Thin client, fat client or all-in-one on the cart?

What the three options actually are

A thin client is a compact device that runs a managed operating system and does the real work on a server or in a virtual desktop. A fat client is a full PC that travels with the cart: the operating system and the applications run locally on hardware sitting in the cart’s client compartment. An all-in-one panel PC combines screen and computer in one fanless unit that is mounted straight onto the column — in the lean models with its own hot-swap batteries, so no separate power supply is needed. All three fit into every cart in our range: column carts such as EasyCart, VexioCart and ProCart have a compartment or optional client box for a separate client, cabinet carts the same space inside the body. The decision is therefore not about the cart but about how your IT department wants to run the workstation.

Central management with IGEL OS and IGEL UMS

If you are running dozens or hundreds of carts, central management is usually the strongest argument for thin clients. IGEL OS turns any 64-bit x86 device with 2 GB of RAM into a thin client — which means existing hardware in your estate can often be reused instead of scrapped. The devices are managed centrally through IGEL UMS with encrypted communication, so profiles, updates and firmware changes are rolled out from one console rather than device by device. A cart that fails is swapped for a spare and picks up its profile; nothing is rebuilt on site. As an IGEL Managed Service Provider we license IGEL OS flexibly together with our partner dream-soft, and existing IGEL licences are credited. In healthcare, IGEL OS with integrated Imprivata single sign-on is the common setup, because staff share a cart and need fast, secure access without typing a full login at every bedside.

When a fat client is the better fit

A thin client is only ever as good as its connection. Where the cart has no permanent link to a server — a warehouse aisle with patchy WLAN, a production hall where the network stops at the line, a site that must keep working during an outage — a fat client is the more honest answer. The same applies when applications run locally by design: machine and measuring software, USB device drivers, imaging or scanning tools that expect local resources. We integrate fat clients from Dell, Lenovo, HP, LG and other manufacturers into the cart and pre-install them on request. Many fleets end up mixed: managed thin clients for the standard workstation, a few fat clients where the network cannot be relied on.

All-in-one panel PCs with hot-swap batteries

The third option removes a box from the cart entirely. Fanless all-in-one panel PCs with antibacterial housings carry the computer behind the screen and power the whole workstation from swappable batteries. The lean POCm runs an Intel Core i5 or i7 of the 13th generation with three hot-swap batteries and 10 to 16 hours of runtime; the lean POCi has a 23.8″ Full HD panel, an IP66 aluminium front and Wi-Fi 6E and is built for LFP carts. Both use a PCAP touchscreen that works with gloves and in damp conditions; DT Research all-in-ones are available from 19.5″ to 27″, and models certified to IEC 60601-1 are available for medical use. Because batteries are swapped instead of charged in place, a cart can stay in service around the clock — but they are a consumable someone has to manage, and the panel PC ties screen and computer together: replace one and you replace both.

Power draw and cabling on the cart

Whatever you put on the cart has to be powered and wired, and that is where the choice becomes physical. With the lean LFP power supply — 720 Wh, more than 12 hours of runtime, 5 to 48 V DC at 200 W — a thin client and an energy-saving True Flat monitor comfortably cover a full shift, recharging in under three hours and lasting up to 5,000 charging cycles. A fat client needs more, and a device that expects mains voltage needs the optional 230 V, 400 W pure sine output, which shortens the runtime. An all-in-one panel PC with its own batteries needs no external supply at all. Cabling follows the same logic: a separate client means data and power lines between compartment, monitor and power supply. ProCart routes them separately inside the column in an integrated cable chain with lockable access; VexioCart conceals the cable chain in the column as well. An all-in-one simply has fewer cables to route — one less thing to service.

How to decide

Start with the network, not the hardware. If the cart is always connected and the fleet is large, thin clients with IGEL OS and IGEL UMS give the lowest support effort and let you reuse hardware you own. If the workstation must keep working without a server, or applications run locally, choose a fat client and accept the higher power draw. If space, hygiene and round-the-clock availability matter more than anything, an all-in-one panel PC with hot-swap batteries is the shortest path. Whichever way it goes, we configure cart, IT and power together and deliver the workstation ready to use — and a trial unit from our demo pool lets you test the combination first.

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