Starting a new tablet based setup or kiosk?
The first stop should be finding out the type of mount that we need – and only then / afterwards – pick a tablet!
The First Step
You may be wondering: “How come?”
The reason is pretty simple – unless you’re using an iPad, there are a lot less mounting options available than there are tablet models. There are perhaps (roughly) a few dozen tablet enclosure manufacturers & their options – there are, literally, hundreds, if not thousands of tablet models to choose from.
Very often, users pick the tablet first – usually based on the reasons of “It’s what was on sale” or “I found this cheap on eBay/Amazon/online.”
The problem is, unfortunately, every tablet model manufactured usually has different:
– Dimensions (length x width x height)
– I/O port locations (where the cables get plugged in)
– Power / volume button clearances (where the physical buttons are located)
So, even if we find a model that matches closely to the dimensions of an inexpensive tablet that we found – the chances of the I/O port + physical button locations being the same is, unfortuately, slim to nil.
That said – how do we best proceed in picking out a tablet based kiosk? Fortunately – this is an easy, (3) step process! Start by considering the following…
Getting started
1. How are we using the tablet station / kiosk / setup?
What will it be used for?
How are we using the setup? Is it for…
– Smart Home Control?
– Multi-room audio control?
– Lighting control?
– Security camera monitoring?
– Point of Sale?
– Meeting Room / Visitor management?
– Video Conference / Tele-conferencing?
– Timeclocks?
– Sign-in stations?
– Self-service purchasing / Food ordering?
– Loyalty Program apps?
– Waiver Signing?
…or other data collection / digital signage tasks? Read up on some reviews first, and see how other users find the apps you’re considering. Is it intuitive to use? Easy to navigate? If there are fees involved, is it a 1-time, or monthly recurring fee? If this is tying into an existing business, does it integrate well with your other existing pieces of software / hardware?
Not all apps are built the same – and quality can widely vary. Be sure to spend the appropriate amount of time choosing your app – first and foremost.
Common Tablet Station / Kiosk / Setup Apps
Not sure which apps to use? Here is a list of popular apps, based on usage scenarios:
Video Meetings
Bluejeans
Google Meet
Lifesize
Microsoft Teams
Skype / Skype Business
Vidyo
Videonor
Zoom
Room / Visitor Management
ConciergePad
Envoy
Greetly
iLobby
instacheckin
LobbyPad
Mindbody
Opentable
Robin
Sine
Swipedon
Teamgo
Teem
Vagaro
Welkio
The software
2. Which Operating System(s) can we use?
In some cases – if the app we need is only available on a particular OS, then the decision is pretty much made for us! If we’re lucky, most apps are available on both iOS and Android.
Some things to keep in mind:
1. It’s extremely un-common for an App to be available on all (3) operating systems.
2. The most popular apps are often supported on both iOS and Android.
3. Windows based apps tend to only be available on Windows Operating System only.
Only start looking at the exact operating system AFTER vetting out the app(s) you want to use.
Installation Location
3. Where will the kiosk setup installed?
So you did your homework – and found the best app, and are ready to build your tablet station with it. The next thing to look at is how to mount it for reliable use in our setup / environment. Some key questions to consider:
A. Do we need this tablet to be easily removable?
Or, does it need to be theft-resistant?
For easily removability, something like our VidaMount On-Wall Slim Mount will usually do the job. It can be mounted into any wall or other flat surface (example: desk display stand). This is common if the tablet will be for home use – such as Smart Home Control (Lighting, Music, Security, AV) – and other private setups where we don’t have to worry about theft of the tablet.
For security, any of our other VidaMounts would easily do. By default, most of our wall mounts, and all of our desk mounts + floor stands are secure and theft-resistant, as we use multiple screws to secure the hardware. This dramatically decreases the chances of theft, as any thief would need to spend a significant amount of time un-doing each screw – whereas our design is meant to slow down and prevents quick, opportunistic theft.
B. If we need theft-resistance, how worried are we? Will there be people / staff around monitoring it? Or, will it be public facing and unattended?
For even more security, we also offer pin-in-hex (not the more common “Torx” design) security screws, which would require a special tool for disassembly – on both the enclosure and on the mount itself! Take a look at the links here:
– For Enclosures:
https://www.vidabox.com/kiosks/products_category_vesa_enclosure_security
– For Mounts:
https://www.vidabox.com/kiosks/products_category_vesa_mount_security
Point of Sale Apps
Aireus
Appetize
bindoPOS
east365
Figure
GastroFix
Gastronovi
ikentoo
iZettle
Lavu
lightspeed
Loyverse
Lucova
MobileBytes
oktoPOS
Paypal
Practi
Qu Beyond POS
Quickbooks
Revel Systems
RezkuPOS
Salido
Shopify
Shopkeep
Square
Teamwork Commerce
tillpoint
TouchBistro
vend
Yoco
The Next Step
Pick mounts first.
Choose a tablet last.
Knowing that there are less viable mounting options than there are tablets, it’s easy to see why it’s best to determine the possible mounts we can use first, based on:
– How will the setup be used?
– What operating systems can our app run on?
– Where will the kiosk setup be installed?
Now that we’ve narrowed down our possible options, it’s time to look at the next step – actual tablet performance – in step 2 of our guide.
In a rush and need answers now? Contact VidaBox directly to accelerate your project - we'd be happy to assist!
World Headquarters
VidaBox LLC
125 Newtown Rd
Ste 100
Plainview, NY 11803
Open M-F 7am-6pm
Contact Us
US: +1 844-4-KIOSKS
AUS: +61 1300 44 VIDA
EU/UK: +44 333 444 VIDA
International: +1 516-499-5050