Why Use Raspberry Pi for Digital Signage?

Digital signage is omnipresent today. Almost every industry is now seeking the assistance of digital signage to enhance their services. Here are some of the key benefits of using a Raspberry Pi to run your digital signage software:

Cost-Effective

Raspberry Pi digital signage player has the lowest cost compared to other players. The most basic model of Raspberry Pi (Raspberry Pi zero) comes at as low as $5. More on Raspberry Pi price

Good Performance

If your digital signage software runs on Raspberry Pi, you can avail of stable and high-performing solutions that you cannot get otherwise. The Raspberry Pi digital signage OS is incredibly efficient for commercial displays, especially for those that are configured to auto-switch ON and auto-Sleep mode for better device life, power saving and seamless operations.

Easy Accessibility

You can easily purchase a Raspberry Pi for your digital signage in almost any country as it is a widely popular hardware.

raspberry pi 4 motherboard

Prerequisites of Pickcel's Raspberry Pi Digital Signage

raspberry pi 4 unit
  • Raspberry Pi 4 Model B
  • Minimum of 8GB SD Card
  • Desktop/Laptop (Windows, Linux, Mac)
  • USB keyboard
  • SD Card reader
  • HDMI Cable
  • Power adaptor

Steps to get started with Pickcel's Raspberry Pi Digital Signage Software

01

Prepare SD Card

Pickcel provides a pre-installed Raspberry Pi image file, which needs to be downloaded and installed on an SD card.

  • Download the IMG zip file (pickcel.img.gz) download Download
  • Download the balenaEtcher tool from here and install this tool on your desktop. This tool is supported on Windows, MacOS and Linux also.
  • Insert the SD Card into the SD Card reader (You may require an external USB SD card reader). Plug the SD Card into your System
  • Launch the balenaEtcher App,
    • Click on “Flash from file”, and select the downloaded pickcel.img.gz file.
    • Select SD Card as the target and click on Flash
    • Wait for the Flash to complete the process
raspberry pi installation setup window
raspberry tv connection slot identification
02

Setup the Raspberry Pi on your digital signage screen / TV

  • Insert the SD card into your Raspberry Pi
  • Connect the Raspberry Pi with the HDMI cable and Power adaptor
  • Connect your HDMI cable to the television/display HDMI port in with the HDMI cable and ensure that the right HDMI source is selected
  • Connect a USB keyboard on one of the USB ports of the Pi
    • The keyboard is required for the first time only to configure the wifi network,
    • In case you have Ethernet connectivity with DHCP IP address and DNS setup, you may not require any configuration and hence may not require a USB keyboard.
  • Power on the Raspberry Pi
  • You should see the boot logo of Raspberry Pi OS on your screen
  • On completion of the boot, the Pickcel apk would launch automatically
03

Connect to the Internet

1. In case you have Ethernet connectivity with DHCP IP address and DNS setup, and If the Pi gets internet access over http/https (access to *.pickcel.com), you should see the Pickcel registration screen.
raspberry tv connection slot identification
2. In this case, you may not require any configuration and skip the below step.
raspberry pi configuration setup window
3. Once the boot is complete and you a see Pickcel app screen with no internet error, On your Keyboard use Ctrl + Shift + N to open raspi - config screen
raspberry pi no internet error window
4. Select from the Network Options using arrow key of keyboard
raspberry pi network option setup window
5. Select from the Wi-fi options
raspberry pi wifi setup window
6. Type 'SSID' and press Enter
raspberry pi SSID setup window
7. Enter the Passphrase (Password). Leave it empty if none. And, press Enter
raspberry pi password setup window
8. Click on 'Ok' and on raspi - config screen click on 'Finish'. This will restart the device and launch Pickcel automatically and display the Screen Registration code.
Pickcel CMS configuration setup screen
04

Register at Pickcel Console

  • Register/Login at console.pickcel.com
  • After network configuration, if the Raspberry Pi OS gets internet access and can connect to the Pickcel cloud, you will be able to see the Pickcel display registration screen.
  • Add the display by following these steps.
  • For further guide refer to the Pickcel knowledge base.

Industries That are Powered by Raspberry Pi Digital Signage Solution

We at Pickcel cater to our clients' diverse requirements and create custom-made Raspberry Pi digital signage software.

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Retail

With Raspberry PI digital signage, you can launch new products or promote the existing ones. It is the best way to increase customer engagement and experience.
QSR / Restaurants

DOOH

Ad campaigns are a necessary part of the business world today. With Raspberry digital signage, you can manage your ad campaigns on different displays. It is an ideal and attractive way to promote your business and give a thrust to your ad campaign.

Corporate Communication

Your employees are the true asset of your business, and you cannot afford to lose them at any cost. The digital signage for Raspberry will allow you to run an employee engagement campaign and conduct corporate exercises. Truly they are a great way to enhance corporate communication that will lead to productivity.

Enjoy a Diverse Range of Apps & Widgets from the Pickcel App Store on your Raspberry Pi Digital Signage Software

We have an array of digital signage apps for you that will offer real-time, informative, relevant, and purposeful content.

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CNN
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BBC
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Facebook
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Instagram
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Weather
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Twitter
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Slack
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FAQs

Digital signage is primarily used for mass communication. Whether it is to relay useful information like weather data, traffic updates, schedules or bulletins, or broadcast digital menus, flight departures/arrivals, or display marketing & promotional content (like ads, discounts, etc.), digital signage has an incredibly wide range of applications that pertain to almost every possible industry.

Raspberry Pi is a tiny credit-card size computer which when connected to any display or TV can impart its computing functionalities to the otherwise dumb screens. It acts as a media player allowing digital signage software to run on it. The Raspberry Pi digital signage OS supports images, videos, custom apps, RTSP video streaming, etc.

All the steps mentioned above in detail will help you out step by step in setting up and using Raspberry Pi Digital Signage.

You can download the latest version of Pickcel's digital signage software for Raspberry Pi here.