The digital outdoor totems are devices equipped with high-performance and large monitors, ideal for spreading content effectively and performing various functions. Unlike common window monitors or advertising displays, outdoor totems are often equipped with touch screens that allow greater interaction with users. In this sense, digital totems function like real computers intended for public use for the most diverse purposes: spreading information, purchasing products or services.
In addition to purely commercial purposes, public bodies and institutional entities can also benefit from the use of such devices, to provide citizens with information relating to public life (convocation of municipal councils, news on street cleaning or waste collection, and so on) but also for tourism purposes. Beyond the different uses that are possible to make of Digital Totems according to the different types that we will see, these devices are generally equipped with protection systems such as shatterproof glass, which guarantee their durability.
Made with resistant materials capable of withstanding stress and sudden shocks, they also have a high brightness: they allow viewing of contents in all light conditions, even in direct sunlight. Moreover, they are highly customizable both in terms of graphics and design, and in terms of types of actions allowed by users. Let’s see them in detail.
Looking for an Indoor Totem? Discover the differences with an Outdoor Totem or a Window Monitor.
Digital outdoor totems: the main types
Multimedia digital totems differ primarily depending on whether they are indoor or outdoor totems.
Indoor monitors and totems are designed for closed environments such as museums, banks, companies, conference rooms, showrooms and hotels, shops and commercial premises, restaurants and fast food outlets. The outdoor totems, on the other hand, are designed for open spaces such as city squares, public transport stops and points of tourist interest. The latter in particular are specially designed to withstand adverse weather conditions such as snow, rain, hail, high and low temperatures.
Having made this premise, let’s examine the different types of Totems based on their uses.
Outdoor advertising or promotional totem
This category includes MUPI or outdoor Totems for street furniture: these are devices located in urban contexts or shopping centers. Their purpose is essentially advertising: they serve to promote products or marketing services in an effective way.
These totems are often purchased by big brands and positioned near the points of sale or in strategic places in the city, but not only: they are often rented as advertising spaces to companies and public or private entities in order to spread a promotional campaign or launch of a new product.
Totem / Outdoor information kiosk
Totems or kiosks or information units that have the purpose of providing specific information to users belong to this category. They are often found outside museums to accompany visitors in understanding the works on display or to provide further insights into the installations on display. They are often also used to provide tourist information and are therefore installed near sites of interest, squares and historic centers.
Designed to spread information in a transversal, rapid and effective way, they are often also installed outside pharmacies to keep customers updated on opening shifts, or outside public offices to allow rapid communication between municipal administrations and citizens.
Interactive outdoor totem
The interactive totem allows the user to perform specific actions by interacting with the monitor. Due to their playful character, they are often installed in museums for children or families, but in recent years the development of increasingly advanced technologies has allowed the creation of interactive Totems for the most diverse uses, such as: check availability in stock, reserve clothing, print receipts, rate or review a service.
Interactive and outdoor payment kiosk
A differenza del totem interattivo, questi dispositivi non solo permettono all’utente di eseguire una serie di azioni specifiche, ma anche di portare a termine dei pagamenti. Offrono la possibilità di inserire carte di credito o contanti e stampare biglietti, abbonamenti, documentazione utile. Per esempio le biglietterie automatiche all’aperto, nei pressi delle stazioni ferroviarie o metropolitane: i chioschi di pagamento si trovano anche installati subito fuori dalle lavanderie a gettoni, o nei pressi delle stazioni di rifornimento del carburante, o nei parcheggi a pagamento.
Outdoor ordering and self-ordering kiosk
The declination of payment kiosks for the food universe is obviously that of ordering and self-ordering kiosks. Fast food chains such as McDonald’s or Burger King have long adopted this solution for more efficient, faster and safer order management.
But order totems are increasingly popular even in smaller restaurants, to improve customer experience and reduce waiting times.
Wayfinding Outdoor Kiosk
It is a special type of interactive kiosk designed to help users find their way around, understand where they are and provide specific information on the mapping of one or more rooms, 3d rendering, video catalogs. For this reason they are perfect for large shopping centers, museums, showrooms and fairs.
Made in Italy outdoor totem by Fida Srl
We at Fida srl have been producing outdoor Totems and monitors for 25 years. Our product lines are essentially two: EKS Full Outdoor Digital Totem of the Exentia Line, designed to work effectively even with direct sunlight, and WKO of the Wave Outdoor line (no direct sunlight), that is designed to work in open places. but indoors, away from direct sunlight.
Exentia EKS Full-Outdoorit is the ideal totem for Digital Signage applications. Created to meet the requirements of use in open places, unlike most of the Totems in circulation, it does not need to resort to the use of the classic internal air conditioner. The LCD panel, with high brightness 2,500 nits, in fact, is visible even in conditions of direct sunlight on the screen and has the most recent and sophisticated technology that guarantees the liquid crystal maximum functional performance even in conditions of high temperature (up to + 50 °), typical of southern exposure.
Available with IP55 protection degree, without internal air conditioner (HB Version) and IP65, with air conditioner (HBC Version), Exentia EKS is available in 46″ and 55” sizes, single or double sided. The 4 + 4 mm vandal-proof front glass, 3G connectivity and a sophisticated diagnostic system make it particularly suitable for installation in historical-cultural settlements, in urban centers or in tourist places of sea and mountains, where information must be always guaranteed, be it informative, interactive or advertising. The device guarantees high performance and low consumption 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Wave WKO is a multimedia totem with 24/7 operation, especially suitable for environments such as shopping malls, airports, railway stations, tourist areas and other environments that require protection against rain, dust and vandalism. Thanks to an ambient light sensor, the display adjusts its brightness ensuring minimum energy consumption and a rather long-life cycle.
The aluminum structure avoids the formation of rust and limits the weight of the totem. WKO is available in both single-sided and double-sided versions, with or without touchscreen, and is equipped with the FIDA, DVP diagnostic system for remote control of the SNMP protocol.
Contact us for a more accurate quote.