What are the best wireless digital photo frames for 2021?
Qualifying as one of the best wireless digital photo frames for 2021 is no small task – standards are so high. We’re used to the high-resolution displays, massive feature sets, and incredible versatility of modern smartphones, tablets, TVs, and computers. It’s one of the reasons why some people assume that digital photo frames are outdated – which is true for money frames on today’s market.
With that said, there are many digital frames in the premium range that have a stronghold on the market. They offer versatile features like extensive Wi-Fi connectivity, cloud storage, remote control capabilities, and the ability to send/receive photos from anywhere in the world at any time.
Pix-Star’s digital photo frames are arguably the most popular of these frames. They earn the “Top Selling” title on Amazon and are some of the most versatile frames available. You can send photos, videos, and audio to the Pix-Star frame using the mobile app (Pix-Star Snap), importing web albums via the web dashboard, photo-email, USB/SD card, and more. Here are some useful USB tips and tricks for sending photos to your digital photo frames.
Perhaps one of the most unique features is Pix-Star’s frames can be remotely controlled from anywhere in the world. Using the web dashboard, you can control & manage up to 25 connected Pix-Star frames from a single user account. You can change the frames’ settings, start & adjust slideshows, manage the frame’s local & cloud storage, update their firmware, and much more.
Web album support lets you import photos from social media sites like Facebook & Instagram, photo-sharing sites like Google Photos & Flickr, and online storage platforms like Google Drive & Dropbox. You can select & import photo albums directly to your frame (or to several connected frames). They’re saved to internal storage for offline access & use. You can even link and manage connected web albums remotely to start customized slideshows effortlessly.
Pix-Star’s frames are excellent choices for individuals & families. They’re also one of the only premium digital photo frames that specifically cater to elderly users through their features, design, and interface. You can adjust slideshow settings without leaving the slideshow, menus are shallow and easy to navigate, and the frame can be effortlessly remotely controlled.
The automation of photo-sharing via web albums adds a ton of potential for large families and cements Pix-Star’s place in the modern home & family. They quickly become an essential part of how you share photos and connect with your loved ones through precious memories & moments.
What to look for a wireless digital photo frame for grandparents?
It’s very easy for grandparents & any non-tech savvy users to be overwhelmed by new devices. The issue is that many digital photo frames don’t put much effort into their usability. Very few cheap and mid-range digital photo frames are easy to use – and even fewer have features that cater to elderly users.
That being said, a couple of the top digital photo frames pay specific attention to elderly & non-tech-savvy users. You can see this by their simple menus & features like web albums, remote control capabilities, cloud storage, etc.
Perhaps the most important feature to look for is remote control functionality. You should be able to remote access and manage your grandparents’ frames; it’s usually done through the web interface or a mobile app in rare cases. You should be able to start slideshows, adjust settings, and make changes to the frame’s local storage. Cloud backups should be automatic and need to be remotely manageable as elderly users don’t often know how these functions work.
Another essential feature is photo-sharing and sending/receiving. You should be able to send photos, videos, and audio messages to their frame remotely – without needing to rely on USB/SD cards. Popular methods include emailing photos as attachments, sending pictures & other media via the mobile app, importing external sources from a computer (or sources like social media and photo-sharing platforms), and more.
Received photos should be able to be automatically displayed when received and there should be some form of notification system to let them know when new photos have arrived. Ensure that slideshows can be easily started from the home screen and with no more than 3-button pushed (for example, Pix-Star’s frame lets you start a slideshow by clicking on the “Start a slideshow with all the frame’s pictures” tab on the home screen).
How to send pictures to wireless digital photo frames?
The best way to send photos to a wireless digital photo frame is by mobile app. This is a feature that’s usually only found on top digital frames like the Pix-Star – and rarely found on cheap or mid-range digital frames. It’s worth noting that some digital frames charge extra fees to grant access and use of the mobile app. Mobile apps are great because they’re also with us and let you send several photos to several frames at the same time.
Emailing photos is slightly slower than using mobile apps, but is very user-friendly. It’s more suitable for elderly users and lets you send photos from different devices on the go. You can’t send as many in one go, though it’s still a simple and quick method. Received photos can often be set to automatically display on the screen as they come in – making sure your loved ones don’t miss important pictures & updates.
Can wireless digital photo frames play movies?
Some premium wireless digital photo frames can play videos, but none can play full-length movies. In Pix-Star’s case, you can play 2-minute video clips (which is more than almost all other digital photo frames on the market) and listen to the radio, music, audio messages, etc. Video playback isn’t the focus of digital photo frames and is only found & done well on a couple of premium frames like the Pix-Star.
Do wireless digital photo frames need to be connected to Wi-Fi all the time?
Pix-Star’s digital photo frames save all received photos & other media to its internal storage. This means you can access them offline and view them in slideshows even when the frame isn’t connected to the internet. Note that different digital photo frame brands have different setups for saving photos and some even rely on an active connection to the cloud to receive and view photos. We suggest looking for a digital photo frame like the Pix-Star that lets you view photos offline (make sure they have at least 4GB of internal storage space and free cloud storage).
