PaytestRobot T1 / T4
A robot that automates the physical operation of a POS terminal. Beyond inserting and removing cards, contactless taps, magnetic swipes, PIN entry and key presses, it photographs the terminal display, reads it by OCR and checks receipts.
The testing problems this solves
PaytestRobot T1 and T4 make physical operations such as tapping and inserting cards unattended. Long regression runs proceed without anyone present, and the variation in how a person operates the terminal no longer affects reproducibility.
What can be automated
Replaces the terminal operations and visual checks that were done by hand.
| Aspect | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Operations automated | Inserting and removing cards, contactless taps, magnetic swipes, PIN entry and key presses |
| Verdicts | Photographing the terminal display, reading it by OCR, and checking receipts |
| Scale | Parallel testing across several terminals |
| External control | REST API |
| Integration | PaytestHub for management, PaytestProbe for generating card behaviour, and PaytestECR for ECR operation |
| Interface | Contact / contactless / magnetic stripe |
Supported terminals and environments
Supports the part numbers and firmware conditions of the major POS and terminal vendors, with examples of integration into CI and regression.
How the PaytestLab range is structured
PaytestLab is a platform that automates POS terminal testing and integrates existing test tools. It is different in nature from the fixed B2 card sets.
| Product | Role |
|---|---|
| PaytestHub | Authoring, managing, running and analysing tests, and orchestrating the equipment |
| PaytestCore | Test infrastructure that brings together compute, network, power and connectivity |
| PaytestPlayer | EMV Level 3 test execution engine that drives approved L3 tools |
| PaytestRobot | Physical operation of the POS terminal, checking the display, and presenting cards |
| PaytestProbe | Generating contact, contactless and magnetic stripe card behaviour |
| PaytestMux | Switching between cards and probes |
| PaytestECR | Automated operation of the ECR and POS application |
| PaytestMagstripe (Probe family) | Emulation of magnetic Tracks 1 to 3 |
| PaytestAntenna (Probe family) | Contact and contactless card interfaces |
Relationship to certification tools
PaytestLab does not replace certification test tools such as those from ICC Solutions or UL. It is the layer above them.
| Layer | Element |
|---|---|
| 1 | Scheme certification test suites from ICC Solutions, UL and others |
| 2 | PaytestHub / PaytestPlayer / PaytestCore |
| 3 | PaytestRobot + PaytestProbe + PaytestECR |
| 4 | POS terminal, ECR and acquirer host |
How the four main vendors and product families differ
Barnes, ICC Solutions, B2 and PaytestLab are not competitors; they verify different things.
| Product | What is primarily verified | Strengths |
|---|---|---|
| Barnes CPT/CAT | EMV data, certificates, cryptography and personalisation inside the issued card | Pre-issuance card verification (PVT) |
| ICC Solutions TMat | Level 2 and Level 3 test cases for POS and ATM | Scheme certification and card simulation |
| ICCSimDev | Custom card scripts | Error cards, custom APDUs and negative testing |
| ICC Merchant Cards | Quick checks in store | Training and confidence testing |
| B2 UAT Cards | Terminal and host integration specific to a region or processor | US Debit, Interac, DCC and 8-digit BINs |
| B2 Touchless | Acceptance of real smartphones and wallets | Field testing with Apple Pay and similar |
| B2 Magstripe Simulator | Magnetic stripe handling | Fleet, Gift, Loyalty, DCC |
| PaytestLab | Automation of POS and ECR testing | Robots, probes and central management |
B2 fills the gap between the certification tools and UAT in the live market. How its role differs from Barnes (card issuance) and ICC Solutions (terminals) is set out in the operations layer.
Choosing within the PaytestLab family
PaytestLab is the name for the family as a whole. PaytestHub sits at the centre, authoring, managing, running and analysing tests and orchestrating the equipment. PaytestCore is the test infrastructure that brings together compute, network, power and connectivity; PaytestPlayer is the EMV Level 3 test execution engine; PaytestRobot handles physical operation; PaytestProbe generates card behaviour; PaytestECR drives the ECR; PaytestMux switches between cards. They can be adopted individually or in stages.
| Product | If you are considering |
|---|---|
| PaytestHub | You want to manage test assets and results centrally across several sites and teams |
| PaytestLab | You want to automate transaction coverage and regression testing (Hub plus Player) |
| ★ PaytestRobot T1 / T4 (this page) | You want to remove the operator from tapping and inserting too (working with Hub) |
Where it is used
- Setting up Level 3 verification for a new development
- Regression after a configuration change or update
- Coverage checks ahead of certification
Relationship to certification
What this product performs is terminal integration testing. Whether scheme approval is granted is decided by the scheme and the acquirer. We support the test environment and the preparation of the data required for submission.