EZ Queue System

1. Introduction

EZ Queue System is a local queue management platform designed for multi-department service operations such as offices, payment centers, clinics, and customer support desks. The system uses an Android tablet as the main server and public kiosk. Counter-side control can be done through ESP32 hardware terminals or through a browser station page.

2. System Roles and Devices

3. Startup and Daily Preparation

1. Turn on the tablet and open the EZ Queue System app.
2. Make sure the tablet is connected to the local Wi-Fi network.
3. Confirm the printer is powered on and paired to the tablet.
4. Open the Admin Menu and check Server Status.
5. Confirm the WebSocket server and display HTTP server are running.
6. Turn on the TV and open the display URL shown in Server Status.
7. Turn on the ESP32 counter units, or open browser stations if used.

4. Customer Kiosk Operation

4.1 How customers get a ticket

1. Customer approaches the tablet kiosk.
2. Customer taps the department they want to visit.
3. The system creates a queue number for that department.
4. A confirmation dialog appears with the ticket number.
5. The ticket is printed automatically if the printer is available.

4.2 What the customer sees

• Department buttons
• Branded kiosk title and subtitle
• Printer status
• Queue number confirmation

4.3 Notes

• If the printer is offline, the ticket can still be created and queued for printing.
• If all numbers in a department are already active, the system will prevent issuing a duplicate active ticket number.

5. Counter Operation Using ESP32

5.1 Default Button mapping

5.2 Idle behavior

• If no active ticket is assigned, pressing Next calls the next waiting customer from allowed departments.
• If waiting customers exist, the LCD may show waiting indication and backlight heartbeat blink.

5.3 Active ticket behavior

• Next button becomes Recall.
• Complete finalizes the current ticket.
• Transfer button short press enters transfer selection mode.
• Transfer button long press performs skip.

5.4 Transfer mode

• The upper LCD row shows the selected target department.
• The second LCD row shows button options for cycle, confirm, and cancel.
• Next cycles through departments, Complete confirms transfer, and Transfer cancels selection.

6. Counter Operation Using Browser Station

Browser stations are intended for counters that do not have ESP32 hardware. A browser station offers the same core queue actions through a web page.

6.1 Accessing a browser station

1. Open a browser on a PC, tablet, or phone connected to the same network as the main tablet.
2. Go to http://tablet_ip:8081/station.
3. Enter the station token assigned to the counter.
4. After successful login, the token is stored in a browser cookie for long-term reuse.

6.2 Browser station features

• Live state display
• Call next
• Recall
• Complete
• Skip
• Transfer
• Waiting count display

7. TV Display Board

7.1 Opening the display board

1. Open Admin Menu on the tablet.
2. Open Server Status.
3. Find the TV Display URL, usually http://tablet_ip:8081.
4. Open that URL from the TV browser.

7.2 TV display content

• Large current ticket numbers per counter
• Latest call section
• Recent calls list
• Brand title and logo text
• Software version in footer
• Clock

7.3 Requirements

• The TV must be connected to the same local network as the tablet.
• The browser must support modern JavaScript and WebSocket.

8. Printer Operation

8.1 Printer pairing

1. Pair the Bluetooth thermal printer from Android Bluetooth settings.
2. Open Admin → Printer Settings.
3. Select the correct paired printer.
4. Tap Connect Selected.
5. Use Test Print to confirm operation.

8.2 Print queue behavior

• Ticket creation does not wait for printing to finish.
• If printing fails, the print job is marked failed.
• Failed jobs can be retried from the Print Queue screen.

8.3 Cut settings

• Auto cut after each ticket can be enabled or disabled.
• Feed lines before cut can be adjusted.

8.4 Printed ticket content

• Brand title
• Optional subtitle
• Department name
• Queue number in large format
• Date and time
• Footer instruction

9. Admin Access

9.1 Entering Admin Menu

1. On the kiosk screen, long press the title area.
2. The Admin PIN page opens.
3. Enter the correct PIN. (Default pin: 1234)
4. The Admin Menu opens.

9.2 Main admin sections

• Queue Monitor
• Department Management
• Counter Management
• Printer Settings
• Print Queue
• Server Status
• Theme Settings
• Brand Settings
• Change Admin PIN

10. Admin Data Backup and Restore

10.1 Purpose

The Admin Backup page allows the administrator to download a backup of system data and restore it later if needed. This helps protect important settings and queue configuration in case the tablet is replaced, reset, or reconfigured.

10.2 Login procedure

1. Make sure the browser device is connected to the same Wi-Fi or LAN as the tablet.
2. Open the Admin URL shown in Server Status, usually http://tablet_ip:8082/admin.
3. Enter the Admin PIN.
4. After successful login, the Admin Backup page opens.

10.3 Available backup types

10.4 How to download a backup

1. Open the Admin Backup page.
2. Log in using the Admin PIN.
3. Choose either Download Config Backup or Download Full Backup.
4. The browser downloads a JSON backup file to your device.
5. Store the file in a safe location such as a technician laptop, USB drive, or cloud storage.

10.5 How to restore a backup

1. Open the Admin Backup page in a browser.
2. Log in using the Admin PIN.
3. Use the file selection box to choose a previously downloaded JSON backup file.
4. Review the selected backup data if shown on screen.
5. Tap or click Restore Backup.
6. Wait for the success message before closing the page.

