Clover KDS: price, screens, routing, offline setup and limits

Clover KDS costs $799 plus $25 a month for the 14-inch screen, or $899 plus $25 a month for the 24-inch, per device, on Clover's own site. You need a Clover restaurant plan to use it, and the stand, mounts and bump bar are extra. It still shows in-store orders when the internet drops, if your network is set up the way Clover asks.

Our kitchen display guide sets Clover beside Toast, Square and others and has a mock-rush test. This page stays with Clover: the cost for your number of screens, the hardware, how orders get to the screen, the network rules for offline use, and what to test before service. Plan and card fees sit in our Clover pricing guide.

What does Clover KDS cost for your number of screens?

Clover's KDS page prints two prices, and its FAQ on the same page says the monthly fee is a KDS software plan fee charged per device. The totals below are our arithmetic on those prices over three years, before tax, shipping, mounts and card fees.

Screens	Upfront	Monthly	Three-year total
One 14-inch	One 14-inch: $799	One screen: $25/mo	One 14-inch over 36 months: $1,699
One 24-inch and one 14-inch	Two screens: $1,698	Two screens: $50/mo	Two screens over 36 months: $3,498
Two 24-inch and one 14-inch	Three screens: $2,597	Three screens: $75/mo	Three screens over 36 months: $5,297

The software fee is the larger part over time. With three screens, 36 months of the $75 fee comes to $2,700, more than the $2,597 paid for the screens.

Clover's FAQ says you must be on a Register, Table Service Restaurant or Counter Service Restaurant plan to buy and use the KDS, and that it is an extra device beyond those sold in the bundles. Clover's current full-service pricing page lists the Restaurant Growth plan on each bundle, starting with the full-service Starter at $179/mo for 36 months, so ask your rep which plan names qualify today.

What hardware comes with it, and what is extra?

• The screen: Clover says the body is temperature-resistant aluminum rated to 122°F, with anti-fingerprint and anti-glare treatment. Its June 2023 launch release puts the speaker alerts at 85 decibels.
• Power and network: Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet. Clover's Power over Ethernet article says the KDS takes IEEE 802.3at (PoE+) power, so one cable can carry power and network if your switch supports it.
• Mounting: the setup guide says the KDS fits 100 mm VESA mounts and the stand is not included.
• Accessories: Clover's accessories page lists the Logic Controls KB9000 bump bar (USB, 10 ft cable), a MicroTouch slim stand that tilts back up to 60°, and a StarTech wall arm that extends 7.7 inches. It prints no prices for them. You can add them to a new KDS, or call Clover to add them to an existing system.

Clover pitches the 24-inch for overhead mounting with a bump bar, and the 14-inch for counters or walls where space is tight.

How do orders reach the Clover KDS?

Clover says an order placed on any device in the restaurant fires straight to the KDS, and that the KDS puts on-premise orders and off-premise third-party orders in one place. It lists six software features: multi-level fulfillment, expo mode, item-level routing, prep time reporting, color-coded order status and runner ticket printing to any network-connected printer.

Two details matter when you set it up:

• Online orders use one firing device. Clover's developer FAQ says a merchant can pick only one default firing device (a Mini, Flex, Station 2 or Station Duo), and that you can set a KDS as the order printer for that device so online orders fire to it.
• Routing by station. Clover's public help pages do not walk through KDS station routing. For order printers, Clover's station ticket article splits tickets by the printer label on each item, and unlabeled items print on the combined ticket. Ask your rep whether your KDS stations follow the same labels, and label every item before the first shift.

Clover lists prep time reporting. Its public pages do not describe holding items so they fire by prep time, so ask whether your version can.

Does Clover KDS work when the internet drops?

Yes, for orders taken inside the building, through Clover Local Connect. Clover's offline KDS article says devices on the same local network keep talking, so an order rung on a Station or Mini still shows on the KDS. Clover calls it a temporary fix: you still need the internet to process card payments and save sales online. Our POS offline mode guide covers Clover's offline card payments.

Clover's Local Connect network guide sets the rules for your router. Hand this list to whoever runs your network:

1. Use one dedicated router for Clover devices, connected straight to the internet modem or gateway.
2. Keep every Clover device on that one router, as a single subnet with a 255.255.255.0 mask. Clover says Local Connect will not work with a mask such as 255.255.0.0.
3. Turn off AP isolation, client isolation and VLANs so devices can reach each other.
4. Set the DHCP lease to 120 minutes or longer.
5. Wire devices with Ethernet where you can. For more ports, add an unmanaged switch. For more Wi-Fi range, add an access point wired to the router; Clover warns against using a second router.
6. Keep guests and non-Clover devices off this network.

How should you test Clover KDS before service?

1. Ring an order on each front device (Station, Mini, Flex) and check it lands on the KDS.
2. Send one online order and one from each delivery app. Check the default firing device and that the KDS is set as its order printer.
3. Ring items for every station, plus one item with no label. Check where each lands and what expo shows.
4. Complete an item at a station and check the multi-level status on expo.
5. Print a runner ticket from the KDS to your network printer.
6. Program the bump bar and try each key during a practice rush.
7. Unplug the modem, keep the router on, and ring an order. Check it reaches the KDS, then see how your card payments behave.
8. Stand where the cook works and check the screen can be read and the alert heard over the hood fans.

If phone orders come in through a service, add one to the test. Maple Pro takes phone orders into Clover, and Maple's Clover integration page suggests following a test order to the printer or display your staff uses.

Published by Maple. This AI-assisted guide combines Clover's KDS, pricing, accessories and help-center pages, its developer FAQ, its Local Connect network guide and its June 2023 launch release with an original cost table and test list. It does not report hands-on testing of Clover KDS or a quote from Clover or a reseller.