What is the best Wi-Fi digital art frame for 2022?
The Pix-Star 15-inch Wi-Fi digital art frame is one of the best value for money frames on the market. They offer excellent slideshows with loads of customizations, adjustable brightness & color settings, and loads of useful features. Pix-Star’s 15-inch Wi-Fi frame is large and immersive. They can play photos and videos in the same slideshows, and even play audio files over slideshows.
Each Pix-Star frame comes with a mobile app (Pix-Star Snap) and web interface. Using the mobile app, you’re able to send up to 250 photos to several Pix-Star frames at the same time. It’s quick and easy to use – even for elderly users. Set all incoming photos from the mobile app (and other sources) to display immediately in the current slideshow. Additionally, you can send 2-minute video clips (more than almost all other premium Wi-Fi digital frames) and audio messages from your phone to any of your Pix-Star frames.
Once you’ve registered your Pix-Star frame, you’ll get access to its web dashboard – unlocking a host of features and functions that few competing frames offer. Pix-Star’s remote configuration support lets you manage and control up to 25 Pix-Star frames from a single user account. You can adjust their settings, start & manage slideshows, import new web albums, update their firmware, and much more – from anywhere in the world.
Pix-Star’s web album feature lets you import photos from a dozen supported external sources. These sources include social media like Facebook & Instagram, photo-sharing sites like Google Photos & Flickr, and online storage platforms including Dropbox & Google Drive. You can also sync a folder directly from your computer to your Pix-Star frames, set them to automatically sync & update new photos, and more.
All of these features combine to make the Pix-Star one of the most unique, versatile, and capable Wi-Fi digital art frames on the market. They can mount on the wall, change orientation, receive photos & other media from anywhere, and much more. Pix-Star’s digital art frames are great for home studios & galleries, and the modern home & family!
What to avoid in a Wi-Fi digital art frame?
When looking for a Wi-Fi digital art frame, pay careful attention to the aspect ratio. It’s one of the most impactful aspects of a digital frame’s slideshows. We recommend a 4:3 aspect ratio to match a wide variety of artwork, photos (particularly from smartphones and cameras), and video playback. While 16:9 displays may be better for videos, they’re not well suited to photo playback. Most pictures will have black bars around their top, bottom, and/or sides.
We don’t recommend buying a Wi-Fi digital frame with monthly fees. These frames are rarely worth the money as many competing frames offer all the same features without charging extra fees. Popular frames that are subscription-based include the Skylight frame and the Nixplay digital frame range. For comparison, Pix-Star’s frames offer all of the same features – with many better features too – without charging a cent extra.
You should avoid getting a digital art frame with a touchscreen. These touch-capable panels are more expensive, less durable, and often come with a host of usability issues. The higher cost of the display panel – particularly for frames larger than 8-inches – leads to sacrificed features and quality. This helps keep the frame’s price completive. The touchscreen digital frame struggles to compete with top non-touch digital frames like the Pix-Star – both in terms of quality and features.
Finally, avoid Wi-Fi digital art frames that don’t offer offline storage. There should be internal storage space to store and access photos while the frame is offline. Additionally, many of the best Wi-Fi art frames support USB/SD cards. You can copy their content to the frame’s internal storage without Wi-Fi, or you can start slideshows directly from the connected USB/SD card. These are essential features for versatile offline use – particularly for elderly users and home galleries.
How to set up a Wi-Fi digital art frame?
Firstly, consider the size and lighting level of the room you want to place the frame in. For larger rooms like the living room or master bedroom, you may want to mount the frame on the wall. Additionally, small sub-10-inch digital frames are often too small to fit well into a large room. You also have to consider how to control the frame. For example, Pix-Star’s frames can be remotely controlled via the web dashboard – meaning you don’t need to stand directly in front of the frame to adjust settings.
Secondly, decide which orientation best suits the type of art or photography you’ll be displaying. Most premium digital frames support both landscape and portrait modes, though they don’t usually automatically switch between them. Frames can wall mount in either orientation. If you’re going to switch frequently, we suggest using a standard VESA mount or dedicated hanging holes. Alternatively, you can rest the frame on a flat surface.
Can I display art on a Wi-Fi digital frame?
You can display art on a Wi-Fi digital frame so long as the image file format is supported by the frame. Most of the top digital frames with Wi-Fi support all the common image formats. With that said, you’re best off avoiding rare photo formats and those with large file sizes (e.g., PNG files). This used up unnecessary storage space and can even make photos load slower during slideshows or when they’re sent to the frame for the first time.
What is the best way to send pictures to a Wi-Fi digital art frame?
Using a supported mobile app is the best way to load photos to a digital art frame over Wi-Fi. Unfortunately, not all digital frames offer access to a mobile app or web interface. Only a handful of the best digital Wi-Fi art frames let you send pictures directly from your phone to your frame’s internal storage.
It’s worth noting that some popular digital Wi-Fi frames like the Skylight frame and the Nixplay smart frame charge monthly fees. These frames lock many features behind their subscription paywall, including access to their mobile app. If you choose to pay these monthly (we don’t recommend subscription-based digital frames), you will then get access to features like the mobile app, cloud storage, online access, etc.
