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Digital Signage Network Requirements

Connect Your Displays Reliably

Proper network configuration is essential for reliable digital signage. This guide covers bandwidth requirements, firewall ports, proxy settings, and enterprise network considerations to ensure your displays stay connected and content stays current.

Bandwidth Requirements​

Per-Player Bandwidth​

Content TypePeak BandwidthAverage Daily
Images only5 Mbps50-200 MB
Mixed (images + video)10-20 Mbps200-500 MB
Video-heavy (1080p)25-50 Mbps500 MB - 2 GB
4K video50-100 Mbps1-5 GB
Live streamingContinuous 5-25 MbpsN/A

Bandwidth Calculation​

Total Bandwidth = (Content Size × Update Frequency) / Time Window + Overhead

Example: 10 players, 500 MB daily update, 2-hour sync window
Per-player: 500 MB ÷ 7,200 sec = 0.55 Mbps average
Total: 0.55 Mbps × 10 players = 5.5 Mbps minimum
Add 50% overhead: 8.25 Mbps recommended

Content Sync Strategies​

StrategyBandwidth PatternBest For
Immediate syncBurst on updateFew players, small content
Scheduled syncOff-peak hoursLarge content, many players
Staggered syncSpread over timeEnterprise, bandwidth limits
Differential syncChanges onlyFrequent updates

Network Architecture​

Basic Deployment​

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      BASIC NETWORK SETUP                         │
│                                                                  │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │                    INTERNET                              │    │
│  └────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                           │                                      │
│                           ▼                                      │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │              ROUTER / FIREWALL                           │    │
│  │              Ports: 443 (HTTPS), 80 (HTTP)               │    │
│  └────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                           │                                      │
│                           ▼                                      │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │                    SWITCH                                │    │
│  └───────┬────────────┬────────────┬───────────────────────┘    │
│          │            │            │                             │
│          ▼            ▼            ▼                             │
│    ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐ ┌──────────┐                       │
│    │ Player 1 │ │ Player 2 │ │ Player 3 │                       │
│    │ Display  │ │ Display  │ │ Display  │                       │
│    └──────────┘ └──────────┘ └──────────┘                       │
│                                                                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Enterprise Deployment​

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    ENTERPRISE NETWORK                            │
│                                                                  │
│  ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────────────────────┐     │
│  │   INTERNET      │    │   SIGNAGE CLOUD                 │     │
│  │   Connection    │◄──►│   • CMS                         │     │
│  └────────┬────────┘    │   • Content CDN                 │     │
│           │             │   • API Services                │     │
│           ▼             └─────────────────────────────────┘     │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐    │
│  │              ENTERPRISE FIREWALL                         │    │
│  │   Outbound: 443, 80  │  DNS: 53  │  NTP: 123            │    │
│  └────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────┘    │
│                           │                                      │
│           ┌───────────────┼───────────────┐                      │
│           │               │               │                      │
│           ▼               ▼               ▼                      │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐              │
│  │   VLAN 10   │  │   VLAN 20   │  │   VLAN 30   │              │
│  │   Lobby     │  │   Offices   │  │   Signage   │              │
│  │   Displays  │  │   Displays  │  │   Dedicated │              │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘              │
│                                                                  │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Firewall Configuration​

Required Ports (Outbound)​

PortProtocolPurposeRequired
443TCPHTTPS (primary communication)Yes
80TCPHTTP (redirect to HTTPS)Recommended
53UDP/TCPDNS resolutionYes
123UDPNTP time syncRecommended

SignageStudio Cloud Endpoints​

EndpointPurposePort
*.signage.meMain application443
*.signagecdn.comContent delivery443
api.signage.meAPI services443
ws.signage.meWebSocket (real-time)443

Firewall Rule Example​

# Allow SignageStudio cloud access
ALLOW OUTBOUND TCP 443 TO *.signage.me
ALLOW OUTBOUND TCP 443 TO *.signagecdn.com
ALLOW OUTBOUND UDP 53 TO dns-servers
ALLOW OUTBOUND UDP 123 TO ntp-servers

Common Firewall Platforms​

PlatformConfiguration Location
pfSenseFirewall → Rules → LAN
Cisco ASAaccess-list configuration
FortinetPolicy & Objects → IPv4 Policy
Palo AltoPolicies → Security
Windows FirewallOutbound Rules
UFW (Linux)ufw allow out to any port 443

