Quick Installation Guide – MAWi USB

MAWi platform consists of a single ‘MAWi Server’ installation, that can control multiple ‘MAWi Agent’ instances. 

In MAWi USB we will install both, MAWi Server and MAWi Agent on the same PC.

To download the MAWi installer click here

In this guide, we will walk you through the installation process of MAWi platform.

 

The process consists of 2 steps:

 

1. Installing MAWi Agent and/or MAWi Server

2. Installing the MAWi USB additional steps.

MAWi Agent and Server – Installation Guide

MAWi Agent

Select the MAWi Agent component and also select the option ‘Install additional drivers for MAWi Zero’. That option will install additional drivers that are necessary for the basic operation of the USB Video dongles.

In case you didn’t tick the box during the installation process, you can also download the OSBASE drivers from this link.

You can name the location in the installation process or do it later in the settings of the MAWi Agent. If you leave it blank, the location will be named as ‘Untitled’.

MAWi Server

MAWi Server runs an IIS Web application and a database that is running with MS SQL Server.

When selecting to install MAWi Server, it will check if the MS SQL Server is installed on the machine.

If it’s not, it will automatically download and install SQL Server 2014 Express instance on your machine.

System Requirements

Windows® 10/11 64bit, Server 2016/19/22

Intel Dual Core or AMD with similar capabilities. Core i5 or Core i7, the latest generation is usually recommended.

For Video Walls we would recommend using a standard Core i7, latest generation.

In addition, for better performance, we would recommend adding a single graphic display adaptor from NVIDIA or AMD,

which will off-load the CPU’s graphic processor. Read more here

At least 4GB.

Please check our system configuration guide for more information.

Gigabit Ethernet network is recommended for the connection between the zero clients and host PC. The host PC can connect to the server via wifi.

 

MAWi Agent Connects over the default port no. 60668 to MAWi Server. This port number can be changed.

1. During the installation process, the installer will download the following components from the Internet:

 

– .NET Framework 3.5

– SQL Server 2014 Express

– Node JS v14

– Web Platform plugin

– Rewrite URL for IIS

– VLC Media Playe v3

– PowerPoint Viewer

– OSBASE Driver

 2. In case you’ve installed MAWi Server on Windows 10/11 OS, IIS Express is also installed and running in the background at all times.

You need to make sure that this icon is running in your taskbar:

iis express

MAWi USB – Installation Guide

MAWi USB allows you to build a high-quality video wall at an unprecedented low cost.

 

In this guide, we will walk you through the process of installing and configuring your host PC to run with our USB Video dongles.

Please follow the three steps below:

Step 1: System Requirements

1. Go through our System Specification page and make sure your PC is qualified for your needs.

2. Make sure your PC is updated with all the recent drivers and security updates. Especially with the most up to date drivers for the display adaptor installed on your machine.

 

 

If you are using Intel HD graphics go to Intel Download Center.

 

If you are using NVIDIA video adaptor go to Nvidia Download section.

 

If you are using AMD video adaptor go to AMD Download section.

3. Make sure the Power Policy settings in your Operating System are disabled so your screens won’t go into blank. In the Control Panel go to – Power Options:

 

Choose when to turn off the display > Set it to Never

Change when the computer sleeps > Set it to Never

 

Also, please disable the screen saver if enabled:

 

Control Panel > Personalized > Click on the Screen Saver icon on the bottom right corner > set it to None

4. In order for Monitors Anywhere to operate properly, the user must be logged in all the time otherwise the Extended Desktop Mode is not operational. You must disable all security options that causes the PC to lock automatically as well.

 

For security measures, you can lock your PC by running an application that will lock the PC, keeping the multi-monitor setup running:

  1. TSL-PRO – Transparent Screen Lock – Professional-grade application from e-motionalOffered for 7 days evaluation.
  2. VBLOCK – Simple tool to lock your screen from VBTools –  Freeware.

For the same reason, you can’t use any remote control apps that control the Remote Session, such as Remote Desktop (RDP).

Only remote control apps that control the Console session can be used, such as:

VNC, Radmin, Dameware, Netsupport manager, TeamViewer, etc…

In order to prevent the mouse pointer from moving to the other desktops, you can lock it in the Primary screen by using this tiny application.

After extracting the file, simply double-click on the EXE file and you will notice there is a new icon on your taskbar that indicates it’s active.

5. Make sure the Taskbar is not showing on the extended screens:

 

  • Right-click on the Taskbar on the primary screen and select Properties
  • Uncheck the box “Show taskbar on all displays”

6. In order for the system to work properly, it requires you to plug a monitor directly to the Host PC (Desktop) via its onboard or external display card.

 

In case you are installing on a Virtual Machine or a Laptop, you can skip this step.

An alternative option is to connect an HDMI\DVI\VGA emulator like this one to eliminate the need to connect a physical screen.

Step 2: MAWi USB Installation and Configuration

The following steps will lead you through the steps to connect and install the Thinglobal USB Video dongle devices.

USB Video Dongle

Connecting the USB Video dongles

1. Connect each of the USB to HDMI adapters to your displays via an HDMI cable

2. Connect each USB to HDMI adapter to a USB Hub via a USB cable. We recommend using a powered USB hub in case you are using more than 3 devices.

