Setting Up Agile ePaper Displays

Revel Digital supports Agile Display Solutions' Solis ePaper displays through the Agile Conversion Engine (ACE). Once a Solis display is registered, it behaves like any other device in your Revel Digital account: you schedule content to it, monitor its status on the Devices page, and set up alerts, all without logging into a separate portal.

This article walks through provisioning a Solis display, connecting your Agile account to Revel Digital, preparing content that looks good on ePaper, and monitoring battery life.

How ePaper differs from a standard display

ePaper (E Ink) panels only use power when the image changes, which is what lets Solis displays run for months on a battery, or indefinitely with a solar module, with no cables. That also shapes what you should schedule to them:

• Static content only. Video, animation, and transitions are not supported. Each item in a playlist is shown as a still image.
• Refreshes take seconds, not milliseconds. A Solis 32 takes about 18 seconds to change its image. Content is designed to change on a cadence (every few minutes, hourly, daily), not continuously.
• Updates arrive on a polling interval. The display checks in periodically rather than holding a live connection, so a schedule change appears at the next check-in rather than instantly.
• Colors are reproduced like high-quality print. ACE automatically converts your content into the panel's native color space, so you can upload standard images. Expect colors to look more like a printed poster than a backlit screen.
• Reflective, not backlit. ePaper looks better the brighter the room is, but needs the area to be lit to be visible.

Good fits include wayfinding and directories, meeting room signs, shelf-edge and promotional posters, menu boards, notices, and event signage.

Supported displays

Agile's 75" outdoor DigiPoster and A1 indoor panel are also part of the Agile lineup. Contact support@reveldigital.com if you are unsure whether your model is supported.

Before you begin

You will need:

• A Revel Digital account. Start a free trial if you don't have one.

• An ACE account from Agile Display Solutions, which includes:

  • An AMS account (Agile's Account Manager System) for signing in to the ePaper Tool app. AMS sign-in uses Microsoft's identity platform, so you'll need a Microsoft work or personal account to request one.
  • The Account Key and Connection Key for your ACE installation, which you'll enter in Revel Digital.

  Contact your Agile Display Solutions representative to request these.

• A Solis display with its battery installed.
• A smartphone or tablet with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, running Android 10 or later or iOS 12 or later, with the ePaper Tool app installed: Google Play | App Store.
• The name and password of the Wi-Fi network the display will use. The network needs stable coverage at the installation location.
• Permission to edit Account Information in Revel Digital.

Step 1: Provision the display with the ePaper Tool app

Provisioning connects the display to your Wi-Fi network and registers it to your ACE account. Do this before mounting the display so you can reach the power button easily.

1. Open the ePaper Tool app and sign in with your AMS account.
2. Power on the display. It powers on automatically when the battery is connected. If it's off, press and hold the Power button for 3 seconds until the LED turns green.
3. An unregistered display shows a QR code on screen. If the screen is white, the display has gone into standby. Unregistered displays do this after 10 minutes. Press and hold Power for 3 seconds to wake it and bring the QR code back.
4. In the app, enter your Wi-Fi network name and password.
5. Use the app to scan the QR code on the display. This sends the Wi-Fi settings to the display and registers it to your account.
6. Wait for the display to show Server: connected and for the LED to turn solid green. The display is now online. Provisioning typically takes under five minutes per display.
7. Mount the display in landscape or portrait orientation, using a 100 × 100 VESA wall mount kit or picture frame hooks. Mounting hardware is sold separately. If you use a solar module, place the display where it gets regular ambient light.

Tip: Agile recommends installing the display away from direct sunlight, high humidity, and high heat. The operating range is 0–40 °C (32–104 °F) and 20–80% relative humidity.

Step 2: Connect your Agile account to Revel Digital

Revel Digital connects to your displays through your ACE installation. You only need to do this once per Revel Digital account.

1. Log in to your Revel Digital account at as1.reveldigital.com.

2. Go to Account Information and open the Integrations tab.

   

3. Select Agile Display Integration.
4. Enter your Account Key, which identifies your ACE installation.
5. Enter your Connection Key, the API connection key for your ACE installation.
6. Click Test Connection to confirm Revel Digital can reach your ACE installation with the keys you entered.
7. Read the notice about credential storage and check I understand. Revel Digital stores your Agile credentials so it can manage your ePaper displays from this account.
8. Click Submit.
   
   

Don't have your keys? Your Account Key and Connection Key are provided with your ACE installation. Contact your Agile Display Solutions representative if you do not have them.

