Buying an indoor kiosk display: 10 points to settle before you order

An indoor kiosk usually stays in the same spot for years and runs for many hours a day. Mistakes in choosing one rarely show on day one. They show a few weeks later: the text cannot be read from three metres away, there is no network at the location, or every change needs someone with a USB stick. This checklist covers what to settle before you order.

What is an indoor kiosk display and when does it fit?

An indoor kiosk display, often called a digital totem or standee, is a freestanding portrait screen for indoor use that needs no wall mounting. It fits where no wall is free or where visitors should be addressed in their walking path: at the entrance, in the lobby, at reception, on the sales floor or next to the lift. It is not built for a shop window in direct sun.

Three questions help you decide:

• Will the screen stand behind glass that gets sunlight during the day? Then you need a high-brightness shop window display, not an indoor kiosk.
• Is there a free, load-bearing wall in the line of sight? Then a wall-mounted display is an option that uses no floor space.
• Should the screen be moved around, for example for events? That favours the kiosk, because it can be repositioned without drilling.

Which screen size does your location need?

The right size depends on the typical viewing distance and on the content. If you want to reach people walking past, you need large, short messages and usually a larger screen. If people stand directly in front of the kiosk, for example to read a building map, a smaller diagonal is enough.

The SMARTENIC Tower Indoor comes in 43, 49, 55 and 65 inches, all in 4K resolution. A simple test before you decide:

1. Design a typical portrait layout using the smallest text you plan to use.
2. Print it at the actual size of the diagonal you have in mind, or show it on a screen of the same size.
3. Check it on site from the distance your visitors will really be standing.

If the smallest text is not comfortable to read from there, you need larger text or a larger kiosk.

Do you need touch, or is a display-only screen enough?

Touch only pays off if there is interactive content people operate themselves: wayfinding, a product catalogue, appointment booking or a form. For advertising, opening hours, promotions and welcome messages, a display-only screen is enough. Touch also adds work for software, user flow and regular cleaning of the glass.

A 10-point touch screen is available as an option for the Tower Indoor. Include it in your order if you can already foresee interactive use. Ask yourself first:

• Which application will run, and who builds it?
• What does a visitor see who does not touch the screen? The screen still needs a clear message.
• Who cleans the surface, and how often?

How does content get onto the kiosk?

At smartenic, content currently reaches an indoor kiosk by USB stick directly at the device. That is fine if content rarely changes and the device is easy to reach. For several locations, frequent promotions or scheduled content, cloud management is more convenient; at smartenic it is coming soon.

The Tower Indoor plays images and videos from USB without extra hardware. It is available with LAN/Wi-Fi; cloud management for uploading content, setting schedules and updating several screens at once is coming soon: smartenic Control. An HDMI input also lets you connect an external player, such as a PC running your own application.

Settle this before you order: should the device have LAN/Wi-Fi so it can later be connected to the cloud management that is coming soon?

What needs to be ready at the installation spot?

The installation spot needs a power socket nearby, a level floor and, for the network version, a LAN port or stable Wi-Fi. Walkways, escape routes and lighting matter as well. Checking these points before delivery avoids extension cables across the lobby and a screen standing against the light.

Check on site:

• Power: a socket within reach, with no cable across walkways.
• Network: test the LAN port or Wi-Fi signal at the exact spot, not in the office next door.
• Floor: level and stable. The Tower Indoor stands on castors and can be moved.
• Walkways: the kiosk must not narrow an escape route or block a door.
• Light: direct sun or strong spotlights on the screen reduce contrast.
• Access: the Tower Indoor has no external buttons; it is operated by remote control and the housing locks. Decide who keeps the key and the remote.

How long does delivery take?

Standard delivery time for the SMARTENIC Tower Indoor is 12 to 16 weeks from order. Some versions are available from stock right away; at the time of writing, that is the 55-inch kiosk. If you are working towards a fixed date, such as an opening, clarify delivery before you start designing content.

We confirm current stock and the delivery date in the quotation.

What belongs on your checklist?

A good checklist for buying an indoor kiosk covers location, size, interaction, content, infrastructure, timing and support. If you can answer these ten questions, a quotation can be prepared quickly and accurately:

1. Where exactly will the kiosk stand, and from what distance will it be seen?
2. Which diagonal fits: 43, 49, 55 or 65 inches?
3. How many kiosks do you need, at how many locations?
4. Touch or no touch, and which application runs on it?
5. USB stick or LAN/Wi-Fi for the upcoming cloud management?
6. Is there power and network at the location?
7. Who creates the content, and how often does it change?
8. Is there a fixed go-live date?
9. Who sets it up and briefs your team?
10. Who is your contact if something does not work?

What is the next step?

Write down the location, preferred size, number of units and your target date. With that, we prepare a quotation for delivery and installation. smartenic serves customers in Austria and Slovakia, with its head office in Bratislava and a location in Vienna.

Read more about the format on our indoor kiosk page. For personal advice, book a call or send us your details via the contact form.