If your organization uses a dashboard or website hosted within a private or internal network, you may need to use a local link with a self-signed certificate to display that content on your ScreenCloud OS device.
This guide will walk you through what local links and self-signed certificates are, how they apply to digital signage, and how to set them up correctly with ScreenCloud OS.
What Is a local link?
A local link refers to a secure web address that points to a resource hosted within a local network, such as a home or office environment. Unlike public websites, these links are accessible only to devices on the same network and use the HTTPS protocol to encrypt the connection, ensuring data security even in internal systems. Local links are commonly used for accessing administrative interfaces, internal dashboards, or development environments. To function correctly, the local server must have an SSL/TLS certificate installed, often self-signed for internal use.
Examples of a local link:
https://192.168.0.10/config
https://my-local-server.local/admin
What Is a self-signed certificate?
A self-signed certificate is a security certificate that your organization creates and signs itself, rather than one issued by a trusted certificate authority. These certificates can still encrypt data but are not recognized as trusted by default in most browsers or devices, which can result in warnings or blocked content.
ScreenCloud OS requires HTTPS for loading secure content. If you are hosting your local dashboard using HTTPS with a self-signed certificate, you will need to configure your device to trust that certificate.
Important considerations for ScreenCloud OS
HTTP links are not supported on ScreenCloud OS devices for security reasons. You must use HTTPS.
If the self-signed certificate is not properly installed and trusted on the device, the content may fail to load or show a certificate warning. Please connect with your IT or network admin team and recreate the certificate in such cases.
If your organization does not allow public access to certain content but can permit access by IP, your IT team will need to whitelist ScreenCloud's IP addresses for using ScreenCloud OS.
Step 1: Configure your local link and certificate
Please refer to the following documentation for assistance on configuring a self-signed certificate.
How can I generate a self-signed SSL certificate using OpenSSL? - Stack Overflow
Here is an overview of the steps to go through:
Create your local content
Host the webpage or dashboard you want to show within your internal network.
Generate the required keys and certificates:
Root Certificate Key
Root Certificate (signed using the Root Key)
Certificate Key (for the content site)
Certificate (signed using the Root Certificate)
Apply the certificate and key to your hosted site to enable HTTPS.
When accessed in a browser, you may see a warning that the connection is not private. This is expected with self-signed certificates.
Import your Root CA certificate into your browser or device so it trusts the self-signed site.
Step 2: Provision your ScreenCloud OS device
Follow the instructions in our USB Provisioning Guide to prepare your USB flash drive.
Use the ScreenCloud OS Configuration Generator or access it via Studio at studio.screencloud.com/usb-provisioning while logged in.
In the Advanced tab of the configuration tool, import your Root Certificate file.
When you're ready, click Generate Configuration to download the configuration file.
Save the file to the root directory of your USB flash drive. The file must be named exactly
scosprov.json. Remove any extra characters like(1)if present.Insert the USB flash drive into your ScreenCloud OS device and power it on. The provisioning process will begin automatically.
This process will apply your network settings, import the trusted certificate, and install the latest ScreenCloud OS version if an update is available.
Step 3: Display the local link
Once provisioning is complete and your device is paired in ScreenCloud Studio, go to the Links app in Studio.
Enter your HTTPS link exactly as configured.
Add this content to a playlist or channel and assign it to your ScreenCloud OS screen.
Your local content should now appear on screen.
Step 4: Updating the certificate later
You can update a certificate at any time by opening the Screen RDM tools for the device and navigating to Settings > Trusted Sites Certificate.
Troubleshooting
If your link still does not display correctly after following these steps:
Confirm the device is on the correct internal network
Ensure the link uses HTTPS and that the certificate is valid and trusted
Check with your IT or network team to verify firewall or proxy settings
Ensure there is no additional authentication (login screens, session tokens, etc.) required to access the link
If needed, our Support team is happy to help guide you through identifying what may be blocking the connection. Please note that we are unable to configure your internal network directly.
References