The 5 pain points that trip up connected HoReCa devices (and how to avoid them)

Connected solutions are reshaping HoReCa industry fast. Kitchens are moving from guesswork to smart, data-driven operations: ovens, coffee machines and chillers report in from anywhere, AI trims cook times and energy use, and predictive maintenance prevents outages. Front of house is going digital with QR menus, seamless ordering and real-time insight, while sustainability is built in through energy-efficient kit and food-waste tracking.

 

Automation is stepping out of demo mode and the driver of it all is connectivity; SIM, NB-IoT and LTE-M enabling remote service, new models like “coffee as a service”. But whatever worked great locally and in a controlled environment might not work as seamlessly when handing over your connected devices to a different country or maybe even across the globe. That's where a solid connectivity partner is needed. 

 

The real world is full of small surprises that can turn into big problems. Especially when your device ends up in a busy station, a hotel basement or behind a kiosk wall.

 

Here are five real-world issues and how you can plan for them before they get in the way.

 

1. The device drops out, but only where people actually install it

 

It worked perfectly in the test room. Then it went into a stainless cabinet, under a counter, or in a vending unit, and now the signal disappears every morning during the rush. Sound familiar?

 

These environments are full of interference; thick walls, fridges, power supplies, you name it. It’s not that your hardware’s wrong, it’s just that many installs happen in places where coverage and a solid connection can be challenging. 

 

How to stay ahead:

• Make sure your SIM can access more than one network in each country, so the device can automatically connect to the strongest signal.

• Ask your installer to run a quick 10-minute signal capture during install. This helps you catch issues before the site gets busy.

• If your device supports it, buffer non-essential data and upload it after peak hours.

• Plan ahead with your hardware team for antenna placement in enclosed or metal-heavy environments.

 

 

2. The venue’s network says no

 

Many venues — hotels, malls, restaurants — run strict Wi-Fi and LAN setups. Guest networks with captive portals. Locked-down firewalls. No open ports. A device that connects fine at HQ can fail in the field.

 

Getting exceptions approved can take weeks, if it happens at all.

 

What to do instead:

Rely on cellular. It gives your devices a separate, predictable path out, and you don’t need venue IT to change anything. Keep traffic private (use a private APN or route directly to your cloud), and keep the allow-list short: your update service and your data endpoint — nothing else. Make support is device-initiated, so the machine starts the session when it needs help; there are no services sitting open for inbound access.

 

What about NB-IoT and LTE-M?

 

They can help in tough indoor spots because they’re designed for better reach and lower power. But they’re not magic. Coverage and roaming vary by country and operator, and speeds are lower — great for counters and alerts, slower for big updates. Treat them as options in the toolkit, not a guarantee for every basement.

 

Use them well by:

• Choosing modules that support LTE-M with a sensible fallback (e.g. Cat-1 bis or 4G) where LTE-M isn’t live.

• Reserving NB-IoT for sleepy devices that send small, infrequent messages, and planning firmware updates over a faster bearer or during service visits.

• Always testing on site with a short signal/log capture at install.

• Keeping store-and-forward on, so non-critical data waits for a better window.

• Considering antenna placement or an external antenna for metal cabinets and under-counter installs.

 

 

3. No one knows which device is where

 

You’d be surprised how common this is. A device gets moved. The label falls off. A SIM is reused in another unit. Suddenly you don’t know which device is in which location, who owns it, or which profile it’s using. And support can’t help if they don’t know what they’re looking at.

 

It gets worse as you grow.

 

How to prevent it:

• Label each unit clearly with the SIM ID (ICCID) and device serial — ideally both on the unit and in your internal records.

• Set a simple naming convention: for example, site–region–distributor. If it doesn’t match, it doesn’t go live.

• Use lifecycle states like “test”, “active” and “parked” or similar so spares and demo units don’t quietly rack up data costs.

• If possible, get your installers to take a quick photo at install — label and location. It saves a lot of time later.

  
  
  

4. Everything breaks at 08:00

 

It happens more than you think. A kiosk gets unplugged overnight. Power trips. Devices restart at the same time. Then at 08:00 sharp, everything tries to reconnect at once and suddenly your support team has a pile of alarms and spikes in data usage.

 

Even if the reconnects work, it still adds noise and clogs up dashboards just when the day starts.

 

You can smooth this out by:

• Building in a bit of patience. If the first reconnect fails, wait longer before trying again.

• Staggering updates and check-ins so they don’t all happen at 2am or 9am.

• Prioritising what gets sent. Let the device report its health status first, and leave bulk uploads for quieter times.

 

Most importantly, focus on patterns, not one-off events. One disconnect doesn’t mean much — but 50 at once is worth looking into.

 

 

5. Costs pile up when no one’s looking

 

HORECA is seasonal. Some devices are only used in summer. Some get installed for events. Others sit on a shelf for months before being shipped. But if your SIMs are live the whole time, your costs don’t stop, even if the machine does.

 

How to keep costs under control:

• Use pooled data across your fleet so quiet sites balance out the busy ones.

• Create clear alerts for unusual activity; a machine that suddenly spikes, or one that’s been silent for weeks.

• Put spare stock or seasonal installs into a parked state so they’re not charged like active ones.

• Do a monthly clean-up. It doesn’t take long, and it catches billing leaks before they turn into real problems.

  
  
  

The bottom line

 

Connectivity isn’t just about whether the SIM works. It’s about making sure the device connects in the real world — reliably, securely, and in a way your support team can see and manage.

The good news? None of these problems are hard to fix. You just need to plan for them early, ask the right questions, and choose partners who’ve seen it all before.

 

Want help pressure-testing your plan?

 

Heading to HOST in Milan? Book a session with Arvin who will be there in person. He can talk you through how IXT can solve connectivity for a variety of HoReCa connected devices.