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Advertising display internet connection? Note these things?

In order for all the great things that a digital signage system can offer to be realized, an advertising display and an internet connection are needed. What things should be considered when choosing an internet connection?

Before we get to the actual topic of the title, let’s give a little background on the matter, which includes the concept of IoT, the Internet of Things. With the help of IoT, physical devices, such as a home appliance, a car, a parcel vending machine or an advertising display in a store, can be connected to the Internet. Information moves between devices over the network, and the devices can work independently or as part of a larger entity.

In advertising displays, an internet connection enables, among other things, adding, removing and scheduling the content presented on the screen. But there are different internet connections. Which of them is best suited for an advertising display?

Landline, WiFi or mobile network?

Let’s state right away that it is very likely that your store’s current network connection is suitable, either as it is or with minor adjustments, as an internet connection for advertising displays. However, since different types of subscriptions have their own pros and cons, let’s go through them specifically from the point of view of the advertising screen.

Landline

  • A landline is often the most reliable solution, because the speed of the network connection does not vary much.
  • The downside is the dependence on electricity and network connections brought by the immobility. If there are no connection boxes in suitable places, from which the wires coming to the device can be neatly pulled, an electrician is required.

WiFi

  • A wireless WiFi network is the easiest to implement, because you don’t need to run cables to the devices, and with that you can also freely move the devices and change their location.
  • Commonly used “visitor networks” are rarely suitable for this type of use, even if they might work at first. They may require logging in after a certain time or when the data volume is reached, which IoT devices cannot do because there is no user to log in. In addition, the bandwidth in use is often limited, so even if the device is online, it is not enough to update the contents.

Mobile network

  • A clever solution in terms of portability, as long as there is expertise in selecting devices and connections and managing them.
  • The mobile network is at its best in shop-in-shop and pop-up type solutions, because organizing a network in third-party premises can be expensive and difficult.
  • The amount of data to be transferred for DS displays is approximately 1-2 GB per month per device.
  • The speed of the mobile network is an important thing to consider. In all available mobile subscriptions, the bandwidth is not sufficient for the needs of digital signage. Sufficient speed is 4G/LTE ~100 Mega.

A company or group network

  • Even if an IoT device, such as an advertising display, could be connected permanently or wirelessly to the company’s internal network, it is often not worth doing. Connecting additional devices unnecessarily opens up potential attack surfaces for critical infrastructure.

Landline, WiFi or mobile network?

Let’s state right away that it is very likely that your store’s current network connection is suitable, either as it is or with minor adjustments, as an internet connection for advertising displays. However, since different types of subscriptions have their own pros and cons, let’s go through them specifically from the point of view of the advertising screen.

Landline

  • A landline is often the most reliable solution, because the speed of the network connection does not vary much.
  • The downside is the dependence on electricity and network connections brought by the immobility. If there are no connection boxes in suitable places, from which the wires coming to the device can be neatly pulled, an electrician is required.

WiFi

  • A wireless WiFi network is the easiest to implement, because you don’t need to run cables to the devices, and with that you can also freely move the devices and change their location.
  • Commonly used “visitor networks” are rarely suitable for this type of use, even if they might work at first. They may require logging in after a certain time or when the data volume is reached, which IoT devices cannot do because there is no user to log in. In addition, the bandwidth in use is often limited, so even if the device is online, it is not enough to update the contents.

Mobile network

  • A clever solution in terms of portability, as long as there is expertise in selecting devices and connections and managing them.
  • The mobile network is at its best in shop-in-shop and pop-up type solutions, because organizing a network in third-party premises can be expensive and difficult.
  • The amount of data to be transferred for DS displays is approximately 1-2 GB per month per device.
  • The speed of the mobile network is an important thing to consider. In all available mobile subscriptions, the bandwidth is not sufficient for the needs of digital signage. Sufficient speed is 4G/LTE ~100 Mega.

A company or group network

  • Even if an IoT device, such as an advertising display, could be connected permanently or wirelessly to the company’s internal network, it is often not worth doing. Connecting additional devices unnecessarily opens up potential attack surfaces for critical infrastructure.

Advertising display, internet connection and information security

When data moves online, taking care of data security is essential. If it is not in order, we are exposed to risks that can cause damage to the reputation of the company and the brand.

An attacker on the move with many different motives can charge the store’s displays with inappropriate or offensive content. In the worst case, the devices are still geographically dispersed and the attacker can deliberately make it difficult to return to normal mode.

So that you don’t even end up in a situation where you have to solve problems that are already running, it’s worth getting your information security in order. Breaking into the system must be made practically impossible. The solution is, for example, a VPN connection provided by a digital signage provider, in which case the devices cannot be accessed from the public network.

So what is the best?

As it has already become clear above, all subscription types have their own advantages. After information security, the most important factors in the selection are the placement of the displays. Will the displays be permanently in the same places or is there a need to move them.

From the point of view of data security, it is recommended that the advertising displays are on a network that is your own, but different from the network of the company or group, and that it is a VPN connection, as stated in the section on data security.

The network connection itself can be either fixed or mobile, and this is where the placement of the displays comes into play. If the displays are in standard places, you can use a fixed connection and enjoy the consistent speed it brings. If, on the other hand, you want to change the position of the displays, the mobile network offers that possibility.

If you want to know more about internet connections for advertising displays or the digital signage system in general, contact us, either via the contact form or by phone.