PROJECT RESEARCH ON POS | ATTENDANCE CAPTURE | NFC ETC

I am working on a project that would require an unbranded POS, where can I get one to purchase in Lagos?

If by “unbranded POS” you mean a POS terminal that is not locked to Moniepoint, Opay, PalmPay, Kuda, etc., and that you can customize with your own fintech, payment solution, or software, then you should be looking for generic Android POS terminals such as Sunmi, Nexgo, New8210, PAX, or similar OEM devices.

Some reliable places in Lagos where you can inquire:

Recommended Suppliers

• POS Shop Ltd — They specialize in POS hardware and payment terminal solutions and may be able to supply OEM/unbranded units suitable for custom deployment.
• POS warehouse and automated Ltd — Focused on POS terminals and related equipment on Lagos Island.
• Android POS Terminal(Scaling ideas Nigeria Limited) — Supplies Android-based POS devices and could be worth contacting for white-label options.
• Switch payment solutions Nigeria LTD (Android and button POS terminal) — Offers both Android and traditional POS terminals.
• Westgate Technologies Lagos — Large ICT hardware supplier in Ikeja that may source POS hardware in volume.

Available POS Hardware Models in Nigeria

These are examples of devices currently being sold in Lagos:

Model	Approximate Price	Notes
Nexgo G3 POS	₦60,000+	Android payment terminal suitable for customization.
NEW8210 POS Terminal	₦43,500–₦63,000+	Common banking-grade terminal used in Nigeria.
Sunmi P3 POS	₦260,000+	Premium Android smart POS device.
CAPTURE Scorpion Mobile POS	₦529,155+	Enterprise-grade Android mobile POS.

Important Before You Buy

For a custom POS project, ask the supplier:

1. Can the device be supplied without bank branding?
2. Is the device SDK/API accessible?
3. Can you install your own APK/application?
4. Is it PCI-certified if card payments will be processed?
5. Is there a bulk purchase discount if you're deploying multiple units?
6. Can they provide OEM/white-label branding (your logo, startup name, packaging, etc.)?

Since you're working on a project, the best starting points would be POS Shop Ltd and POS warehouse and automated Ltd because they appear closer to the type of white-label/OEM POS sourcing you're likely looking for.

Can you tell me whether your project is:

• a fintech/payment startup,
• an inventory/retail POS software project,
• a school payment system,
• or an agency banking solution?

That will help me point you to the exact type of terminal and integration route.

A school payment system

For a school payment system, I would actually recommend going beyond a regular bank-branded POS and getting either:

1. A white-label Android POS terminal where you can install your own school payment application.
2. A SoftPOS solution (Android phone/tablet acting as a payment terminal).
3. A custom integration with providers like Paystack or Nomba for fee collection and reconciliation.

Best Places to Source the Hardware in Lagos

POS Shop Ltd

4.5•Computer hardware manufacturer•Closed

Website•Directions•0700 767 7467

This is probably one of the better places to discuss:

• Unbranded terminals
• OEM devices
• Bulk deployment
• SDK-enabled Android POS devices

They are experienced with payment hardware and enterprise deployments.

Android POS Terminal(Scaling ideas Nigeria Limited)

5.0•Office equipment supplier•Open

Directions•0706 905 3960

Useful if you specifically want Android POS devices where you can install your own APK and connect your own backend.

Switch payment solutions Nigeria LTD (Android and button POS terminal)

Office equipment supplier•Closed

Directions•0814 703 8585

Good option if you want both Android smart terminals and traditional POS hardware.

TTtech POS

POS terminal supplier•Closed

Website•Directions•0816 014 0445

Located in Computer Village, Ikeja, where many hardware distributors source POS devices. You may get better pricing there for multiple units.

School Payment Architecture I Would Recommend

For schools, a more scalable setup is:

Parent
   ↓
Android POS
   ↓
School Payment App
   ↓
Payment Gateway
(Paystack / Nomba / Paga)
   ↓
School Dashboard
   ↓
Receipt + Student Record

This allows:

• School fees payment
• Acceptance fees
• Hostel fees
• Exam registration fees
• PTA dues
• Instant receipts
• Automatic reconciliation
• Student payment history

Payment Partners Worth Talking To

Paystack Payments Limited

3.8•Corporate office•Closed

Website•Directions•0201 631 6160

Paystack already supports physical terminals and school-style payment reconciliation features. Their terminal infrastructure can integrate with existing systems. 

Nomba

4.3•Corporate office•Closed

Website•Directions•0201 888 8866

Offers payment APIs, merchant tools, and POS infrastructure that can be adapted for institutional collections.

Xpress Payment Solutions Limited

4.6•Software company•Open

Directions•16312430

Well known in Nigeria for bill payments, educational payments, and institutional collections.

