Understanding AccuArk Licensing: Locations, Machines, and Subscriptions

Understanding AccuArk Licensing: Locations, Machines, and Subscriptions

Your AccuArk subscription defines how many store locations and POS machines you can operate. This article explains the licensing model in detail, including how limits are enforced and how to expand your capacity.

Subscription Structure

Every AccuArk subscription includes:

1. A set number of locations — the stores, warehouses, or sites you can create
2. A set number of machines per location — the POS terminals allowed at each store

For example, a plan might include 2 locations × 4 machines per location, giving you a total of 8 POS machines across your two stores.

How Location Limits Work

Your subscription counts all locations regardless of status — both active and disabled locations count toward your limit.

Key point: Disabling a location does NOT free up a location slot. If you need to remove a location to make room, contact support.

How Machine Limits Work

Unlike locations, machine limits count only active machines. Disabled (inactive) machines do not count toward your limit.

Key point: Deactivating a machine frees up a machine slot that can be used anywhere across your locations.

Base Plan vs. Add-Ons

Your subscription has a base plan that defines your starting capacity. You can expand by purchasing add-ons:

Extra Location Add-On

Adding a location expands your plan by one store with the same number of machines per location as your base plan.

Example: If your base plan is 2 locations × 4 machines, adding one Extra Location gives you:

• 3 locations × 4 machines each = 12 total machines

The new location gets the same machine allowance as every other location in your plan.

Extra Machine Add-On

Extra machines go into a shared add-on pool that can be distributed across any of your existing locations. This is perfect for seasonal scaling or adding checkout lanes where they are needed most.

Example: Your plan is 2 locations × 4 machines. You purchase 2 Extra Machines:

• Location A can have up to 4 base + 2 add-on = 6 machines
• Location B can have up to 4 base + 2 add-on = 6 machines
• But the total add-on usage across all locations cannot exceed 2

So if Location A uses both add-on slots (6 machines), Location B is limited to 4 machines (base only). The add-on machines are a shared pool — you choose where to deploy them.

Capacity Checks in Action

AccuArk enforces subscription limits at several points:

When Creating a New Location

The system checks your total location count (active + disabled) against your plan's location limit. If you are at the limit, you see:

"Your subscription allows a maximum of X location(s). You currently have Y (including disabled locations). Please upgrade your plan or purchase add-on locations to add more."

When Activating a Machine

The system checks:

1. Base capacity at the location — is the location under its base machine limit?
2. Add-on pool — if at base capacity, are there unused add-on machine slots available?

If both are exhausted, you see a message explaining the limit and suggesting to deactivate machines elsewhere or purchase add-ons.

When Moving a Machine Between Locations

When you change a machine's location assignment, the system checks capacity at the target location (excluding the machine being moved from its origin). If the target is full, the move is blocked.

When Re-Enabling a Disabled Location

When you reactivate a location, you can choose which machines to re-enable. Each machine is individually capacity-checked before activation.

Managing Your Capacity

Here are practical strategies for managing your subscription limits:

Free Up Machine Slots

• Disable machines that are no longer in use
• When replacing hardware, disable the old machine before activating the new one
• During seasonal slowdowns, disable extra registers

Free Up Location Slots

• Contact support to have unused locations removed from your account
• Remember: disabling a location does NOT free the slot

Check Your Current Usage

• Program → Machines — see all active and inactive machines
• Program → Locations — see all locations
• When you hit a limit, the error message tells you your current count and plan limit

Common Scenarios

Scenario: Opening a New Store

1. Verify you have an available location slot (or purchase an Extra Location add-on)
2. Create the new location in Program → Locations
3. Create machines for the new location in Program → Machines
4. Each machine activation is checked against your machine limits

Scenario: Adding a Register During the Holidays

1. Purchase Extra Machine add-ons if you don't have unused slots
2. Create a new machine and assign it to the location that needs extra capacity
3. After the holidays, disable the extra machine to free the slot for next year

Scenario: Replacing a Broken Computer

1. On the new computer, open AccuArk and go to Program → Machine Configuration
2. Use Menu → Open to find the existing machine
3. Click Menu → Set as This Machine
4. The machine is now assigned to the new hardware
5. No subscription changes needed — you are reusing the same machine slot

Scenario: Moving a Register to Another Store

1. Open the machine's configuration
2. Change the Location dropdown to the destination store
3. If the destination has capacity, save — the machine moves
4. If the destination is full, you are prompted to deactivate a machine there first

Summary