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Screen Showing “Offline”: How to Troubleshoot Connectivity Issues
Screen Showing “Offline”: How to Troubleshoot Connectivity Issues

This article will go through how to troubleshoot if you see your screen showing "Offline" in your ScreenCloud Studio account.

Updated over a month ago

How to tell if your ScreenCloud screen is not connected

To tell if your ScreenCloud device is playing content, log in at https://studio.screencloud.com/ and select “Screens” from the left-hand menu. Next to each individual screen in your account, there's a small indicator that will be green or grey.

Here are the two modes to look out for and what they mean:

Green indicator displaying "Live": your screens are connected and playing content, successfully connected to ScreenCloud's server.

Screen_Shot_2019-09-17_at_10.55.01_PM.png

Grey indicator displaying "Offline": either your screens are showing cached content in offline mode (supported by most devices) or they are not connected to ScreenCloud's server.

Screen_Shot_2019-09-17_at_11.06.44_PM.png


Why is my screen "Offline"?

It is common that once in a while you could have a device that appears as "Offline" in your ScreenCloud account. There are multiple reasons that this can commonly happen, including:

  • Poor/unstable internet connection

  • Device disconnecting from the internet

  • Distance your device is from the wireless router or internet access point

  • Device staying on for an extended period of time with no reboots

  • Device un-paired from your ScreenCloud account, showing a pairing code on the TV screen

Why is my screen still showing content even though it is "Offline"?

One of ScreenCloud's features is that it can cache/store offline media on the device you're using to run the ScreenCloud digital signage app. For example, if you're running the ScreenCloud app on an Amazon Fire TV Stick and it disconnects from the internet or your location has a network outage - the device will continue to run content from ScreenCloud to avoid disrupted service. Please note, that the app will only play certain apps that can cache and only local content you've uploaded into the Media Library (i.e. images, videos, and graphics).

To learn more about offline play, please see Offline Support: Playing Without an Internet Connection Using ScreenCloud.

How to get your screen back online if it shows as “Offline” in Studio

To get your screen connected again, try the below steps in order until the issue is resolved.

1. Turn everything off and on again

Try rebooting your Smart TV, or TV screen and media device as some devices are known to drop connections after a long time.

You might even want to perform a power cycle by completely unplugging the device for up to 5 or 10 minutes.

Why does this help? If a device is experiencing problems, one of the first things an IT firm will perform is a power cycle. Power cycling a device clears out the internal memory and puts it back into a ready state without losing any internal configuration.


2. Enable daily reboot

If the reboot suggested above resolves your issue, you can enable a daily reboot at a time of day that does not disturb your viewers. This is only available for some digital signage devices we support. Just below are the steps for Amazon and Android:

  1. Open the ScreenCloud player's “Settings” panel - Use your mouse or remote to click the ScreenCloud player, which will reveal the Settings panel on the right. If Touch is enabled, click the settings icon on the top right corner and slide to reveal the settings panel.

  2. Scroll down until you see “Daily Reboot”

  3. Toggle the “Daily Reboot” feature on

  4. Select the time of day for the ScreenCloud player to automatically restart

Why does this help?
While devices have been tested to run for extended periods of time for digital signage, any media or technology device running for an extended period without being rebooted will commonly run into normal issues. This includes but is not limited to, disconnecting from WiFi, playback issues for media, automatically restarting or rebooting, and lagging while transitioning through content. Devices have processors and drivers that will need to be restarted on occasion, including the need for apps to be restarted, such as ScreenCloud, every once in a while.

3. Check WiFi and network

Network issues generally can be tricky to diagnose, but we can help guide you with how to troubleshoot this with our team further. If you notice a specific device that is experiencing a constant drop in connection or is displayed as "Offline" on the site, but other devices connected to the same network are working okay then we can attempt to troubleshoot further by looking into the following:

  • Testing the type of content specific to the problematic device: Does the device seem to crash or lose network connection when a specific app or service is scheduled to play on your screens, or does it happen all of the time? If it happens all of the time, it may be worth double-checking the connectivity status of the device and troubleshooting its connectivity to your network. For example, if you observe that the screen stays connected when you connect it to your mobile hotspot or different network, this means there is an issue with its current network.

  • Is the device isolated in a location that is separate from the router: Distance can also be the case of intermittent internet issues with a device if it's having an issue connecting to the router or source connection. For example, if the device is built-in behind a wall, or it's used in a separate office compared to other devices in a closer range. We advise in this case to try bringing the device closer (if available) or to look into additional technology to help supplement the connection, such as using WiFi or network adaptors and extenders to help maintain the connection.

  • Check the Ethernet or hard-wired network connections: The culprit of your connection issues can be the cable you're using for an Ethernet connection. We recommend trying to use an alternative cable to see if any issues persist. You can also refer here to review ScreenCloud's guide on using WiFi, Ethernet Connections, or Mobile Hotspots for Digital Signage.

  • Are all devices having intermittent or network issues: if other devices are also experiencing similar "Offline" or connectivity issues, regardless of running the same or different content, we recommend connecting with your office IT or administrator to help troubleshoot the network further.

If the network is identified as not being the root cause of the issue, please reach out to [email protected] so we can assist further.

4. Clear the cache of the ScreenCloud player

If your screen is offline, you won’t be able to perform a clear cache in Studio. This means you’ll need to manually perform the action from the player’s end.