Step 3: Register your displays in Revel Digital

1. A new ePaper device type will be visible when registering a new device. Select the ePaper Device.
   
2. Give it a descriptive name, such as Lobby Directory – East Entrance, and provide the required Serial Number of your display.
   
3. Save. The display now appears on your Devices page alongside your other players.

Step 4: Prepare content for ePaper

You can use images, templates, and other static content you already have in Revel Digital. For best results:

• Match the native resolution. Design at 2560 × 1440 for Solis 32 or 1600 × 1200 for Solis 13 (swap width and height for portrait mounts).
• Favor bold, high-contrast designs. Large text, solid color blocks, and strong contrast read best on ePaper. Avoid fine gradients, thin text over photos, and very dark full-bleed backgrounds.
• Skip motion. Videos, animated GIFs, and animated template elements will not play.
• Let ACE handle color. Upload standard RGB images; conversion to the panel's color space happens automatically in the cloud.

Step 5: Schedule content

Scheduling works the same way as for any other device: add your content to a playlist and assign it to the display or its device group through a schedule. Day-parting and time-based schedules are supported.

Keep the display's refresh cadence in mind:

• Use long durations. Each item should stay on screen for minutes or hours, not seconds.
• Every change costs power. On battery-powered displays, frequent rotation shortens battery life. A single piece of content that changes a few times a day will last far longer than a rotating playlist.
• Allow time for updates. After you publish a change, the display picks it up at its next check-in. While it downloads new content, the LED blinks amber. Standard polling interval is around 20-30 minutes before an update is delivered to the ePaper display.

Step 6: Monitor device status and telemetry

Open the display from the Devices page to view its details. ePaper displays report the following telemetry:

• Battery level
• Firmware version
• IP address
• Last polled — the last time the display checked in with Revel Digital

Firmware updates are delivered over Wi-Fi automatically. You do not need to visit the display to update it. The LED is solid red while an update installs.

Step 7: Set up a low-battery alert

Set up an alert so your team is notified well before a display runs out of power. When the battery gets critically low, the display turns white and shuts itself down to protect the battery.

1. Navigate to Account Information > Alert Rules
2. Create a new alert rule.

3. Choose the battery percentage metric and set a threshold, for example battery is below 20%.

   

4. Choose who should be notified and how.
5. Save the rule.

Tip: It's also worth creating an alert on last polled time so you know if a display stops checking in (for example, if it loses Wi-Fi or a solar display is in an area that has gone dark for an extended period).

Recharging or replacing the battery

The Solis 32 battery can be swapped without taking the display off the wall: remove the battery cover on the back, disconnect the battery, and connect a charged one. The display powers on automatically. A full charge with the optional AC adapter takes about 3 hours. The LED is red while charging and green in the final stage. Use only the battery type specified by Agile.

Reading the status LED

Troubleshooting

The display hasn't picked up my latest content

• Check the Last polled time on the device details page. Changes appear at the next check-in, not immediately.
• Confirm the schedule is assigned to the correct device or device group and is active for the current time.
• If the display hasn't polled recently, check the LED (see above) and make sure the display has battery or light.

The display won't connect to Wi-Fi, or I need to move it to a different network

1. Reset the display's Wi-Fi settings: press and hold Power for about 10 seconds, until the LED turns off and then back on, and then release.
2. Wait about 18 seconds. The screen flashes for about 10 seconds and then shows a QR code.
3. Repeat Step 1 in the ePaper Tool app with the correct network details.

The screen is white

• If the LED is off, the display is in standby. Press and hold Power for 3 seconds to wake it. After power-off, wait at least 30 seconds before turning it back on.
• If the LED is solid red, the battery is critically low. Recharge or replace the battery.

Colors look different than on my computer

This is expected. ePaper reproduces color the way a printed poster does rather than a backlit screen. Increasing contrast and saturation in your design and avoiding subtle gradients usually gives the best result.

Battery is draining faster than expected

Battery life depends heavily on how often the image changes. Reduce the number of items in the playlist or lengthen each item's duration. For continuous operation, consider adding a solar module.

Still stuck? Contact Revel Digital Support at support@reveldigital.com or +1-855-738-3534 (9am–5:30pm CST). For hardware issues, such as a damaged display or battery, contact Agile Display Solutions at support@mail.cloudposter.net. Include the model, serial number, and any error messages from the ePaper Tool app's operation logs.

Related articles

• Devices 101
• Getting Started Guide
• Agile ePaper Solutions overview

• Solis 32 User Manual.pdf2 MB