Menus, prices, promotions and directions used to be printed, laminated and pinned up. Now they are more often on a screen, changed from a laptop in seconds and scheduled to suit the time of day. Here is how digital signage works, why so many businesses have switched, who already relies on it, and how to keep screens connected without involving your business network.
The 30-second version
- Digital signage is a screen, a media player, software and a connection.
- Content changes centrally, to one screen or every branch at once.
- Fast food, retail, transport and healthcare use it widely.
- Screens often sit where the Wi-Fi is weakest, so mobile connectivity suits them.
- We supply the connectivity and work alongside your signage provider.
On this page
What is digital signage?
A digital signage system has four parts: a screen, a small media player that shows the content, software used to manage and schedule it, and a connection that links them together. Some screens have the player built in.
Content is created and scheduled in the software, then sent to each screen. Most players store their content locally and only download changes, so a screen keeps working even if its connection briefly drops.
Why it is useful
- Instant updates. Prices and promotions change in minutes, everywhere.
- Scheduling. Breakfast menus in the morning, lunch deals at midday.
- No printing. Fewer posters to design, print and replace.
- Attention. Moving content is noticed far more than static print.
- Live information. Queues, departures and wayfinding kept current.
Who is already using it
Most major fast-food chains now use digital menu boards, and railway and airport departure screens are digital signage on a large scale. Retailers use window and in-store screens, estate agents show listings in their windows, GP surgeries use waiting room screens, and shopping centres use digital directories.
Smaller businesses have followed, because screens and signage software are now affordable enough for a single cafe or salon.
What to watch out for
- Where the screen sits. Windows and walls are rarely where the Wi-Fi is strongest.
- Security. Media players are often left unpatched. Keeping them off your business network is safer.
- Data use. Video uses more data than most connected devices, so plans need sizing to your content.
- Blank screens. Without monitoring, a failed screen can go unnoticed for days.
How Synergy Max can help
We supply and configure the connectivity for each screen, directly in the player or through a compact 4G or 5G router, and work alongside your signage software provider.
- IoT SIM cards, including multi-network SIMs that use whichever UK network is strongest
- Pooled data across every device on one account, with one simple bill
- Monitoring, so a device that goes quiet is noticed and chased
- Private, managed access, so devices are not sitting on the open internet
Find out more on our Digital signage connectivity page, or see everything we connect on our IoT SIMs page.
Screens that look after themselves.
Tell us how many screens you have and where. We will recommend the right connectivity for each.