PIXELIGHT

NovaStar ViPlex Handy: controlling an LED screen from a smartphone

Set up ViPlex Handy on mobile: AP Wi-Fi connection, multi-screen mosaic layout, on-site firmware updates and cloud control with no laptop required.

Mobile app — field service

ViPlex Handy is NovaStar's mobile app for controlling a Taurus, TU or NS player straight from a smartphone, with no playback PC involved.

ViPlex Handy answers a very concrete need for field technicians: servicing an LED screen without carrying a laptop. The app, available on Android, iOS and HarmonyOS, drives Taurus-series multimedia players, TU-series playback and control processors, NS-series LCD multimedia players, and the JT100 traffic player. It covers the essentials of on-site work: connecting to a player, adjusting brightness, updating firmware and pushing an emergency piece of content.

What sets ViPlex Handy apart from its desktop counterpart ViPlex Express is its dual control mode: a local network mode, where the phone joins the Wi-Fi network published directly by the player, and an Internet mode, where the device is controlled remotely through the cloud once linked to an account. This LAN/cloud switch makes ViPlex Handy the go-to tool for first-time commissioning and a lightweight follow-up tool once the technician has left the site.

This tutorial focuses strictly on the mobile use of ViPlex Handy: Wi-Fi connection in access-point mode, multi-screen mosaic configuration, on-site firmware updates and cloud control from the phone. It draws on the official V4.4.0 manual and on the updated 2026 edition.

1. Compatible devices and mobile platforms

ViPlex Handy installs on Android, iOS and HarmonyOS phones, covering nearly the entire range of smartphones used by field teams. On the hardware side, the app talks to Taurus-series multimedia players, TU-series playback and control processors, NS-series LCD multimedia players and the JT100 traffic player.

This broad compatibility means a technician can keep using the same app to service a totem fitted with a TB30 in the morning and a shelf-edge display fitted with an NS player in the afternoon, without switching tools or learning a different interface.

2. The two control modes: local network and Internet

ViPlex Handy offers two clearly separated operating modes. In local network mode, the smartphone connects directly to the player, either because both devices share the same Wi-Fi, or because the phone joins the access point published by the player itself. This mode needs no Internet access and suits an on-site commissioning visit perfectly.

In Internet mode, the player is first linked to a cloud account and then controlled remotely from any mobile network or Wi-Fi with outbound Internet access. This second mode turns the smartphone into a remote control: a technician can check a screen's status or restart a broadcast without travelling to site.

Always favour local network mode for the first commissioning visit: it lets you validate the screen configuration before relying on an Internet connection that may be missing or unstable on some sites.

3. Wi-Fi connection in access point (AP) mode

Players controlled by ViPlex Handy have a dual Wi-Fi mode, AP and Sta. In AP mode, the player publishes its own wireless network, which the smartphone joins directly, exactly as it would join a home router. This is the default mode on first power-up and the most practical for initial setup without depending on the host site's network.

Sta mode, by contrast, has the player join an existing Wi-Fi network, which is preferable once configuration is complete if the site has stable Wi-Fi. On players fitted with a 4G module, a cellular connection remains available as a fallback when neither Wi-Fi nor Ethernet can be used.

On outdoor work, check the range of the player's AP Wi-Fi signal before moving away from the screen: beyond a few metres, the connection can drop mid-configuration.

4. Connecting a player and pushing synchronised content

Once the phone is connected to the player, ViPlex Handy lets you send content and trigger synchronous playback of the same media across several screens at once. This is valuable on installations with several display points that must stay visually consistent, such as a set of storefronts belonging to the same brand along one street.

The app also handles a dual synchronous/asynchronous operating mode, and offers automatic content adjustment to the screen, which adapts the display to the panel's real resolution with no manual cropping required.

5. Automatic and scheduled brightness control

ViPlex Handy offers brightness control in two forms: an automatic mode, which adjusts light intensity based on the screen's sensors, and a scheduled mode, which applies preset brightness levels across time windows defined in advance. The scheduled mode is particularly useful for an outdoor screen that must dim at night with no human intervention.

A technician on a maintenance visit typically checks both settings together: brightness set too low during the day makes the screen unreadable in direct sunlight, while brightness set too high at night can disturb neighbours or drivers.

Always schedule a reduced brightness level for the overnight period on an outdoor screen: it extends LED lifespan and limits light-pollution complaints from nearby residents.

6. Configuring a multi-screen mosaic

When content needs to span several physically separate screens forming one display wall, ViPlex Handy lets you configure this mosaic layout directly from the phone. The operator declares the position of each screen within the array, letting the app split the source content and send the correct portion to each device.

