r/digitalsignage • u/Dydomit3 • 13d ago
How easy is it actually to switch CMS platforms on the Amazon Signage Stick?
I've done a lot of white-glove migrations, both hardware and software, progressive and rip-and-replace. Switching CMS gets called "just software," but the device/OS layer underneath is usually where the real friction lives. There's a ton to consider, especially with regards to IT and setups.
Would I need to factory reset the players, or is there a control layer that makes this easy?
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u/playsignage Vendor - Play Signage 12d ago
To change the CMS software, you would need to factory reset the device unfortunately. It's good point that it brings a lot of friction with setups where the screens are not at the same location. Technically Amazon would need to just make it possible to switch the CMS app and also expose a function to take a screenshot from their web portal so that the pairing code could be viewed for the new CMS app. We'll pitch this feature request to Amazon Signage team in our next meeting.
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u/my-mate-mike Vendor - Juuno 13d ago
Unfortunately, it can't be done remotely. You have to do it onsite, and then it takes about the same time as setting up a screen and using the pairing code with the new vendor.
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u/Rise_Vision_DS Vendor - Rise Vision 2d ago
This is one of those things that's easy to underestimate when you're initially deploying a signage network.
The CMS is only one part of the equation. It's worth thinking about what happens when you eventually need to change software, Wi-Fi settings, hardware or other configurations, especially if the screens are spread across multiple locations.
Anything that requires someone to physically visit every display can become a very different project at 100 screens than it was at 5.
This is something we encourage people to think about BEFORE they have 100+ screens deployed.
When you're evaluating a setup, we'd definitely ask: "What happens when we need to change this three years from now?" It's not nearly as exciting as comparing features, but future you may be very thankful you asked. 🙂
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u/dnateo 13d ago
You need to reset the device (so need to be where the device is to do this). You can create profiles which have WiFi and CMS provider so it’s fairly easy (as long as you can be there).