Device Models to Ask For

When contacting suppliers, specifically ask for:

• SUNMI V2
• SUNMI V2 Pro
• SUNMI P2
• Nexgo G3
• NEW8210 Android POS
• PAX A920

Android-based POS devices are widely used because custom applications can be installed directly on them. Community discussions around SUNMI devices also highlight strong SDK support for printing and custom POS development. 

My recommendation for a school project would be:

SUNMI V2 Pro + Paystack API + Custom School Dashboard

It gives you:

• Card payments
• Transfers
• Receipt printing
• Student verification
• Real-time reporting
• Easy scaling across multiple campuses

If this is for Covenant University, a private secondary school, or another institution, I can also help you design the full workflow (student authentication, fee categories, receipts, reconciliation, parent portal, and admin dashboard).

You can check whether a phone has NFC (Near Field Communication) in several ways:

Method 1: Check in Settings (Best Method)

On Android

Go to:

Settings → Connected devices → Connection preferences → NFC

Or search directly in Settings:

• Open Settings
• Tap the search icon
• Type “NFC”

If the phone supports NFC, you’ll see:

• NFC
• Contactless payments
• Tap & Pay
• Wallet & NFC

On iPhone

All iPhones from:

• iPhone 7 and newer support NFC.

For Apple devices, NFC is built into:

• Apple Inc. Pay
• Wallet
• Tap-to-pay features

Method 2: Look in Quick Settings

Swipe down from the top of the phone screen.

Look for:

• NFC
• Contactless
• Tap & Pay

If you see the NFC toggle, the phone supports it.

Method 3: Check the Phone Specifications Online

Search:

“[Phone model] NFC”

Examples:

• “Infinix Hot 40 NFC”
• “Samsung A15 NFC”

Reliable spec sites:

• GSMArena
• Kimovil

Look under:

• Connectivity
• NFC

Method 4: Dialer Code (Some Android Phones)

Some Android phones show hardware info with:

*#0*#

or

*#*#4636#*#*

Not all manufacturers support this.

Important for Your School POS Project

If you want to use:

• Tap-to-pay
• Contactless cards
• SoftPOS
• NFC student ID cards
• Android phone as POS terminal

Then the phone MUST have:

• NFC hardware
• Android 10+
• Google certification (recommended)

Brands Commonly Supporting NFC

Most midrange and flagship phones from:

• Samsung
• Google Pixel
• Xiaomi
• Tecno (selected models)
• Infinix (selected models)

support NFC.

Budget phones often do NOT include it.

If you tell me:

• the exact phone model,
• or the phones you plan to buy for the project,

I can tell you whether they support NFC and whether they’re suitable for SoftPOS or school payment deployment.

Is it possible to test the project with a branded POS

Yes — absolutely. In fact, for a school payment system prototype, starting with a branded POS is often the fastest and cheapest way to validate your idea before investing in unbranded/OEM terminals.

You can test with:

• Moniepoint Inc. POS
• Opay Digital Services Limited POS
• PalmPay Limited POS
• Nomba terminals
• Generic Android POS devices already configured by providers

But there are important limitations.

What You CAN Test

With a branded Android POS, you can still test:

1. School Payment Workflow

• Student ID entry
• Fee category selection
• Receipt generation
• Parent confirmation
• Payment verification
• Backend synchronization

2. User Experience

• How cashiers use the system
• Queue management
• Receipt printing flow
• Student lookup speed

3. Backend Infrastructure

• Database
• APIs
• Payment reconciliation
• Dashboards
• Notifications

4. External Payment Integration

You can integrate:

• Paystack
• Flutterwave
• Nomba

using:

• transfer confirmation
• USSD
• QR payment
• payment links
• virtual accounts

even before direct card integration.

Main Limitation

Most branded POS terminals:

• lock the operating system,
• prevent installation of custom APKs,
• restrict SDK access,
• or disable developer mode.

So you may NOT be able to:

• install your own Android app,
• control the card reader,
• directly trigger card payments,
• or access printer APIs.

Best Practical Strategy for You

Phase 1 — Prototype (Recommended)

Use:

• an NFC-enabled Android phone/tablet,
• or a branded Android POS,
• with your custom school payment app.

Simulate:

• payments,
• receipt printing,
• student verification,
• and reconciliation.

This validates the business logic.

Phase 2 — Payment Integration

Then integrate:

• Paystack Terminal API,
• Nomba APIs,
• or Flutterwave collections.

This allows real transactions without needing full hardware-level POS control initially.

Phase 3 — OEM/White-label POS

After the concept works:

• buy SUNMI/PAX/Nexgo terminals,
• deploy your APK,
• enable NFC/contactless,
• connect receipt printer SDK,
• and fully customize the experience.

A Better Alternative for MVP

For a school project, I would actually suggest:

Android Phone + Bluetooth Printer

instead of buying expensive POS hardware immediately.

Setup:

Android Phone
    +
School Payment App
    +
Paystack/Flutterwave
    +
Bluetooth Thermal Printer

Advantages:

• Much cheaper
• Easier to develop
• Faster testing
• More flexible
• Easier debugging
• Easier updates

Then later migrate to dedicated POS hardware.

What Many Nigerian Startups Actually Do

Many fintech startups first build on:

• standard Android phones,
• tablets,
• or SoftPOS,

before moving to:

• SUNMI,
• PAX,
• or custom Android POS terminals.

That reduces cost and development complexity early on.

For your school payment system, this is likely the smartest route initially.

I am working on a biometric attendance capture system that would automatically capture student data on Google sheet as a backend database

That is very possible — and actually a smart architecture for an MVP or institutional pilot.

Your setup can work like this:

Fingerprint Device / NFC / Face ID
            ↓
Android App or Web App
            ↓
Google Apps Script API
            ↓
Google Sheets Database
            ↓
Dashboard / Reports / Notifications

For a school environment, this is practical because:

• Google Sheets is easy to manage,
• it supports real-time updates,
• it reduces backend hosting cost,
• and it integrates well with attendance analytics.

Recommended Architecture

Option 1 — Android Phone + Biometric Device (Best MVP)

Hardware

• Android phone/tablet
• Fingerprint scanner OR NFC card reader
• Optional thermal printer

Software

• HTML/CSS/JavaScript frontend
• Google Apps Script backend
• Google Sheets database

This is the cheapest and fastest way to start.

Ways to Capture Attendance

A. Fingerprint Scanner

Students place fingerprint:

Fingerprint → Match Student → Save Attendance → Google Sheets

Common devices:

• ZKTeco fingerprint scanners
• Digital Persona readers

These are common in Nigerian schools.

B. NFC Student ID Card (Highly Recommended)

Each student gets:

• NFC card
• RFID tag
• Smart ID card

Student taps card:

Tap Card → Read UID → Match Student → Save Attendance

Advantages:

• Faster
• Cheaper
• Easier than biometrics
• Lower error rate
• Works with NFC-enabled Android phones

This is what many schools eventually adopt.

C. Face Recognition

Using:

• Android camera
• AI face recognition
• Cloud matching

Possible, but:

• more complex,
• requires better lighting,
• higher development cost.

Google Sheets as Backend

You can store:

Student ID	Name	Department	Time In	Time Out	Device	Date

Using:

• Google Sheets
• Google Apps Script

Why Google Apps Script is Powerful Here

You can:

• create APIs,
• receive attendance data,
• automate timestamps,
• send emails,
• generate reports,
• trigger SMS/WhatsApp notifications.

Example flow:

function doPost(e) {
  var sheet = SpreadsheetApp.openById("SHEET_ID")
              .getSheetByName("Attendance");

  var data = JSON.parse(e.postData.contents);

  sheet.appendRow([
    data.studentId,
    data.name,
    new Date()
  ]);

  return ContentService
         .createTextOutput("Success");
}

Your Android app sends:

{
  "studentId": "CU/2025/001",
  "name": "John Doe"
}

and attendance is automatically recorded.

Technologies I Recommend

Frontend

• HTML
• CSS
• JavaScript
• or React

Mobile

• Android Studio
• Flutter
• or PWA (Progressive Web App)

Backend

• Google Apps Script

Database

• Google Sheets initially
• later migrate to:
• Google Firebase
• MySQL
• PostgreSQL

Very Important Recommendation

For biometrics:
DO NOT store raw fingerprints directly in Google Sheets.

Instead:

• store template IDs,
• student unique identifiers,
• or verification tokens.

This is safer and more scalable.

Hardware Suggestions in Nigeria

For your prototype:

Budget MVP

• Android phone with NFC
• NFC student cards
• Google Sheets backend

This is the easiest path.

More Advanced

• ZKTeco biometric terminal
• Android POS terminal
• fingerprint SDK
• custom app

What I Would Personally Recommend

For a school deployment:

Start With:

NFC Attendance System

Why?

• Faster than fingerprints
• Lower maintenance
• Lower cost
• Easier deployment
• Easier scaling
• Better student throughput

Then later:

• add fingerprint verification for exams,
• hostel access,
• or secure attendance validation.

Your Final Architecture Could Become

Student NFC Card
        ↓
Android POS / Tablet
        ↓
Attendance App
        ↓
Google Apps Script API
        ↓
Google Sheets
        ↓
Admin Dashboard
        ↓
Reports / SMS / Email

This is absolutely deployable in Nigerian schools and universities.

Since you already work around educational systems and LMS environments, you are actually well-positioned to build this successfully.

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