Proxy Configuration​

Supported Proxy Types​

TypeSignageStudio Support
HTTP ProxyFull support
HTTPS ProxyFull support
SOCKS5Limited (Windows only)
Transparent ProxyWorks automatically
Authenticated ProxySupported

Player Proxy Settings​

Windows Player:

Settings → Network → Proxy Configuration
- Proxy Host: proxy.company.com
- Proxy Port: 8080
- Username: (if required)
- Password: (if required)

Linux/Raspberry Pi:

# /etc/environment
HTTP_PROXY=http://proxy.company.com:8080
HTTPS_PROXY=http://proxy.company.com:8080
NO_PROXY=localhost,127.0.0.1

Proxy Bypass​

Content that should bypass proxy:

AddressReason
localhostLocal services
127.0.0.1Loopback
*.localLocal network
Internal IPsOn-premise servers

Network Security​

ApproachSecurity LevelComplexity
Shared networkLowNone
Separate VLANMediumLow
Dedicated networkHighMedium
Air-gapped (offline)HighestHigh

VLAN Configuration​

VLAN 100 - Digital Signage
  - IP Range: 10.100.1.0/24
  - Gateway: 10.100.1.1
  - DHCP: 10.100.1.100-200
  - Outbound: HTTPS only
  - Inbound: None (or management only)

Security Recommendations​

RecommendationImplementation
Isolate playersDedicated VLAN
Outbound onlyBlock inbound connections
Limit destinationsWhitelist cloud endpoints
Use HTTPSAll communication encrypted
Disable unused portsPhysical port security
Monitor trafficAlert on anomalies

DNS Requirements​

Required DNS Resolution​

HostnamePurpose
*.signage.meCloud services
*.signagecdn.comContent CDN
time.google.comNTP (or equivalent)
8.8.8.8 / 1.1.1.1Public DNS (fallback)

Internal DNS​

If using internal DNS, ensure:

  • External domains resolve correctly
  • No split-horizon issues with cloud services
  • DNS caching configured appropriately

DNS Troubleshooting​

# Test DNS resolution
nslookup signage.me
nslookup cdn.signagecdn.com

# Test with specific DNS server
nslookup signage.me 8.8.8.8

Quality of Service (QoS)​

Traffic Classification​

Traffic TypePriorityDSCP Marking
Content syncNormalCS0 (Best Effort)
Real-time commandsHighCS3 / AF31
Live streamingHighestEF
Reporting/telemetryLowCS1

Bandwidth Allocation​

Total Signage Bandwidth: 50 Mbps

Priority Queue (25%): 12.5 Mbps
- Live streaming
- Real-time updates

Standard Queue (60%): 30 Mbps
- Content downloads
- Standard sync

Background Queue (15%): 7.5 Mbps
- Telemetry
- Reporting
- Logs

Offline Operation​

Local Caching​

SignageStudio players cache content locally:

PlayerCache LocationTypical Size
WindowsC:\ProgramData\SignageStudio5-50 GB
Android/data/data/com.signage2-16 GB
Raspberry Pi/home/pi/.signage2-32 GB
Linux/var/signage5-50 GB

Offline Duration​

ScenarioPlayer Behavior
Brief outage (minutes)Continues normally from cache
Extended outage (hours)Plays cached content
Long outage (days)Expires based on schedule
Permanent offlineRequires offline configuration

Offline Content Strategy​

StrategyConfiguration
Cache everythingAll scheduled content downloaded
Essential onlyOnly default/fallback content
Time-basedContent for next X days
Size-limitedMost recent until limit

Troubleshooting​

Connectivity Tests​

# Test basic connectivity
ping signage.me

# Test HTTPS connection
curl -I https://api.signage.me/health

# Test WebSocket
wscat -c wss://ws.signage.me

# Check firewall (from player)
nc -zv signage.me 443

# Trace route
traceroute signage.me

Common Issues​

IssueCauseSolution
Can't connectFirewall blockingAdd port 443 rule
Slow downloadsBandwidth limitedSchedule off-peak sync
IntermittentWiFi interferenceUse wired Ethernet
Proxy errorsAuth requiredConfigure proxy credentials
Certificate errorsSSL inspectionAdd exception or bypass

Frequently Asked Questions​

Next Steps​

Network requirements current as of February 2026. Check with your IT team for specific enterprise requirements.

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