ScreenCloud's Screens Manager and Remote Device Management (RDM) tools offer powerful capabilities for overseeing and maintaining your digital signage network. With Screens Manager, you can manage all your screens across all locations and spaces from a single menu, and monitor status, apply bulk actions, and adjust individual screen settings. RDM tools provide further detailed information about a screen and allows you to perform remote actions like rebooting, clearing cache, taking screenshots, and adjusting network and other settings.
Screens Manager
What is Screens Manager?
Screens Manager provides a central hub to oversee and manage all the screens in your ScreenCloud account. Here you can view screen details, monitor status, apply bulk actions, and get access individual screen information and RDM tools. You can filter the screen list or search by name or tag for easier management. This advanced screen management menu is only accessible to ScreenCloud users with Owner or Admin access, or custom user permissions that grant access. In addition to managing your screens list view, you can also access individual screen settings, getting quick access to detailed screen information and their RDM tools.
Where to find the Screens Manager menu
As you view your screens, the Screens Manager button appears just below the search bar.
The Screens Manager button can also be found when you click your username.
Viewing and filtering the screens list
At first glance, all of your screens are listed alphabetically in Screens Manager's screens list view. You can adjust your screen view by searching by screen name, by it's tag, or by filtering your view. You can also customize your view by adjusting the column orders or even removing a column. An option to export your screen list as csv is also available, once you have selected the screen information you wish to save. And lastly, you can find out if a screen needs your attention by observing if there is a warning message next, which informs you of changes that need to be made to ensure your digital signage is running smoothly.
Sort screen list view by column
The screen view is divided by columns, and you can reorganize the view where there is an up and down arrow for a column.
Search for screen by text
Use the Search Screens text box to search by screen name or column detail, for example a screens MAC address.
View screens by tag
Click a tag to display only the screens which have been set with that tag. The list of tags will only show up if you've tagged your screens. Learn how to tag your screens here.
Filter screen list view
There are three filter views for your screens:
Screen status: Online, offline, deactivated, and/or suspended
Space: View all screens within a space
Platform (player OS): Amazon Fire OS, Android, BrightSign, browser, ChromeOS, iOS LG webOS, macOS, Samsung Tizen, ScreenCloud OS, web, and/or Windows
Customize screen list view
You can customize the columns displayed in Screens Manager by using the column management feature. Select the Column button to add or remove columns (using the +/- symbols) and reorder them by dragging them up or down (using the 4-line icon).
If you can't see all of you columns, you can scroll through this horizontally by holding down Shift on your keyboard and scrolling the mouse wheel.
Export screen list data
You can save a report of your screen data, organizes by the available columns, by clicking the Export button, which will download a csv file listing all of your screens.
Screen Name |
Device Model |
Device Platform |
Screen Status |
Last Status Change |
Screen Group |
Screen ID |
Space Name |
Space ID |
Mac Address |
Playing |
Playing content type |
The exported information can be adjusted by how you arrange the columns and if you filter your screen list view beforehand.
Screen warnings
When a screen has a notification warning, a colored icon will appear under the Warning column. This means the screen needs attention and some changes need to take place to ensure your digital signage is uninterrupted. The unique warning message will let you know what needs changing or updating to resolve the issue and remove the warning message. You can click the colored info icon to open the screen's warning message.
Each warning color has a different warning intensity:
Red - Critical: Take action immediately to fix your screen.
Blue - Info: Please update the ScreenCloud player app on the device.
Orange - Warning: Make changes soon to keep running your ScreenCloud content.
Screen actions
Bulk actions for screens
To apply changes to a group of or all screens, check the box for a screen (or all screens) to enable these options. The bulk setting icons will then become visible. These actions are:
Set content
Cast
Refresh
Edit location
Edit timezone
Enable screen notification
Update trusted site certificates (ScreenCloud OS only)
Protip
Actions for a single screen
By clicking the options (ellipses) button of a screen, you can access the individual actions for this screen:
Set content
Clear Cache
Transfer
Edit location
Note
Deactivate
Replace Device
Delete Device
Rename a screen
To rename a screen, simply hover over its name until the 'edit' (pencil) icon appears.
Open a screen in another browser window
You can open the screen in another tab on your browser by clicking the 'Open in new tab' button. This allows you to quickly access the space the screen is located in.
Similar to clicking the platform (player) icon in Screens Manager, you can click this icon as you view a screen's settings to open a more advanced information view of the screen and it's RDM tools.
Access a screen's information, settings and RDM tools
Click a screens platform or player icon to access it’s screen settings and remote device management (RDM) tools.
We have now laid the groundwork for effective screen management. In the next section, we'll explore the powerful tools at your disposal, including detailed instructions on using screen settings and RDM tools.
Screen RDM Tools
ScreenCloud’s remote device management (RDM) tools and device information for your screens empower you to remotely manage various hardware actions and monitor critical system parameters. The ability to conveniently control hardware functions such as clearing cache, restarting, rebooting, and capturing screenshots, can all be performed from within the ScreenCloud platform. In addition, our very own ScreenCloud OS provides you with further RDM tools and settings with expanded network capabilities.
