News

Keywest drops 'hands-free' digital signage

March 20, 2013

Keywest Technology has announced the launch of its latest digital signage technology, SignWave, designed to automatically extract and display room event and scheduling information from popular third-party property- and event-management systems that are commonly used in corporate, hospitality and higher education markets.

According to Nick Nichols, Keywest Technology's president and CTO, "SignWave represents a major transition forward in digital signage, and to be more specific, multiple transitions. The first transition is going from Microsoft OS to Android, which utilizes small-format computers more efficiently. Another transition is from an it-can-do-anything approach to technology to a specific-purpose application that enables us to develop for niche markets."

The solution was built on the Android platform; SignWave works on Keywest-supplied Android tablet devices that run 4.0 or newer.

According to Keywest, SignWave's usability is a major feature, and to highlight the usability of the product, Keywest said it has coined the term "hands-free" digital signage. The idea behind SignWave is to set it up and let it automatically source data from existing event and scheduling programs. This removes the necessity of hands-on management and allows event planners to duplicate their work without duplicating their efforts, the company said.

To make this possible, the SignWave system includes a server that provides SQL data acquisition with built-in network security from the most popular event management software and property management systems used today. As of launch day, SignWave is compatible with Microsoft Exchange Server 2010/Outlook, Newmarket Delphi EMS, MICROS Fidelio Opera PMS and Dean Evans EMS. Nichols said that SignWave can easily adapt to any event management system and that Keywest Technology will be adding more third-party software interfaces to keep up with demand.

SignWave also features easy-to-implement design, the company said. To achieve quicker installations and reduce labor costs, Keywest offers a standard wall-mount frame with a built-in 10-inch display that mounts quickly on drywall. A 22-inch display is also available for larger conference room signs. Additionally, much larger displays are available for the SignWave digital reader board option.

Since the design includes power-over-Ethernet as an option, all that is required to power and connect SignWave to a LAN is CAT-5/6 cable. Furthermore, SignWave includes custom surround options, which Keywest designers can style and color match to any motif.

The company said orders for the first systems have been shipped and installed starting in the first quarter of this year.

Learn more about digital signage in hotels.