Kava Link L2 retrofit kit
Keep the machine. Give it a voice in 22 minutes.
Kava Link L2 is a $349 vending machine retrofit kit. It connects to the MDB bus and DEX port behind the bill validator panel and turns a legacy machine into a connected one: live sales and inventory, remote price changes and cashless passthrough. Retrofitted machines average 18% more revenue in their first 90 days.
- per machine
- $349per machine
- median install
- 22 minmedian install
- revenue per device, first 90 days
- +18%revenue per device, first 90 days
What happens in a median 22 minutes
Open the bill validator panel
The L2 mounts behind it. No cutting, drilling or machine modification beyond mounting.
Connect MDB and DEX
One connection to the MDB bus for sales and cashless, one to the DEX port for audit data. The module draws under 2 W from the machine's 24–42 V DC MDB power.
Route the antenna
LTE-M/NB-IoT with Wi-Fi fallback. The included external antenna kit gets the signal out of a steel cabinet and a basement corner.
Add the probes
Temperature probe and door switch inputs report cold-chain and door events to Kava OS.
Map the selections
Selections are matched to products in Kava OS and the DEX read seeds inventory. The machine is live before the van leaves.
Most of the lift was always there. It just didn't carry quarters.
The +18% average revenue lift in the first 90 days after a Kava Link retrofit comes mostly from two places: cashless acceptance and fewer stockouts. Shoppers who carry no coins can finally buy. And because the machine now reports every sale, the route arrives with what it needs before the best sellers sit empty for days.
None of that requires a new machine. The cabinet, the spirals and the compressor stay. What changes is that every sale, every price and every empty column is visible in Fleet Command and the driver app, and a price change no longer needs a site visit.
- Cashless reader passthrough on the MDB bus.
- Remote price changes from the console.
- Real-time sales and inventory per selection.
Kava Link L2
Machine interface
- Connections
- MDB bus and DEX port
- Mounting
- Behind the bill validator panel; no modification beyond mounting
- Inputs
- Temperature probe, door switch
- Compatibility
- MDB-compliant machines and readers; DEX/UCS audit data
Connectivity
- Primary
- LTE-M / NB-IoT
- Fallback
- Wi-Fi
- Antenna
- External antenna kit included
- Offline operation
- 72-hour transaction buffering
Power
- Source
- Machine MDB power, 24–42 V DC
- Draw
- Under 2 W
What it adds
- Telemetry
- Real-time sales and inventory
- Pricing
- Remote price changes
- Payments
- Cashless reader passthrough
Install and price
- Install time
- Median 22 minutes
- Purchase
- $349 per machine
- On VaaS fleets
- Included in the software price
Link plus the plan you need
| Compare | Core | Pro | Autopilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kava Link L2, one time | $349 | $349 | $349 |
| Kava OS, monthly | $19 | $39 | $69 |
| Kava OS, annual billing | $16.15/mo | $33.15/mo | $58.65/mo |
| First year, monthly billing | $577 | $817 | $1,177 |
| What you get | Telemetry, remote management, alerts, DEX/MDB data, cashless reporting | Core + forecasting, pre-kitting, dynamic routing, dynamic pricing | Pro + Kava Agent, predictive maintenance, retail media, API |
On VaaS fleets, Kava Link is included in the software price. The 30-day free trial covers Kava OS Pro on up to 10 machines; Kava Link hardware is required for legacy machines.
Kava Link on your machine, or a new Kava Vend?
| Compare | Kava Link L2 on your machine | New Kava Vend V4 |
|---|---|---|
| Up front | $349 | $6,700 |
| Install | Median 22 minutes | Delivery, placement and setup |
| Telemetry and remote pricing | ||
| Payments | Passthrough to your MDB cashless reader | Cards, wallets, app/QR, badge, payroll deduct built in |
| Touchscreen and drop sensing | 21.5" touchscreen; guaranteed vend | |
| Best when | The machine still vends reliably and holds temperature | The machine is failing, or the site wants a touchscreen |
A rule worth keeping: retrofit the machines that work, replace the ones that don't, and let the telemetry tell you which is which.
We didn't have to rip out a single machine. The fleet just started telling us what it needed.
Same machines. Different business.
Every machine in your fleet keeps a diary. Who's reading it?
DEX data has been sitting inside vending machines for years: every vend, every price, every column. Most of it gets read once a visit by a handheld, or never. Before you budget for new machines, ask what you'd change if you could read every diary as it was written: which routes you'd shorten, which prices you'd move, which machines you'd stop visiting on a schedule. The pre-kitting and routing guide shows what operators do with that data.
Retrofit questions
Which machines does Kava Link work with?
Machines with an MDB bus and a DEX port, which covers most legacy machines in service. If a machine isn't MDB-compliant, we'll tell you during the site survey, not on install day.
Do I have to modify the machine?
No modification beyond mounting. The module sits behind the bill validator panel and draws its power from the machine's MDB bus, at 24–42 V DC and under 2 W.
Can I keep my cashless readers and my processor?
Yes. Kava Link passes your MDB cashless reader through, and you can bring your own processor at no markup. Kava Pay is available at interchange-plus 0.35% + $0.05 if you'd rather consolidate; see Payments & Loyalty.
What if there's no cell signal where the machine sits?
Steel cabinets are usually what blocks the signal, so the included external antenna kit gets the antenna outside the cabinet. Wi-Fi is the fallback, and if both drop, the module buffers 72 hours of transactions and syncs later.
How fast can a whole fleet be retrofitted?
One Midwest operator retrofitted 520 machines in 9 weeks. With a median install of 22 minutes, a retrofit fits inside a normal service stop. Read the fleet retrofit case study.
Where to go next
Connect ten machines and watch for 30 days.
Try Kava OS Pro free on up to 10 machines for 30 days. Kava Link hardware is required for legacy machines; the software is on us for the trial.