Let's learn about leveraging ScreenCloud's remote hardware management feature to optimize your digital signage infrastructure and ensure uninterrupted performance.
Where to find your device information and RDM tools
Your device details will appear next to your screen on the right-hand side.
This immediate device info will reveal a few device action buttons, how long the device has been connected, its available memory, its Daily Restart time (if enabled), and its timezone, along with much more information.
General screen information and RDM tools
The list of screen details includes:
Platform icon: Includes the hardware model name, OS, screen resolution, ratio, and OS version.
Add note: Allows you to leave a note next to your screen that is visible to all users in the account. See here for more information
Screen Status: Displays the screen status, either Live, Offline or Deactivated
Last Updated: Timestamp for when the screen was last updated
Reload button: Reload the device information
Remote Device Management (RDM) buttons: See below for details on what actions the buttons perform and for which operating systems they are available
Connected Time: The total time the device has been connected or online. This time will be reset if the device is disconnected or rebooted
Memory: Displays the amount of available memory and how much of it is being used
Daily Restart: The time interval in which the device has been set to perform a daily reboot if enabled. In addition, this setting can only be set from the ScreenCloud player app, if available
Time Zone: The time zone set for the device. Not to be confused with the time zone set in the screen's settings in Studio
IP Address: The IP address for that specific device. An IP address is a series of numbers that identifies any device on a network
MAC Address: Displays the MAC address for that specific device. A Mac address is a hardware identifier that uniquely identifies a device to other devices on the same local network
Hostname: The unique identifier for the device so that it can be accessed within a network. The hostname can only be changed for a ScreenCloud OS device.
Screen ID: The unique identification code for your screen, which helps our technical team pinpoint your screen in cases where support or updates are needed
Player Version: The ScreenCloud player app version
Operating System: The Operating System of the device
Connected (or Disconnected) Since date: Provides the timestamp from when the device has been either online or offline
Created Since date: The timestamp for when the screen was paired
Created by: The user that paired the screen to the account
Included are RDM tools to maintain your screens.
Clear Cache
Clearing hardware cache is beneficial as it optimizes performance by freeing up space, ensuring access to fresh data, reducing the risk of errors, and enhancing energy efficiency.
Please note that, depending on the cache size, this may take a few minutes.
This action is available for all OSs
Restart Player
Restarting software can help clear temporary files and free up memory space, which can improve its performance and resolve certain glitches or issues.
This action is available for the following OSs: Android, Amazon’s Fire OS, Windows, macOS, and LG WebOS Signage.
Reboot Device
Rebooting hardware is beneficial as it clears temporary memory, resolves software glitches, prevents memory leaks, enhances system performance, and can even extend the longevity of your hardware
This action is available for the following OSes: ScreenCloud OS, ChromeOS, BrightSign, LG WebOS Signage, and Samsung Tizen.
Screenshot
With the Screenshot button, you can take a look at what is live and showing on your screen. Please note that this may take a few moments. For more information on this, please see here.
This action is NOT available for the following OSs: ChromeOS, iPadOS, and iOS.
Screen Email Notifications
This feature is available if you are on the Pro or Enterprise plan. The feature allows you to enable or disable email notifications for when your screen goes offline and online again. Please see here to learn all about this feature.
Advanced screen information and RDM tools
Where to find advanced RDM tools
To access the full settings of your screen and it’s more advanced RDM tools, you can click the device's platform icon.
You can also scroll down and click Show Complete Information button to access these settings.
And, for ScreenCloud OS devices specifically, the Open in RDM button will also display these advanced screen details and tools.
You can also access these advanced screen options for each screen from Screens Manager.
Keep in mind: The available screen information and RDM tools may vary depending on the hardware and the level of control our ScreenCloud app and service have over the device.
RDM tools for third party OSs
All operating systems other than ScreenCloud OS have limited screen RDM settings. This entails Android, Fire OS (Amazon), Windows, macOS, iOS (iPadOS), ChromeOS, Tizen (Samsung), webOS Signage (LG), and BrightSign.
Summary
Now playing (visible from Screens Manager)
Screenshot
RDM tools for ScreenCloud OS
ScreenCloud OS, which is a our custom OS, contains more capabilities than other OS’s that our ScreenCloud player app runs on. These different setting tabs include:
Let's go through them in detail below.
Summary
Contains general screen information as seen on the screen page, with additional details on:
RDM tools status: This icon is show with the screen status notification. It shows as green if connected and shows as red if not connectioned.
LOTA Channel: Default (production) or Canary OS version. For non ScreenCloud OS hardware, you will see Player version and OS version.
Screen Warning: Shown under the model name, if available. (Sample in image above)
Storage: The available storage in GB on your device
CPU Temperature: The temperature of the System-on-chip (SOC) that contains the GPU in the device
GPU Temperature: The temperature of the GPU in the device
Display Output: The output resolution and ratio for the device
Now playing
This is only visible when viewing RDM tools from Screens Manager.
