Networking and recovery

Ethernet, Wi-Fi, static IPs and what to do when a screen can't reach the server.

Info Display OS tries hard to get online by itself, and gives you several ways in when it can't.

Ethernet

Plug in a cable on a network with DHCP. That's all — it works automatically.

When the screen can't connect

The screen tries these in turn:

1. Recovery page

After 2 minutes without reaching the server the screen shows a PIN, a QR code and addresses for a setup page at http://<screen>:8080. On that page you can:

• join a Wi-Fi network;
• set a static IP for Ethernet;
• change the server address.

How to reach the page:

• Screens with Wi-Fi also open a hotspot named InfoDisplay-xxxx when no cable is connected. Its password and a join QR code are on screen. Join it with your phone and scan the page QR code.
• Without Wi-Fi, connect a laptop with a cable, straight to the screen or through a switch. Without a DHCP server both sides fall back to link-local addresses, so open http://infodisplay-xxxx.local:8080.

If content is already cached the screen keeps playing and the PIN appears in a small banner instead.

2. USB stick

Create a folder named infodisplay on any USB stick, add one or more of these files and plug it in. Settings are applied within seconds:

This is the easiest way to configure many screens the same way.

3. Phone USB tethering

Plug in a phone with USB tethering turned on. The screen uses it automatically — useful to get a screen online long enough to change its settings.

4. Maintenance desktop

Plug in a keyboard and press Ctrl+Alt+M. See maintenance.

Firewall requirements

Screens only make outgoing HTTPS connections to your server address. No inbound ports, port forwarding or VPN are needed. If your network filters traffic, allow:

• your Info Display server (e.g. https://signage.8w.fi) on port 443;
• the package repository for updates;
• any web pages and YouTube videos you show in slides.