3. Connect the USB Hub to your PC and make sure the displays are showing your desktop image. We recommend connecting each USB to HDMI adapter at a time. Every time you see the desktop image on the display you can connect the next device.

4. Once all the devices are connected, they should appear as extended desktops in the Displays settings of Windows.

5. Make sure to set the Scale and Layout factor to 100% for all screens.

a. Right-click on the desktop and select Display settings
b. Make sure scaling is set to 100% in the “Change the size of text…” section.
c. Set the resolution.
d. Make sure Multiple displays are set to “Extend desktop to this display”
e. Repeat the same procedure for all screens connected to your PC.

Open MAWi and start setting your video wall

1. To run the MAWi Management Console, open your browser and enter the IP address followed by the port number, as it was showing once the installation finished. By default the port number is 60669:

 

HTTP://<IP Address>:60669

You can also run the MAWi console by using the MAWi link on your desktop.

2. Click on the small arrow near Dashboard – Select ‘Admin panel’.

mawi icon on the desktop
mawi main management console - dashboard

3. In the Admin panel, select the Display config tool menu item.

In the location selector, select the location name.

display config tool - 1

The system will require you to elevate the MAWi Agent process with admin privileges.

Please press Yes on both pop-ups.

The screens will show up in the Extended desktop mode section.

Step 3: Setup your system

Start configuring your screens

From the MAWi management console you can configure your screens to work in Extended mode (for showing different content on different screens), Mirror mode (for duplicating content on multiple screens), and Video Wall mode (for spanning content on multiple screens or splitting the video wall into multiple zones, in a grid or creative layouts).

Here is how to set up the screens in a video wall layout:
– Open the MAWi management console on your browser.
– Click on the Dashboard menu > Go to ‘Admin Panel‘ > Click on the ‘Display Config tool’
– Select your Location from the list and accept the UCA elevation request.
– Click on ‘Identify screens’ to map and align your video wall screens.
– Drag-and-drop the screens to the Video Wall Mode area to set up your video wall.
– Set the Resolution per screen property to define the overall resolution of your video wall.
– Set the Bezel correction properties (measured in pixels).
– To set up a creative video wall, select the Settings menu and click on Creative Mode.
That will allow you to set the screens in any angle and aspect ratio.
When done, click on the Apply button to apply your settings.

Activate your license

To license the MAWi system, please follow the steps below:

1. Open MAWi Management Console
– Open your browser and log in with your credentials to the MAWi Management Console.
– Click on ‘ Dashboard’ – Select the Admin Panel > Licenses
– Enter your Activation Key or generate an offline license request.
For more details, please refer to this guide.
mawi activation enter your license key

Identify and Rename the screens

First, click on the Identify screens button.

To rename the screen according to its current location or usage,

right-click on its thumbnail.

Please note

– IDs will appear on the primary screen of your Agent’s PC as well as on the extended desktops.

– You can select on which screen the IDs will appear by using the checkbox on each thumbnail.

Play a PowerPoint presentation on multiple screens

1. Create a new playlist and give it a name

2. Add a new item to the playlist

3. Browse your computer for the PPT file

4. Press on the Finish button

5. Select the screens, drag and drop the playlist on their thumbnails

6. Press Play

Click here for the guide on how to set up your slideshow for our system.

Please note that MAWi Client installs the PowerPoint Viewer by default.

* In the same way, you can have each screen showing a different presentation.

Play Google Slides presentations on multiple screens

1. Create a Google Slide presentation

2. Publish it (File > Publish to the web)

– select the time between slides.

– Tick the ‘Start slideshow as soon as the player loads’ option.

– Tick the ‘Restart the slideshow after the last slide’ option.

3. Copy the published presentation’s link.

4. Create a new playlist and give it a name

5. Add a new item to the playlist

6. Select the URL tab > Paste the link > Set to open in full screen and Save.

7. Press on the Finish button

8. Select the screens, drag and drop the playlist on their thumbnails

9. Press Play

Click here for the guide on how to set up your slideshow for our system.

* In the same way, you can have each screen showing a different presentation.

Open websites on multiple screens

1. Create a new playlist and give it a name

2. Add a new item to the playlist and select the URL tab

3. Type your URL, tick the “Open in full screen” box and Save

4. Press on the Finish button

5. Select the screens, drag and drop the playlist on their thumbnails

6. Press Play

* In the same way, you can have each screen showing a different URL.

Play videos on multiple screens

1. Create a new playlist and give it a name

2. Browse your computer for the video file

3. Select VLC Media Player to play the video

4. Press on the Finish button

5. Select the screens, drag and drop the playlist on their thumbnails

6. Press Play

Please note that MAWi Client installs the VLC Media Player by default.

* In the same way, you can have each screen playing a different video.

Set up a video wall for a Command center, a Control room, NOCs, or SOCs

Start by setting up the video wall layout with the Displays Configuration tool and follow the instructions in this guide to start adding sources and configure your video wall’s layouts.

For more information:

Online Knowledge Base