AI Retail Kiosk Hardware — What's Actually Inside Remi

The most common question I get from store owners considering an AI kiosk is, "what hardware do I have to buy?" The honest answer is: probably less than you think, and probably nothing custom. Remi runs on consumer tablets, a counter mount, and an internet connection — which is the right answer for a category of store that does not want to be in the hardware business.

This is a walkthrough of what's actually in a Remi deployment, what's optional, and the trade-offs we made on purpose.

The core stack

A standard Remi install in an independent liquor or convenience store is three pieces of hardware:

1. A tablet. Typically a 10" to 13" Android tablet or iPad. The tablet runs the Remi web app in kiosk mode (full-screen browser locked to the Remi URL).
2. A counter or wall mount. A locking enclosure that holds the tablet at a comfortable angle for a customer standing at the counter. We recommend mounts that allow tilt adjustment because every counter height is different.
3. A power source. USB-C wall adapter for the tablet. We do not recommend running off battery — the kiosk should be on whenever the store is open, and battery cycling kills tablets in under a year.

That's it for the required hardware. Everything else is optional.

Why off-the-shelf tablets win

Custom kiosk hardware is a tempting pitch. The vendor shows up with a slick branded device, integrated card reader, custom mount, the whole thing. It looks great in a deck.

For indie retail, custom hardware is almost always the wrong choice. Three reasons:

Replacement cost. When a customer knocks a custom kiosk off the counter, you're calling the vendor, waiting for a replacement, and paying whatever the vendor charges. When a customer knocks an iPad off the counter, you walk to the local electronics store and buy another one that afternoon. The store does not stop running.

Software updates. Consumer tablets get OS and security updates for years. Custom hardware tends to ship on a frozen Android build that stops getting patches within eighteen months. You don't want a dedicated kiosk on the internet running an OS that hasn't been patched in two years.

Resale and reuse. A consumer tablet has a clear path off the counter. If a store decides to stop using Remi, the tablet becomes a regular tablet. Custom kiosk hardware becomes a paperweight.

The trade-off is that a consumer tablet is not specifically designed to be poked at by strangers all day. We address that with the mount (it locks the tablet down so it can't be pocketed or rotated) and with the OS-level kiosk lock (so customers can't exit the Remi app or open settings).

The optional camera

Some Remi deployments include a camera — either the tablet's built-in front camera, or a small USB camera mounted nearby. The camera is opt-in and serves two functions:

Anonymous traffic counting. The camera can count the number of people who walk past the kiosk, the number who actually engage, and rough dwell time. No faces are stored, no individuals are identified. The output is a number per hour.

Optional facial enrollment for returning customers. This is strictly opt-in by the customer at a separate enrollment kiosk, governed by AWS Rekognition under our BIPA/CCPA-compliant flow. A customer who opts in gets recognized on return visits and Remi greets them with their name and remembered preferences. A customer who does not opt in is never enrolled and never recognized. We default this feature off and only enable it where the store wants it and has the consent flow visibly disclosed.

If a store wants Remi without a camera, that's the default. Many of our pilot stores run camera-free.

Network requirements

Remi is a connected product. It needs internet to reach the AI orchestrator, fetch live inventory, and update the store's catalog. Practical requirements:

• Bandwidth. Modest — a single kiosk uses well under what a single customer's phone uses while shopping. Any business broadband or even a strong consumer cable plan is sufficient.
• Reliability. This matters more than speed. The kiosk should be on a network that doesn't drop for an hour at a time. If the store's connection is unreliable, we recommend a cellular failover (a small box that switches to LTE when the wired connection drops). This is a one-time hardware purchase under $200 and pays for itself the first time the cable goes out on a Saturday.
• Wi-Fi vs ethernet. We prefer ethernet to the kiosk if the cabling is reasonable. Wi-Fi works fine for most stores; ethernet just removes one variable.

We do not require any inbound ports, no port forwarding, no static IP. The kiosk reaches out to our cloud over standard HTTPS. Most store networks already permit this.

