the terminal — go back to step 2.
- If the status is Stopped, click Restart, wait about 30 seconds, then click Try Again in Petsoft.
The CommerceWebServices status dialog with the service running and the terminal detected.
5. Check the Petsoft Certificate Update Agent
Your browser will only talk to Commerce Web Services over a secure connection, and the Certificate Update Agent is what keeps that certificate installed and current. If the certificate is missing or has expired, the browser refuses the connection and Petsoft shows the message above.
- Right-click the Petsoft Certificate Update Agent icon and verify there are no errors. A recent successful check-in means the certificate is in place.
- If it reports an error, or the last check-in is more than a few days old, choose Check for certificate update now, wait for it to finish, then Restart CommerceWebServices (step 4) and click Try Again.
- If the error persists, select Open logs folder, open the most recently updated file, and send its contents to Petsoft Support (step 7).
The agent's right-click menu reporting an error — this is what to send to Petsoft Support.
"Failed to connect" in the Certificate Update Agent
If the agent reports failed to connect, the Windows Firewall may be blocking it. Open the Start menu and type Allow an app through the Windows Firewall. Click Change Settings if the list is greyed out, then Allow another app and browse to C:\Program Files (x86)\Petsoft\Petsoft CWS Certificate\PetsoftCertificateAgent.exe. Under Network Type, ensure both Domain and Private are checked.
The Windows Firewall allowed-apps list with the Petsoft Certificate Update Agent added.
6. Check the browser
Two browser settings can block the connection even when everything on the computer is running.
Local Network permission
In Chrome and Edge, the Local network permission is needed to communicate with the card terminal; if it is Blocked, connections are refused. Open the three-dot menu and select Settings, then Privacy and security > Site settings > View permissions and data stored across sites, filter by petsoft.com, open Permissions, and ensure Local network is set to Allow.
"Hostname not found"
If the browser reports Hostname not found, DNS traffic may be blocked on your network. In Chrome and Edge you can bypass the Windows DNS by enabling Secure DNS under Privacy and security > Security and selecting the provider Google (Public DNS).
Chrome's Secure DNS setting with Google Public DNS selected.
7. Still not working? Contact support
If the payment still fails after the checks above, gather the details below, then create a Support Ticket (fastest response) or email support@petsoft.com:
- The facility, the payment option name you selected, and the invoice number
- Which steps above you tried, and what the Certificate Update Agent's status shows
- The CommerceWebServices logs: right-click its tray icon and select Logs...
- The browser console error: open the invoice, press F12 (or three-dot menu > More tools > Developer tools), select the Console tab, and click Try Again. Any error appears in the console — copy it into the ticket.
The CommerceWebServices Logs dialog.
The browser console showing the underlying connection error when a payment is attempted.
Petsoft Support can see the terminal's connection details and certificate history from their side. In the meantime, you can still take the payment by keying the card into a virtual terminal payment option, or by recording a cash or check payment.
A terminal that fails with a different message — a decline, a canceled transaction, or a "communicating with the terminal" timeout — did reach Commerce Web Services. Those are transaction problems rather than connection problems: retry once, and if it repeats, open a support ticket with the invoice number.
Summary
| Check | What it rules out |
|---|---|
| Same computer as the terminal | Browser on a different device |
| Terminal screen lit, USB cable seated | Power or cable |
| Both tray icons present | Software not started or not installed |
| CommerceWebServices Running, port 9790, Card Reader detected | Service stopped, terminal not detected |
| Certificate Update Agent shows no errors | Missing or expired certificate, firewall |
| Browser Local network Allow, DNS resolving | Browser or network blocking the connection |
| Support ticket with logs and console error | Anything Petsoft Support has to fix from their side |
Still stuck?
Our team is happy to help. Reach out and we'll get you back on track.