You can find the clear cache option for the ScreenCloud player in its settings panel. To access this, please:

  1. Open the ScreenCloud player “Settings” panel - Use your mouse or remote to click the ScreenCloud player, which will reveal the Settings panel on the right. If Touch is enabled, click the settings icon on the top right corner and slide to reveal the settings panel.

  2. Scroll down until you see “Clear Cache”

  3. Select the “Clear Cache” button to run the command

If you are working with an Amazon device, we even advise that you clear the cache within the device's OS settings. You can find an option to do this under Settings > Applications > Manage Installed Applications > ScreenCloud.

If you don’t see the Clear Cache option for the player on your device, please see How to Clear the Cache for the ScreenCloud Player App on My Device to learn other ways of performing the command.

Please note: If you choose an option to Clear Data instead of Clear Cache, this will remove your screen pairing. If this is done, please refer to step 6 below.

5. Update the ScreenCloud player and your device

It’s always good to ensure your firmware and software are updated to the latest available version, even when experiencing connectivity issues.

i) Update the ScreenCloud player app

To check the latest version of the ScreenCloud player app, please see our changelogs here at ScreenCloud Player Software Changelogs.

The ScreenCloud player is usually updated automatically by OTA updates. However, if you notice that the app is not updated to the latest version, you can manually update it by running its installation file (found on the ScreenCloud download page) or updating the app from the app store for your device.

ii) Update the OS of your device

Usually, a device automatically receives updates, but you can also always check for this by finding the check for updates option within your device’s OS settings. Most often you can find this option under the device’s About settings. If not, please search for and review the instructions provided by the manufacturer's pages.

iii) Update ScreenCloud OS

If your ScreenCloud OS device is not receiving automatic updates and you see that it is below the latest version provided in ScreenCloud OS Changelogs, you can perform a manual update with the two below methods:


6. Unpair and then re-pair your screen

Please note: This step will remove your screen pairing. Please memorize your screen's settings and which content is applied to it, so that you can set the same content when you pair the screen as new.

Unpair: There are two ways to delete or unpair a screen.

a) Unpair your screen in Studio by logging into https://studio.screencloud.com/screens, clicking on the three horizontal dots for the drop-down menu, and selecting "Delete screen". You'll be prompted with an additional window that will ask you to confirm this.

Screen_Shot_2019-09-17_at_10.45.11_PM.png

b) Alternatively, you can also delete your screen by selecting the “Reset Pairing” option in the ScreenCloud player’s settings panel.

Please note: When removing the screen connection and pairing from the ScreenCloud player’s end, please also remove the screen within Studio, in case it isn’t removed automatically. This is to avoid being charged for an additional license.

Reset Pairing.png

Re-pair: Reboot your device and ScreenCloud on your TV screen. When the pairing code is shown, go back to your Studio account and Screens page, and click Add Screen to enter your 6-digit pairing code and the screen name. Set up your screen as it was before.

Not familiar with pairing screens to your account? Please see How Do I Add (Set Up) or Delete a Screen in ScreenCloud? to learn how to do this.

7. Uninstall and re-install the ScreenCloud player

Removing the ScreenCloud player app can help resolve issues, as it clears the existing data and settings. A fresh install might put things back in order and get things running correctly again.

Please note: This step will remove your screen pairing. Please memorize your screen's settings and which content is applied to it, so that you can set the same content when you pair the screen as new. Make sure to delete the screen in Studio > Screens if you notice that it is still there, as it is still using a screen license.

If you are not familiar with the method of uninstalling apps and software, please see the instructions and links below for the more common devices used with ScreenCloud.

How to uninstall an app on Fire OS (Amazon)

  1. Go to Settings on your Fire TV device.

  2. Select Applications.

  3. Select Manage Installed Applications.

  4. Select the app you want to uninstall, and then Uninstall.

  5. Follow the on-screen instructions.

How to uninstall apps on Android:

  1. Open Settings on your device.

  2. Tap on Apps.

  3. Select See all apps.

  4. Find the app you want to remove and select it.

  5. Tap Uninstall.

  6. Hit OK.

How to uninstall apps on Microsoft

How to uninstall apps on macOS

(Click here for a link to Apple support)

How to uninstall apps on LG webOS Signage
(Click here to see the steps)


How to uninstall apps on Samsung Tizen
(Click here to see the steps)

How to uninstall apps on ChromeOS
(Click here to see the steps)

Once the old data for the ScreenCloud player is cleared, please re-install the app from our download page, or by using the app store on your device, and continue with the set-up process of pairing a screen to your account and applying your content and settings.

8. Reset your device - Last resort

This is the final step that you can try if none of the steps above help resolve your “offline” screen issue. Please review support material from each manufacturer and provider of your device.

Below are factory reset instructions for the most popular devices.

Once performed, you can then install the ScreenCloud player and pair your screen as you had it set up before.

If you can't find the hardware factory reset instructions linked above, please review support guides from the manufacturer or contact their team directly.

Please note: In case you still see the old screen in your Studio account, make sure to delete it before creating the new pairing. This is to avoid possibly being charged for an additional license.

9. Replace your hardware - Only if the last resort fails

If you are still experiencing issues with connectivity even after all the steps above, it may be time to retire the device and replace it with a newer version or model.


References
https://www.amazon.com
https://support.google.com
https://support.microsoft.com
https://support.apple.com

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