Power and uptime

A standard tablet pulls a few watts. Plug it into a wall adapter rated for the device, route the cable through the mount's cable channel, and forget about it. We strongly recommend two things on top of that:

A small UPS. A $60 uninterruptible power supply behind the counter keeps the kiosk and the router up through brief power blips. Power blips are how store electronics die. The UPS extends tablet life and keeps the kiosk up through the kind of brownout that interrupts the freezer compressors at 3pm in summer.

A daily reboot schedule. Remi schedules a 3am reboot by default. This clears memory, applies any queued OS updates, and ensures the kiosk wakes up clean every morning. Stores can change the time in the dashboard.

Security considerations

A counter-facing internet device is a security surface. Things we do, and things stores should know:

Kiosk lock. The tablet runs in lock-task mode. The Remi app is the only app a customer can interact with. They cannot exit to settings, the home screen, or another browser. This is enforced at the OS level, not just by the app.

No cardholder data on the tablet. Remi does not handle payment directly. Payment runs through the store's existing POS or, for online orders, through a Stripe-hosted page. The kiosk is out of PCI scope. This was a deliberate architectural choice — keeping payment off the kiosk simplifies compliance for every store.

Encrypted local storage. Anything cached on the tablet (the catalog, the conversation buffer, customer-display content) is encrypted at rest. The tablet is also configured to wipe if it leaves the network for more than a configurable window.

Auto-updates. The Remi web app updates from our cloud — store owners don't have to maintain anything. The underlying tablet OS auto-updates on the manufacturer's normal schedule. If you use an iPad, that's Apple. If you use an Android tablet, that's the manufacturer's update channel; we recommend tablets from manufacturers with a documented multi-year update commitment.

Physical lockdown. The mount we ship is a locking enclosure. It takes a key (or in some models, a security tool) to remove the tablet. This is more of a "casual theft prevention" measure than a high-security one — a determined thief with a pry bar will get the tablet, but they'll also get caught on camera, and the tablet remote-wipes the moment it leaves the network.

What it costs

Hardware for a single-kiosk deployment, list pricing:

• Tablet: roughly $200–$500 depending on size and platform.
• Mount: $80–$150 for a quality locking counter mount.
• UPS: $50–$80.
• Optional cellular failover: $150–$250.
• Cabling and adapters: under $40.

A typical single-kiosk hardware bill comes in well under a thousand dollars, often under $500 if the store reuses a tablet they already own. Compare that to a custom kiosk solution from a typical AV vendor, which tends to start in the mid-four-figures per unit.

The Remi software subscription is separate and is published on the pricing page.

What we recommend by store type

Liquor stores and wine shops. Counter-mounted 11"–13" tablet near the register. Works well for the "what should I bring to dinner" use case where the customer is already at the counter.

Convenience stores and gas stations. End-cap or near-cooler placement, often with a slightly larger display. The use case is more "what's new / what's on promo" than detailed conversation, so visibility from across the store matters.

Grocery stores and specialty foods. Aisle-end placement with the camera on for traffic measurement. Often two kiosks per store — one near produce/deli, one near beverage.

Multi-unit operators. Same hardware spec across all stores; the dashboard handles per-store catalog and persona variation in software.

Frequently asked

Can I use a tablet I already own?

In most cases yes, if it's reasonably modern (within the last 3-4 years), supports a recent OS version, and can run a full-screen browser. We do a quick compatibility check before deployment.

What if my internet goes down?

The kiosk shows a friendly "I'll be right back" message and continues working in a limited offline mode for cached recommendations. Full conversational AI requires connectivity. A cellular failover box is the cheapest way to remove this risk.

Do I need to buy a payment terminal for the kiosk?

No. Remi does not process payment on the device. Customers complete the transaction at your existing POS or through a Stripe-hosted link for online orders. This keeps the kiosk out of PCI scope.

Will customers steal the tablet?

The locking mount makes casual theft impractical, and the tablet remote-wipes the moment it leaves your network. We've not had a tablet stolen from a pilot store, but the design assumes one might be eventually and treats it as a recoverable event, not a catastrophe.

How long does installation take?

A first-time install runs about an hour: mount the bracket, plug in the tablet, connect to Wi-Fi, log in, run through a five-minute persona configuration in the dashboard. Subsequent stores in a chain can be set up in under thirty minutes.