WHAT IS SIGNSTIX COMMANDER AND HOW DO I USE IT

SignStix Commander is a web application that provides a store manager with easy control over all the digital signage in their particular store. It is intended to be run on a tablet or other smart device, and allows the store manager to choose from a list of pre-defined ‘campaigns’ that can be played on the screens.

On choosing a campaign, all the screens covered by that campaign start playing the corresponding content. This ability to change content easily and rapidly means that the store manager can react in real-time to the current circumstances in the store, tailoring the signage to the audience for maximum effect.

Section 1: Store Manager User Guide

SignStix Commander allows you to choose campaigns to play on the digital signage screens in your store.

Logging into SignStix Commander

Your SignStix administrator should have already set you up on the system and provided you with a username and password. You also need to ensure that your tablet or smart device is connected to the internet.

  1. On your tablet or smart device, open a web browser
  2. Visit the URL: https://cms.signstix.com/commander
  3. You should see a login screen similar to the following:

4. You may wish to bookmark this URL for subsequent use
5. Enter your username and password then tap ‘Login’
6. On a successful login, you will see a page similar to the following, but the campaigns listed will be different:

If the list of campaigns is empty (apart from ‘REVERT’), please check the Troubleshooting advice.

Playing a Campaign

At any time you can make the signage screens play a campaign of your choice:

1. In the Commander application, tap the campaign that you would like to play
2. A confirmation message will pop-up with the name of the campaign that you selected (‘Grocery Specials’ in this case):


3. If you wish to go ahead, tap ‘Play’
4. Within a few seconds, all the signage screens in your store will start to play the chosen campaign (except for any screens which are not affected by that campaign). a. If any screens do not show the content you expect, please see the Troubleshooting advice

Reverting to the Campaign Schedule

By default, all the signage screens play content from the campaign schedule. When you choose a campaign in the Commander application, you are effectively overriding this schedule. However, you can revert to the campaign schedule at any time as follows:

1. Click ‘REVERT’, which appears at the top of the list of campaigns in Commander
2. The following pop-up will appear:


3. Click ‘Revert’
4. Within a few seconds, all the signage screens will start playing content from the campaign schedule

Monitoring Signage Devices

Each signage screen is driven by a small signage device connected to it. You can monitor the status of those devices / screens from the ‘Devices’ tab in the Commander application:

1. After logging into Commander, tap the ‘Devices’ tab
2. This will list all the signage devices in your store (there is only one device in the example below):

The columns should be interpreted as follows:

Changing your Password

For security reasons, it is advisable to change your password regularly.

1. Tap ‘Settings’ at the top-right of the Commander screen:

2. The following dialog will appear:

3. Enter your password details then click ‘Set Password’

Logging Out

For security reasons, log out of Commander when you have finished using it. There is a ‘Logout’ button at the top left:

Section 2: Administrator User Guide

SignStix administrators can use the SignStix Director web application to control user permissions (for both Director and Commander). It is assumed that you already have a login with administrator permissions.

Preparing a Role for Store Managers


To be able to log into the Commander application, a store manager will require the following:
a) A SignStix user login
b) A role with ‘Commander’ permission
c) A ‘Commander Location’ identifying the location/store in which this store manager can play campaigns

To address point b) above, prepare a role with Commander permission, as follows:
1. Log into SignStix Director at https://cms.signstix.com
2. Navigate to Admin > Role Management
3. Click the plus (+) button near the top
5. Enter ‘Store Manager’ as the name of the role
6. Tick the ‘Commander’ permission box
7. Click ‘Add Role’

Setting up a Store Manager for using Commander

1. Log into SignStix Director at https://cms.signstix.com
2. Navigate to Admin > User Management
3. Click the plus (+) button near the top
4. Enter the store manager’s details, choosing a username and password for them
5. Choose a suitable ‘Role’ with ‘Commander’ permission e.g. the ‘Store Manager’ role
6. On choosing such a role, a new field called ‘Commander Location’ will appear
7. Set the ‘Commander Location’ to be the location / store for which this user is responsible. Any campaigns that the store manager selects will be played on devices/screens within this location only
8. Click ‘Add User’
9. Inform the store manager of their username and password and invite them to log into SignStix Commander.

Section 3: Signage Manager User Guide

A signage manager uses SignStix Director to prepare campaigns that the store managers will subsequently play from the Commander application. It is assumed that you are already a SignStix user with full permissions and have some experience of generating signage within SignStix. It is also assumed that the Commander feature has been enabled for your SignStix account. Please confirm with your supplier that this is the case before proceeding.

Please see the Campaigns ‘How-To’ for details on preparing your campaigns.

Section 4: Troubleshooting

If you encounter any problems, please check the table below for the most likely causes and solutions.

Problem Solution
1. Logging into to Commander fails and I get an error message. Check that:

  1. You entered your username and password correctly.
  2. Your administrator gave you the correct username and password.
  3. Your administrator has allocated you to the correct location.
  4. Your tablet is still connected to the network.
  5. Your network administrator has not blocked port 9000 on cms.signstix.com.
2. The list of campaigns in Commander is empty (apart from ‘REVERT’). Ask your administrator to check that:

  1. You have been assigned to the correct location.
  2. Campaigns that are relevant for your location have been deployed.
3. One of my campaigns is not appearing in the Commander application. Check in Director that the campaign has been ‘Commander Enabled’.
4. I’ve tapped a campaign in Commander but nothing has changed on my screen. Allow a few seconds for the signage to change. For signs with large images, it may take a few seconds for the Player software on the device to load them from storage. If your screen still doesn’t change its content, ask your administrator to check that:

  1. The screen wasn’t already showing the campaign you selected (in which case there will be no change).
  2. You have been assigned to the correct location (and are not inadvertently changing the content in a different location).
  3. There are no local network issues that might prevent the signage device from communicating with the Commander.
  4. Tap the ‘Devices’ tab in Commander and check that the devices have ‘green lights’. If not, there may be a network issue.
  5. The signage device driving your screen is in within the location which the chosen campaign covers. If the campaign does not have an assignment for your device, you may still be seeing content from the campaign schedule.
5. I’ve selected a campaign in Commander but I’m not seeing the content I expected on my screen. Ask your administrator to check that:

  1. The device driving your screen is set to the expected location.
  2. The campaign you selected has a signage assignment for your device, and it assigns the expected content.
  3. The latest campaigns have definitely been deployed in SignStix Director.
6. Wrong campaign is displayed on screen after switching. Check the device has the correct system time. The currently playing campaign is controlled by a combination of the deployed Campaign Schedule and the Commander trigger, so it is essential the device has the correct time.

If you require further assistance, please contact support@signstix.com