We are finding that the Epson TM-m30III receipt printer bluetooth is somehow disconnecting occasionally at several of our locations. The process to get it reconnected is inconsistent. Shopify Support suggested connecting the power via a UPS, which we do anyway as it’s a good practice. We are using recent generation and up to date iPads, the apps are set to automatically update ditto iOS. Has anyone else experienced flaky bluetooth printer connectivity and have you found a way to fix it? Thanks.
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Yes, unfortunately Bluetooth receipt printers (including the Epson TM-m30III) are known to be less reliable than wired or LAN setups, especially in busy retail environments. A few things that often help:
- Use LAN/Ethernet if possible – Epson printers are rock solid over network connections compared to Bluetooth. Even Wi-Fi is usually more stable than Bluetooth.
- Disable iPad Auto-Lock – when the iPad sleeps, it sometimes drops the Bluetooth connection. Set Auto-Lock to Never in Settings → Display & Brightness.
- Forget & re-pair the printer – go into iPad Bluetooth settings, forget the printer, restart both devices, and re-pair. This clears out flaky pairings.
- Check for Epson firmware updates – Epson occasionally releases firmware that improves stability. You can update via their Epson TM Utility app.
- Keep distance & interference in mind – Bluetooth drops more often if the iPad is far away, blocked by walls/metal, or if there’s a lot of wireless traffic.
If stability is critical, I’d recommend switching to a LAN or USB-C cable setup instead of Bluetooth — it removes almost all of these headaches.