Getting started with a Raspberry Pi as a digital signage player
A step-by-step guide to setting up a Raspberry Pi as a kiosk display for digital signage. From installing the OS to kiosk mode and auto-login.
The DisplayFlow team
DisplayFlow
Why Raspberry Pi?
The Raspberry Pi is the most popular hardware for digital signage players. It is inexpensive (from SEK 350), uses minimal power (3–15W) and has built-in Wi-Fi. With DisplayFlow you can turn a Pi into a kiosk display in two ways.
Method 1: One-line installer (recommended)
The easiest way is to use our installer:
curl -fsSL https://displayflow.app/install | sudo sh
The script does everything automatically: it installs Chromium, X11 and lightdm, creates a dedicated kiosk user, configures auto-login at boot, starts Chromium in kiosk mode, and adds a watchdog that restarts Chromium if it crashes.
After a reboot the screen shows a 6-digit pairing code — enter it in your dashboard and the screen is paired.
Method 2: Manual installation
Step 1: Install Raspberry Pi OS
Download Raspberry Pi Imager and flash a microSD card with Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit). Set the hostname to kiosk, create the user kiosk, configure Wi-Fi and the time zone, and enable SSH.
Step 2: Install packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y chromium-browser unclutter
Step 3: Configure auto-login
Run sudo raspi-config and select System Options, Boot/Auto Login, Desktop Autologin.
Step 4: Configure autostart
Create an autostart file for openbox or labwc with Chromium in kiosk mode pointing at https://displayflow.app/play. Make the file executable with chmod +x.
Step 5: Pair the screen
After a reboot the screen shows a 6-digit pairing code. Sign in to your DisplayFlow dashboard, go to Screens and Add screen, and enter the code.
Tips for the Pi
Overclocking
For smoother video playback, overclock the Pi 4 to 1.8GHz via raspi-config.
Disable the screensaver
Use xset s off, xset -dpms and xset s noblank to stop the screen from blanking.
Cooling
A passive heatsink is enough for displaying menus, but a fan is recommended for video playback.
Summary
The Raspberry Pi is an excellent digital signage player. With the DisplayFlow installer you are up and running in under 5 minutes. Its low power consumption and price make it ideal for rolling out across multiple locations.