Webex Events Onsite Event Check-in rental kits are your easy button for badge printing and check-in hardware. If you're using Session Check-in or would prefer to source your own Event Check-in equipment, this article is for you! Read this article carefully to ensure you get the right equipment. 🔍

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

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 hold the check-in devices securely.

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

We have a list of hardware vendors whose stock we track so we can help our customers reliably source Event Check-in equipment. If you want us to connect you directly to one of these vendors to purchase printers, routers, and network cables, fill out the purchase form linked below.

Webex Events Onsite supports all Zebra ZD621 model printers with 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. This article from Zebra 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 gives 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 devices 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. Read the information below for more details.

For Onsite to work, your Event Check-in devices need to be connected to the same network as the printers. The simplest way to do this is to use a router. The iPads connect to the router's WiFi network, and the printers connect to the router's LAN ports 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 Webex Events, we include a router with a SIM card so you don't need venue internet. While this could be a good option when purchasing equipment, it may not be cost-effective to maintain data plans for the routers.

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

Any iPad or iPhone using iPadOS/iOS 14.0 or later works with Onsite. Simple!

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 something happens to the first one. You may need longer runs, depending on the setup at certain venues.

Your iPads, iPhones, printers, and routers all come with power cables. However, you may need to buy power strips and extension cords if the venue doesn't supply these. You may also want to buy longer power cables.

Because Session Check-in typically only lasts a short time, battery drain shouldn't be a problem, even when devices are being used for multiple sessions in a single day. As a precaution, plug devices in between sessions so the battery is always topped up. 🔋

We support a variety of badge types and sizes. Read all about each one in our Onsite Badge Types article. Reach out to us for help buying custom color badges. For blank badges, we're happy to help you order them, or you can find your own vendor.

We generally recommend tear-resistant 4x3 or 4x6 double-sided badges. These badges are durable, don't require badge holders, don't require 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. If you're a rental customer, only use the sheet included in your kit shipment.

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.