Summary of the differences between the ConnectPort Display models

Digi offers three ConnectPort Display models:

 

1. ConnectPort Display (P/N 301-1180-01)

 

The ConnectPort Display is primarily intended to remotely access a PC over an IP network. In this scenario, we call the PC the "host PC". Remote access is achieved by using VNC software. In a nutshell, after this is setup, the display attached to the ConnectPort Display would show the exact same video content as that of the host PC. In other words, the video is "mirrored". The USB ports are primarily intended for input devices like USB mice and keyboards, however other kinds of devices are supported. See this article for details on supported USB devices. When you are sitting in front of the ConnectPort Display, using the attached mouse and keyboard, and looking at the attached display, the "user experience" is that of actually sitting in front of the host PC. This model is generally used when a PC is in a harsh environment, i.e. a factory, and is prone to failure due to that environment. By putting a ConnectPort Display physically in place of a PC, the PC can be moved to a safer environment.

 

The ConnectPort Display can also function as a terminal emulator.

 

2. ConnectPort Display M22 (P/N CP-DIS-M22)

 

The ConnectPort Display M22 is the same as the ConnectPort Display, with the following exceptions:

 

a. The M22 supports a higher display resolution of up to 1600x1200 @ 32-bit color (compared to the ConnectPort Display, which supports up to 800x600 @ 16-bit color or 1024x768 @ 8-bit color).

 

b. The M22 can optionally function in "ShowBox" mode, which essentially turns the unit into a hardware slideshow/presentation player. More specifically, in ShowBox mode, you can connect a USB flash drive to the unit and image files on the flash drive will play as a slideshow. If you have a PowerPoint presentation that you would want to use here, you would need to export that presentation (via PowerPoint) to individual image files and then put those image files on the USB flash drive. The ShowBox Setup Guide has further details.

 

c. The M22 supports select USB touchscreens. See this article for details on supported USB touchscreens.

 

3. ConnectPort Display M22 CE (P/N CP-DIS-M22-CE)

 

The ConnectPort Display M22 CE is very different from the two variants above. It runs the Windows CE 5 Operating System, so think of it more as a standalone CE-based computing device. Although less powerful than a full-fledged PC, it's small size and lack of moving parts makes it advantageous for applications like:

 

a. Inside of a kiosk (instead of a larger-sized PC, which is more prone to maintenance), to display video files, using the bundled Windows Media Player software.

 

b. Some customers develop software applications that are web-based, meaning you use the bundled Internet Explorer web browser as the client for the web-based application.

 

c. We also have Microsoft's RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) client software bundled. RDP is also remote access software like VNC, however it functions differently. Instead of mirroring the display of the host PC (the way VNC works, for the two CPD models above), RDP gives you a new session - in other words, you would see a brand new desktop environment using a different Windows login.

 

d. The ConnectPort Display M22 CE supports audio output to speakers or headphones.