This mosaic configuration is explicitly listed in ViPlex Handy's official FAQ, alongside checking the app version, updating firmware, linking to the cloud and getting more fonts, making it one of the most frequently searched operations among field users.

Always double-check screen numbering before confirming the mosaic: swapping the position of two adjacent panels produces a visibly shifted image, hard to spot any way other than by eye.

7. Checking and updating firmware on site

One of the most common questions in the official FAQ concerns checking and updating a device's firmware directly from ViPlex Handy. This avoids the technician having to return to the workshop or connect a laptop: the update downloads and applies from the smartphone connected to the player.

On a remote site where a workshop return costs half a day of travel, being able to check the installed version and push the update from the app directly is a real time saver, especially when a fix resolves an issue already identified by technical support.

Always check the version of ViPlex Handy itself before a visit: an outdated version may fail to recognise a recent player model or a mosaic feature added in a later update.

8. Linking a device to the cloud and remote publishing

Once the on-site visit is over, linking the player to a cloud account enables remote publishing mode: content can then be updated, scheduling adjusted and player status checked without returning to the location. The official FAQ describes the device-to-cloud linking procedure in detail as one of the app's basic operations.

This cloud mode complements local solution management with centralised control: a technician can manage, from the same phone, both the screens they configure live on site and the screens already linked to the cloud that they monitor remotely, within a single app.

9. Screen interaction and font management

ViPlex Handy also offers a screen interaction feature, useful for scenarios where displayed content must react to an action triggered from the app, along with combined local and cloud solution management in a single interface, which avoids juggling two separate apps depending on the connection mode used.

The official FAQ finally covers getting additional fonts to compose text on screen: a point often overlooked when preparing content, even though a missing font can cause a message to display incorrectly once published to the player.

10. ViPlex Handy versus ViPlex Express: which tool for which situation

ViPlex Handy and ViPlex Express share the same goal of publishing content to NovaStar players, but they serve different contexts. ViPlex Express, on Windows, suits preparing complex solutions in the workshop and managing a large fleet from a fixed workstation. ViPlex Handy, on a smartphone, is the quick on-site intervention tool: troubleshooting, firmware checks, mosaic or brightness adjustments with no extra equipment to carry.

In practice the two tools complement rather than compete with each other: a solution is often prepared in ViPlex Express and then published or adjusted on site with ViPlex Handy, while remote cloud control remains accessible from both apps once the player is linked to an account.

Keep cloud login credentials synchronised between ViPlex Express and ViPlex Handy: a player linked from the workshop PC must be immediately visible from the phone of the technician sent to site.

Commissioning procedure

  1. Install the app on the smartphone

    Download ViPlex Handy on Android, iOS or HarmonyOS depending on the technician's phone.

  2. Connect to the player's Wi-Fi in AP mode

    Join the network published by the player for an initial setup with no dependency on the site's Wi-Fi.

  3. Check the app and firmware versions

    Verify the installed version of ViPlex Handy and the player's firmware version before any other operation.

  4. Update the firmware if needed

    Download and apply the firmware update directly from the mobile app connected to the player.

  5. Configure the multi-screen mosaic

    Declare the position of each screen within the array so the app can correctly split and distribute the source content.

  6. Set automatic and scheduled brightness

    Enable automatic mode based on the screen's sensors and define scheduled levels for overnight periods.

  7. Link the player to the cloud

    Associate the device with a cloud account to enable remote publishing and control mode.

  8. Publish and verify playback

    Send the content, check synchronous playback across all relevant screens, then leave the site with cloud mode active.

Frequently asked questions

Which NovaStar devices does ViPlex Handy work with?

The app drives Taurus-series multimedia players, TU-series playback and control processors, NS-series LCD multimedia players and the JT100 traffic player.

Is a PC required to use ViPlex Handy?

No. ViPlex Handy is built for working from a smartphone with no computer, both in local network mode and in Internet mode once the player is linked to the cloud.

How is a player's firmware updated on site?

From the app, you can check the installed firmware version and then download and apply the update directly, with no need to return to the workshop.

How is a multi-screen mosaic configured?

The app lets you declare the position of each screen within the array so the source content is automatically split and the correct portion sent to each device.

What is the difference between local network mode and Internet mode?

Local network mode connects the smartphone directly to the player with no Internet involved, while Internet mode controls the player remotely through the cloud once the device is linked to an account.

Where can additional fonts be found for on-screen text?

ViPlex Handy's official FAQ details the procedure for obtaining extra fonts usable when composing text content.

Official documentation

Related tutorials

Need to equip your field teams for mobile control?

Our technicians configure your players for ViPlex Handy mobile control and cloud monitoring, with no laptop tied up on site.