How to set up a digital picture frame’s Wi-Fi connection?
Connect the power cable to your Wi-Fi digital picture frame and turn it on. The on/off button is usually on the back or side of the frame.
If this is your first time turning your Wi-Fi digital picture frame on (i.e. if it’s new) you will be guided through the setup process via a startup wizard.
When the display turns on, it will ask you to connect to a Wi-Fi network. If you’re at a coffee shop or are trying to use a public network, you might not be able to complete this step (more on this later). If that’s the case, wait until you’re in the range of a Wi-Fi network that you have the username and password (or admin access).
To connect your digital picture frame to your Wi-Fi network, select it from the list that shows. If you can’t find your Wi-Fi network in the list, reboot your router and try again. If that doesn’t work, contact your service provider.
Once you’ve selected your Wi-Fi network from the list, you’ll be asked to input the password. If your Wi-Fi digital picture frame has a touchscreen, a touch keyboard will pop up when you select the “password” field. If your digital picture frame doesn’t have a touchscreen, use either the provided remote control or the on-device button controls. Use the on-screen keyboard to type in the password (via the remote or controls).
Once you’ve put in the password, move onto the next screen. It might take a while for the digital picture frame to complete the connection. You should see an “online” indicator (or something similar) showing that you’re connected and ready to go.
Can I use a digital picture frame without Wi-Fi?
Yes, many of the top Wi-Fi digital picture frames can work without a constant Wi-Fi connection. You need to check your model’s manual to see to what extent it can be used without connecting to Wi-Fi.
That being said, almost all digital picture frames need Wi-Fi for setup, registration, and sending/receiving media.
If you’ve already set up and registered your Wi-Fi digital picture frame, there are two main ways you can display pictures and videos without Wi-Fi. The first is via internal storage. When you initially set up and send photos to your digital picture frame over Wi-Fi, they’re saved into internal storage. You don’t need Wi-Fi to select and display this media. Simply access your folders directly on the frame and select the pictures you want to display.
The second option is via a USB drive or a memory card. Bear in mind that not all Wi-Fi digital picture frames and models offer this feature, so make sure beforehand. Find the USB/memory card port (usually on the back or sides of the digital picture frame). Insert the stick or card and open your storage folder. You can select which folders or files you’d like to display on the screen – no Wi-Fi is needed.
Does the Pix-Star digital picture frame need Wi-Fi to work?
No, the Pix-Star digital picture frame doesn’t need Wi-Fi to work – but you do need Wi-Fi for setting up, registering, and sending/receiving media. All pictures, videos, and audio files received to the Pix-Star frame can be set to automatically save to its 8GB internal storage. This is enough for ~30,000 pictures.
You need Wi-Fi to sync or add new pictures/videos to your Pix-Star digital picture frame. Web albums include pictures you’ve synced from your social media accounts and online storage platforms like Dropbox. You can view any web albums that have already been synced and downloaded without Wi-Fi (don’t worry, this is done automatically when you select them).
All features except the sending/receiving and adding/updating web albums will work on your Pix-Star digital picture frame without Wi-Fi. This is a great choice if you don’t have constant access to a reliable Wi-Fi network, but still want to view pictures from various web albums.
How do Wi-Fi digital picture frames work?
Wi-Fi digital picture frames use Wi-Fi to send/receive media via email, mobile apps, web interfaces, and through syncing with compatible social media/online storage platforms. You need a reliable Wi-Fi network and a registered frame to use any of these features. This is usually set up and completed when you first turn on the digital picture frame.
Wi-Fi digital picture frames stay up-to-date and can be set to automatically display new photos and videos received from multiple sources. You can select specific playlists or folders to display, or you can choose to display all the pictures and videos on the device.
When new pictures are added to linked social media accounts like Facebook, they will be automatically updated and displayed on your digital picture frame over Wi-Fi.
Some digital picture frames like the Pix-Star offer quite a unique remote-control feature. You need a stable Wi-Fi connection and access to the web interface (via a browser). Through this feature, you can do anything you’d be able to do in-person – from anywhere in the world.
How to connect a digital picture frame to public Wi-Fi?
This is a common problem and almost all Wi-Fi digital picture frames don’t have in-built browsers. The public networks we’re talking about here are the ones you find at coffee shops, airports, etc. They are usually open networks that require “web authentication” through a web browser – which can’t be done on most Wi-Fi digital picture frames.
Unfortunately, if you don’t have the admin username and password (not via a guest or visitor account), you won’t be able to connect to the Wi-Fi network.
One solution is to create a hotspot using mobile data. Simply type in the password you set and use the Wi-Fi network as usual. Another option is to connect to a private or home network that doesn’t need a browser to connect.
Finally, you can buy an external device like the Netgear Trek extender. It’s quite cheap and can be found on Amazon. This device does the web authentication and re-produces the same Wi-Fi network – just more secure and only requires the username/password to access (no browser needed).