Screenshot
Here you can take an immediate screenshot, which will show you what is on the live screen for that timestamp. Simply click New Screenshot to take more, and click Download to save the image captures. Please keep in mind that you must wait 10 seconds between each screenshot.
Health
The health section indicates whether or not the device is overloaded, among other details. If you're using your device in a high-stress situation (like a hot room or a lot of demanding content), you can keep tabs on how well it's operating.
Uptime: The total time the device has been connected or online. This time will be reset if the device is disconnected or rebooted.
Average Load Last Minute: How much CPU load percentage is being used out of 100% in the last minute.
Average Load Last 5 Minutes: How much CPU load percentage has been used out of 100% in the last five minutes.
Average Load Last 15 Minutes: How much CPU load percentage has been used out of 100% in the last fifteen minutes.
MemTotal: Total physical memory on the device.
MemFree: Total free memory left on the device.
MemAvailable: Total memory available on the device.
Buffers: Total buffer memory. Buffer memory is a region of memory used to temporarily store data while it is being moved from one place to another.
Cached: Total cached memory on the device. The cached memory stores your content so that future requests for that content can be served faster or if the network is disconnected.
Filesystem: Defines how much of the available file systems are in use.
Userdata Usage: The amount of storage space currently used by user files and data on the device.
SOC Thermal: The temperate of the System-on-chip (SOC) that contains the GPU in your device.
GPU Thermal: The temperature of the GPU in your device.
You can export the health data by selecting Export json.
Display Output
Adjust the display options for the device, according to what the display can provide and what the HDMI cable receives from the display. You will need to click the Change Settings to adjust the display output settings. This is only available for ScreenCloud OS version 3 and higher.
Resolution: Select the best screen resolution for your content. The options available come from what the display can provide.
Refresh Rate: Select the refresh rate for your screen. The options available come from what the display can provide.
Aspect Ratio: This can not be adjusted, and depends on the display. You should size your content or channel for this ratio to make the best fitting content.
Content scaling: Adjust between 4 scalings: Smaller text, More space, Recommended, and Larger text.
Network
Here you can view a full list of your network information, including any custom networking that you have configured for your device.
Network strength: Displayed with a colored WiFi icon. Green is Excellent, yellow is average and red is weak.
Change network: Select between Wireless Network or Ethernet Cable.
Within the wireless networks settings, you can select Basic WPA2 Personal, Enterprise (WPA2 Enterprise) or None (OPEN) authentication. Within Ethernet settings, you can apply TCP/IP, DNS, Proxy and NTP settings.
Authentication settings: When an advanced network is selected, this setting can be accessed.
IP Address: Indicates the IP address, or Internet Protocol address, of your ScreenCloud OS device. This is a series of numbers that uniquely identifies each device on a network, as well as the source and destination of the data. IP addresses can be either dynamic or static.
Mac Address: Displays the MAC address for that specific device. A Mac address is a hardware identifier that uniquely identifies a device to other devices on the same local network.
BSSID: The Basic Service Set Identifier (BSSID) is the MAC physical address of the access point or wireless router that is used to connect to the WiFi. This can help determine exactly which access point the device is connected to.
Ca Certificate: Where your Certificate Authority (CA) Certificate will appear, if added.
Client Certificate: Where you Client Certificate will appear, if added.
Device: The name of your network device as seen by the ScreenCloud OS device.
DNS: The domain name system (DNS) is a naming database in which internet domain names are located and translated into Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.
Domain: The local domain name of your device.
Duplex: Reveals how data is transmitted between the device and network: Full or half.
Mode: The type of network your device is using, either Ethernet LAN or wireless
NTP: Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a protocol that allows the synchronization of system clocks. This is beneficial if you want your devices to use the same time.
Proxy: A proxy server performs the function of a firewall or filter. It acts as an additional data security boundary, protecting users from malicious activity on the internet.
Routes: Indicates the network route on your network. The route is the selected path that a machine, or node, can take to connect to another node.
Security: The type of security on your connected network.
Signal: Indicates the signal strength of the network you are connected to.
Speed: Internet speed in Mbit/s
SSID: The name of the network that your ScreenCloud OS device is using
You can export the these network details of your device by selecting Export json.
Settings
Adjust the device’s following settings:
Timezone: Select the timezone for your screen so that your content displays relevant information for the viewer
Hostname: Change your the device's hostname.
OS Update: Select the current product version of the OS, Stable, or select Canary to run the pre-release version. Learn more here.
Daily Restart: Enable or Disable daily restart for the device, and select the restart time if enabled. This is a recommended setting for 24 hour digital signage.
Trusted Sites Certificate: Add a certificate to the device for your secure network. Once added, it's Expiry Date will be displayed.
Network Configuration with USB Provisioning
The USB provisioning tool, located in the Screens Manager, simplifies network configuration for ScreenCloud OS Station P1 and P1 Pro devices. By connecting a USB flash drive containing your network settings, the device automatically displays a pairing code, enabling quick setup, especially for large deployments.
You can learn more about this setup process here.