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Kiosk Display Guide

This guide provides recommendations for setting up and running the Kiosk App on a dedicated masjid display screen.

There is no single correct way to configure the app, the steps outlined here are just to assist IT administrators or masjid maintainers in deploying new prayer displays within prayer halls. Please note that this process requires technical knowledge and should not be attempted by someone without experience in system administration.

To run it on a display, its recommended you use a lightweight system with minimal background processes so that all resources are dedicated to running just the app.

Hardware Recommendations

  • Mini PC (Intel Compute Stick) or Raspberry Pi 4/5 with at least 2GB RAM
  • Stable Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection
  • A display that is ideally 1080p or higher. OLED is discouraged but the app does have a screensaver mode to preserve OLED screens.

Operating System Options

  • Lightweight Linux Distro
    Recommended: Lubuntu or [Raspberry Pi OS Lite + minimal desktop]
    These provide a stable and lightweight environment with minimal overhead.

  • Windows (Stripped/Minimal Installation)
    A lightweight Windows installation can also be used, but it should be configured to disable unnecessary startup apps, automatic updates, and background processes.

Installing Chrome and Configuring Auto Launch

The kiosk relies on running Google Chrome or an equivalent browser in kiosk mode for a full-screen prayer clock.

  1. Install Chrome

    # Ubuntu/Debian based distros
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y wget gnupg
wget -q -O - https://dl.google.com/linux/linux_signing_key.pub | sudo apt-key add -
sudo sh -c 'echo "deb [arch=amd64] http://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main" > /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list'
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y google-chrome-stable

  2. Create a new systemd service:

    sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/kiosk.service

  3. Add the following content:

    [Unit]
Description=KIC Kiosk
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/google-chrome --kiosk "https://kelownaislamiccenter.web.app/"
Restart=always
User=pi
Environment=DISPLAY=:0

[Install]
WantedBy=graphical.target

  4. Enable and start the service:

    sudo systemctl enable kiosk.service
sudo systemctl start kiosk.service
  1. Download Chrome from google.com/chrome and install it as usual.
  2. Open Task Scheduler.

  3. Create a new task:

    • Trigger: At Startup

    • Action: Run chrome.exe with arguments:

      --kiosk "https://kelownaislamiccenter.web.app/"

  4. Save the task. On reboot, Chrome will launch directly into kiosk mode.

  1. Install Chrome

    sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y chromium-browser

  2. Edit the autostart config

    nano ~/.config/lxsession/LXDE-pi/autostart

  3. Add the following lines

    @chromium-browser --kiosk "https://kelownaislamiccenter.web.app/" --noerrdialogs --disable-infobars --check-for-update-interval=31536000

  4. Save and reboot

        sudo reboot

Best Practices

  • Disable any form of sleep/hibernate on the machine to prevent interruptions.
  • Use a wired ethernet connection for reliability.
  • Configure auto-reboot in BIOS after power loss for unattended recovery.
  • Reboot and physically clean the device occationally