How do I configure WiFi for the Screenly Player?

Viktor Petersson
  • Updated
Follow

Last updated: October 30, 2023

By default, Screenly is configured to use DHCP over Ethernet. If you need to do something more complicated (such as configuring WiFi or setting a static IP configuration on your Ethernet interface), this guide is for you. There are two methods for configuring wifi on your player:

The Keyboard method

Difficulty: Easy

This is the easiest way to connect your player to wi-fi, with the lowest potential for error. We strongly recommend configuring wi-fi this way unless absolutely necessary. To get started you will need a standard keyboard that connects via USB. After you have connected your Screenly player to your TV and plugged in the power cable follow the below instructions.

  1. Connect a USB keyboard to your Screenly player.
  2. Press the ESC key.
  3. Follow the on-screen prompt to select your Wi-Fi network from the list using the arrow keys and press enter. On the next prompt enter your password and press Enter again.

Note that for more advanced options, you will need to use option 2 below.

Advanced Wi-Fi setup for technical users

Difficulty: Moderate

This method of setup carries more risk for both human and system error, so setup by keyboard should be your first choice whenever possible. However, there are some situations where configuration by USB is necessary and our support team may instruct you to use it. 

  1. Grab a USB stick
    • Important: The USB stick needs to be formatted as FAT32. exFAT is not supported.
  2. Log in to Screenly, navigate to the Screens menu and click the purple  "+ New Screen" button and select "Hardware" from the drop down.
  3. Click the "WiFi & Advanced Network Setup" button at the top of the page.
  4. Select "Start Setup" and enter in your SSID (Wireless network name) and Password.
  5. Only touch the other settings if you are instructed to by support, or if you are knowledgeable about networking and need some advanced configuration.
  6. Click "Generate configuration file", and a file named 'network.yaml' will be downloaded to your computer.
  7. Put the downloaded file onto your USB stick.
  8. Eject the USB stick from your PC.
  9. Boot up your new Screenly player and wait for the "Network interface has no IP address" error to appear.
  10. Next, insert the USB stick to a USB port on the device, and it should reboot and pick up the new WiFi configuration. If it doesn't reboot after 30 seconds, pull out the USB stick and put it in a different USB port.
  11. Once the player reboots and comes up you can remove the USB stick. 

All you need to do going forward to configure multiple devices is to use the same process and USB stick with the network.yaml file - (assuming that the configuration settings are the same for the new devices).

 

Troubleshooting

  • If the network configuration is not picked up, (i.e. the player does not reboot) simply try removing and re-inserting the USB stick again in a different USB port. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries.
  • Ensure that the file name on your USB drive is "network.yaml", if there is a number added like: "network (1).yaml" that will interfere with the player reading the file. Delete the " (1)" from the name of the file on your USB stick and try again.
  • If you are using a disk image that is older than the April 18, 2018 release, the USB configuration will not be picked up automatically when the USB is inserted.
  • 5Ghz connections are not supported on older players built with the Raspberry Pi 3B.
  • Also see: What types of wireless networks and authentication do you support?

Related articles