Renting Onsite badge printing and check-in hardware can help simplify logistics and reduce the upfront cost of buying equipment. However, if you have more than a few events per year, it may be more cost effective to buy your own equipment.

If you're only using session check-in or you want to source your own event check-in equipment to save costs across multiple annual events, this article is for you! Read carefully to ensure you get the right equipment. 🔍

For Session Check-in, you can simply have check-in staff use their personal devices, you can buy equipment, or you can rent equipment from a vendor.

If you're buying or renting equipment, plan to have at least enough iPhones or iPads for all concurrent sessions. So, if three sessions are happening at the same time, you need a minimum of three devices. After sessions end, it's easy to switch devices to the next sessions.

If you're going to let attendees check in to sessions themselves instead of having staff check everyone in, buy or rent device stands to securely hold check-in devices. Refer to the 'Stands' section below for recommendations.

The size of your event will determine how much equipment you need and how many badges you should purchase. The following examples have our recommendations for several event sizes. In general, we always recommend having at least 250 spare badges for testing and reprints.

Webex Events Onsite supports all Zebra ZD621 model printers that have an LCD touchscreen. Any model starting with 'ZD6A1' has a touchscreen, though we prefer the following models that have a built-in cutter.

Direct thermal-only printers are slightly smaller because they don't include a place for a ribbon spool. Zebra has a great article that explains the differences and benefits of direct thermal and thermal transfer printing.

Onsite is designed to work offline as long as you've already selected an Event in the app and downloaded the attendee, session, and badge data. As with all Webex Events products, an active, stable internet connection provides the best experience. Whether you're using Session Check-in or Event Check-in, all Onsite devices must have access to the internet during initial setup.

Read our article about offline operation for more information about offline functionality.

When check-in staff use their personal phones for Session Check-in, there's no need to provide a secondary internet source. 👍

If you're renting Session Check-in devices, your vendor may offer devices with active SIM cards, which is definitely the simplest solution when renting equipment.

If your chosen vendor doesn't offer SIM cards, or if you're purchasing equipment, you must arrange connectivity some other way. Because the entrances to different rooms where sessions take place could be very far from each other, a single router's wireless signal coverage may be too small. If possible, arrange for venue internet access so check-in devices can access the internet from anywhere.

Onsite requires a minimum of 5 Mbps upload and download speed.

We recommend a router with WiFi capability and at least two LAN ports. SIM capability is optional.

For Onsite to work, your Event Check-in devices need to be connected to the same network as the printers through a router. The iPads connect to the router's WiFi network, and the printers connect to the router's LAN ports (not the WAN port) with ethernet cables.

The iPads also need to be connected to the internet, at least at first, so they can download your Event's attendee data. When you rent equipment from a vendor like Choose 2 Rent, they include a router with a SIM card so you don't need venue internet. While this could be a good option when purchasing your own equipment, it may not be cost-effective to maintain data plans for each router.

If a check-in router isn't connected to the internet, connect the iPads to a mobile hotspot or venue internet to download attendee data. After the data is downloaded, the iPads can be connected to the router's network and operate offline.

Any iPad or iPhone using iPadOS/iOS 15.0 or later works with Onsite.

We recommend stands that hold the check-in devices firmly and adjust for different viewing angles.

Each printer must be connected to a router with a CAT6 ethernet cable. We recommend a 20-foot/6-meter run for each printer, plus a spare in case of accidental damage. You may need longer cables, depending on the setup at certain venues.

New and rented iPads, iPhones, printers, and routers all come with power cables. However, you may need to buy power strips and extension cords if a specific venue doesn't supply these. You may also need to buy longer iPad power cables.

We support a variety of badge types and sizes. Read all about each one in our Onsite Badge Types article. When you've decided which size you need and whether you need custom pre-printing, talk to a vendor to order.

We generally recommend tear-resistant 4x3 or 4x6 double-sided badges. These badges are durable, don't require badge holders or printer ribbon, and are the easiest to print.

Download and print the PDF instruction sheet at the end of this article and give it to Event Check-in staff as a resource. It includes iPad, Onsite app, router, and printer setup steps, plus helpful QR codes linking to more resources.

Now you know how to buy equipment for Webex Events Onsite! When you've bought everything and are ready to set up, follow our Onsite Setup Guide for complete iPad, router, and printer setup steps.