10.6 Best practices for backup

• Create a backup before editing departments, counters, branding, printer settings, or admin settings.
• Keep at least one recent Config Backup and one Full Backup.
• Name and store backup files clearly by branch, tablet, or date if managing multiple installations.
• Do not share backup files with unauthorized users because they may contain system settings and admin-related data.

10.7 If the Admin Backup page does not open

• Check that the tablet app is running.
• Check that the browser device is on the same local network.
• Confirm the correct tablet IP address from the Server Status screen.
• Make sure the URL includes /admin.
• Try refreshing the browser.

11. Department Management

11.1 What can be managed

• Department name
• Prefix
• Maximum queue number
• Sort order
• Active / inactive status
• Counter reset

11.2 Add department

1. Open Admin → Department Management.
2. Tap Add.
3. Enter department name, prefix, maximum number, and sort order.
4. Save changes.

11.3 Edit department

1. Open the department list.
2. Tap Edit on the desired department.
3. Change the desired values.
4. Save changes.

11.4 Reset department numbering

• Use Reset on a department to return its current sequence to zero.
• Use Reset All to reset all departments.
• After reset, the next issued number starts again at 1.

11.5 Important note

12. Counter Management

12.1 Counter fields

• Counter name
• Device ID
• WebSocket token
• Active / inactive status
• Assigned departments

12.2 Add counter

1. Open Admin → Counter Management.
2. Tap Add Counter.
3. Enter counter name, device ID, and token.
4. Select one or more departments.
5. Save the counter.

12.3 Edit counter

1. Select the counter from the list.
2. Tap Edit.
3. Change the desired fields.
4. Save changes.

12.4 Delete or deactivate

• If counter has no ticket history, it can be deleted.
• If counter already has related ticket activity, it should be deactivated instead of hard deleted.

13. Branding and Theme Settings

13.1 Theme Settings

Theme Settings change the overall visual color scheme of the kiosk.

• Select the desired theme from the list.
• The kiosk updates immediately.

13.2 Brand Settings

Brand Settings allow the system to match your office or company identity.

• Title / company name
• Subtitle / welcome text
• Footer text
• Logo text or short label
• Now Serving label

These settings are used on:

• Kiosk screen
• Ticket print layout
• TV display page

14. Server Status and Network Information

14.1 What Server Status shows

• WebSocket server running state
• WebSocket port
• Display HTTP server running state
• Display HTTP port
• Local IPv4 addresses
• TV display URLs
• Admin URLs
• Counter WebSocket URLs

14.2 Typical local URLs

TV display:      http://tablet_ip:8081
Admin page:      http://tablet_ip:8082/admin
Browser station: http://tablet_ip:8081/station

15. ESP32 Configuration Mode

15.1 Entering configuration mode

1. Press and hold all three buttons together.
2. Wait for the configured hold time.
3. AP mode turns on.

15.2 Configuration AP details

15.3 Configuration steps

1. Connect a phone or laptop to the ESP32 AP.
2. Open the AP IP address shown on the LCD.
3. Use the config page to scan Wi-Fi and enter settings.
4. Save configuration.
5. The ESP32 reconnects using the saved data.

15.4 Exiting configuration mode

Press and hold all three buttons again to turn AP mode off.

16. Browser Station Login and Use

16.1 Login

1. Open http://tablet_ip:8081/station.
2. Enter the counter token.
3. After successful login, the station page opens.

16.2 Cookie behavior

• The browser stores the station token in a long-lived cookie.
• This avoids repeated token entry.
• Use Logout if access should be cleared from that browser.

16.3 Station page controls

• Next
• Recall
• Complete
• Skip
• Transfer
• Refresh State

17. Troubleshooting

17.1 Printer not printing

• Check printer power.
• Check Bluetooth pairing.
• Open Printer Settings and reconnect.
• Check Print Queue for failed jobs.

17.2 TV display does not update

• Check the TV and tablet are on the same network.
• Refresh the TV browser page.
• Verify the URL from Server Status.
• Confirm WebSocket server is running.

17.3 ESP32 station cannot connect

• Verify Wi-Fi SSID and password.
• Verify WebSocket host and port.
• Verify counter token matches the tablet counter record.
• Use AP configuration mode if settings need correction.

17.4 Browser station cannot open

• Make sure the URL includes port 8081.
• Check that the tablet app is running.
• Check the local IP in Server Status.

17.5 Admin backup page cannot open

• Make sure the URL includes /admin.
• Check that the browser device is on the same local network.
• Check the local IP in Server Status.
• Refresh the browser and try again.

17.6 Counter sees no waiting customers

• Confirm the counter has departments assigned.
• Confirm tickets exist in one of the assigned departments.
• Refresh counter state.

18. Best Practices

• It is important to assign a static IP address to the tablet to ensure that its IP address remains unchanged even after a reboot.
• Keep the tablet connected to power during operation.
• Use a stable local Wi-Fi router for all devices.
• Assign clear counter names such as Counter 1, Counter 2, Window 3, or Cashier 1.
• Keep department prefixes short and unique.
• Test printer, TV display, counter connections before opening to customers.
• Create regular backup files and store them in a safe location.
• Use brand and theme settings to match your office identity.
• Record counter tokens securely for browser station or ESP32 setup.