Cable requirements for signage, kiosks, tablets, and devices
Problem / Question
Are there any specific technical requirements for the room signage or the visitor or floor plan kiosk?
What are the cable requirements for my signage devices or kiosks?
Which cables do I need for my tablets or devices?
Solution / Answer
As any of your devices can be in use for long periods daily, you'll need to make sure that they are able to charge quicker than they use energy from battery. Therefore, make sure high-quality components are used in the FM setup of the tablets. This is broken into the following areas:
USB cable requirements
USB cables vary wildly in quality. Consider carefully where your device is in relation to the power sockets. The longer the cable, the more electrical resistance there will be in the cable. For all tablet connectivity, we recommend the following:
Use the lowest possible rating of USB cable, especially when using longer lengths of cable. Cable rating should be as close to 20 American Wire Gauge (AWG, for power) as possible, where 20, 22 or 24 AWG are fine to use. A higher rating than this will mean that a large portion of the power will be lost over the cable distance. All USB cables will have a rating expressed in the following format xx/yy AWG (where xx is the data rating, which isn’t important for this, and yy is the power rating).
Maximum USB cable lengths are generally dictated by the USB standards, where the absolute maximum is 5 metres.
Note: where external facilities contractors haven’t followed these guidelines, they have been forced to replace cabling (as the low-quality cables don’t deliver the power that tablets need over distances). Make sure to consult with if there is any deviation from the guidelines.
Power for tablets
Depending on how long you want to keep the tablets running for during the day and how bright you need the screens to run at, the power usage can vary significantly. To make sure that your devices always charge faster than they use power, we recommend the following:
The charger that came with your device may not be the best for it because of how your device will be used. Look for alternatives if you expect your device to use more power.
Make sure a minimum 2 A power supply is used. They are all 5 V, but they vary in the power rating from 400mA to 2.2 A.
If power supplies are fitted to surfaces (for example, ceilings or walls), they need to be PAT tested in accordance with the Health and Safety at Work Regulations and Acts.
PoE, switches, and cable runs
If you’re using PoE to supply power or data to your tablets or devices, this is generally a much more resilient method. However, there are still things to watch out for:
Make sure that at least Cat6 cables are used.
Check with the installation team that the integrity of the cable is good and reliable, as often when cables are installed, they can be “stretched” to make them long enough. This can their affect performance and reliability.
Make sure whatever switch you might be using is able to supply enough power for the devices. If many tablets are being connected, make sure the switch can deliver the correct power level (in watts).
Whatever switch you use shouldn’t be set to a super-low power saving or economy mode as this may sometimes dip the power below what is needed. This can cause the devices to shutdown or reboot.
If you’re using MAC address security, always make sure the MAC address of the device is listed in your network. Otherwise, the device will power on but won’t be allocated an IP address This will cause the “connection lost” error message.
For more information on setting up the software and network requirements for any of our apps, see: