How to Set Up Digital Signage on a Raspberry Pi (2026)

A step-by-step guide to turning a Raspberry Pi into a free digital signage player using Photon Signage. Works on Pi 3, Pi 4, and Pi 5.

What you will need

• Raspberry Pi 3, Pi 4, or Pi 5. Pi 4 (4GB+) is the sweet spot. Pi 3 works for static images and 1080p video. Pi 5 is overkill but futureproof.
• microSD card, 16 GB or larger. Class 10 or A1/A2 rated.
• Power supply appropriate for your model (Pi 4 uses USB-C 15W; Pi 5 uses USB-C 27W).
• HDMI cable to your TV or monitor (micro-HDMI on Pi 4/5).
• Network connection - Ethernet preferred for reliability, Wi-Fi works fine.
• A Photon Signage account. Sign up free if you do not have one.

Step 1: Install Raspberry Pi OS

Use Raspberry Pi Imager to flash Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit) to your microSD card. Choose the standard Desktop edition (not Lite - we need a desktop environment for the browser).

In the Imager's advanced options (gear icon), pre-set:

• Hostname (e.g. signage-lobby)
• Username and password
• Wi-Fi credentials (if not using Ethernet)
• Enable SSH (optional but useful for remote management)

Insert the SD card, plug in the Pi, and let it boot through first-time setup.

Step 2: Run the Photon Signage installer

Open a terminal on the Pi and run:

curl -sL https://photon-signage-production.up.railway.app/scripts/raspberry-pi-setup.sh | sudo bash

The sudo is required — the installer writes systemd units, installs packages and configures autostart. Without it the script stops on its first line and prints the correct command, so nothing is half-installed.

That gives you All-in-One: the server and the player on the same Pi. To use the Pi as a player only, pointing at a Photon Signage server you already run:

curl -sL https://photon-signage-production.up.railway.app/scripts/raspberry-pi-setup.sh | sudo bash -s -- --player-only https://your-server

The script will:

• Install Chromium (the kiosk browser used as the player)
• Set up an autostart entry so the player launches in fullscreen on boot
• Disable screen blanking and the screensaver
• Configure HDMI to keep the display awake
• Reboot the Pi when finished

On reboot the Pi will launch directly into the Photon Signage player and show a 6-digit pairing code.

Step 3: Pair the Pi to your dashboard

Sign in to your Photon Signage dashboard and click + Add Display. Enter the 6-digit code shown on the Pi and give the display a name (e.g. "Lobby TV"). The Pi will switch from the pairing screen to "Waiting for content".

Step 4: Push content

From the dashboard:

1. Open Content Library and upload an image, video, or paste a remote URL.
2. Open Playlists, create a playlist, and add items.
3. Publish the playlist.
4. From the device's detail page, assign the playlist.

The Pi picks up the new playlist within a few seconds and starts playing.

Performance tips

• Use H.264 video. Pi GPUs accelerate H.264 in hardware. H.265/HEVC works on Pi 4/5 but uses more CPU.
• Match your resolution to the display. 1080p video on a 1080p screen avoids unnecessary scaling.
• Wired Ethernet is more reliable than Wi-Fi for video-heavy playlists. Wi-Fi is fine for image-heavy ones.
• For Pi 3, stick to images and short clips. Pi 3 can struggle with continuous 1080p video.

Troubleshooting

The Pi reboots into the desktop, not the player

Check that the autostart file ~/.config/autostart/screentinker.desktop exists. The installer creates this; if it's missing, re-run the installer.

The screen goes dark after a few minutes

The installer should disable screen blanking, but some monitors sleep based on their own timer. Disable sleep mode on the monitor itself, or use a dummy HDMI plug if the Pi negotiates a low-power mode.

The Pi shows the pairing code but I can't see it on the dashboard

The pairing code is shown on the Pi screen, not the dashboard. Sign in, click Add Display, and type the code from the Pi.