Set up your wall display

Stand a spare tablet on the bench or mount it on the fridge, and your whole family has one calm screen showing the day's plan, the shopping list, chores and what's for dinner. Here's how to set it up, and the gear that makes it easy.

What you'll need

Three things, and you probably already have most of them: a tablet, somewhere to stand or mount it, and a charger nearby so it can stay on all day.

Choosing a tablet

Almost any tablet from the last several years will do. The wall display runs in the tablet's web browser, so it doesn't need to be fast or new. That old iPad or Android tablet in a drawer is perfect for this.

• A 10-inch screen is the sweet spot. Big enough to read from across the kitchen, small enough to sit on a fridge.
• If you'd rather buy one, a budget Android tablet is plenty. You'll find them at Kmart, The Warehouse, Noel Leeming or PB Tech, often under 200 dollars.
• Keep it plugged in. A wall display is on all day, so treat the charger as part of the setup.

A mount or stand

How you hold the tablet up is down to your kitchen. Three options cover almost everyone, and all are easy to find from New Zealand retailers like Mighty Ape, PB Tech, Noel Leeming or Bunnings.

• A magnetic fridge mount is the simplest if your fridge is steel. Strong magnets hold the tablet flat against the door, with no marks and nothing permanent. This is what most families end up using.
• An adhesive wall mount uses a strong 3M-style pad to stick to a wall, cupboard or a non-magnetic fridge. It's semi-permanent, so pick the spot before you press it on.
• A bench or counter stand is the no-commitment option. A small adjustable stand lets you prop it up and move it whenever you like.

A quick tip when you shop: search for your tablet's size (for example, 10 inch tablet fridge mount) rather than a specific model, so the holder fits.

Setting it up

1. On the tablet, open its web browser, go to oona.co.nz and sign in with your adult account.
2. Add Oona to the home screen so it opens full-screen like an app.
3. Go to More, then Settings, find Wall display and tap Open wall display. Leave it running.
4. Stand or mount the tablet wherever the family will see it, and plug in the charger.

Keeping it always on

• Set the screen timeout to its longest setting, or never, while it's on charge, under the tablet's Display settings.
• On an iPad, turn on Guided Access to lock it to Oona. On Android, the same idea is called Screen pinning.
• Turn the brightness down a little. It's a calm background screen, not a billboard.

Set an exit PIN

So the display stays put and little hands can't close it, set a short exit PIN. Go to More, then Settings, then Wall display, and choose a 4 to 6 digit PIN. After that, leaving the wall display asks for the PIN, so only grown-ups can exit it.