Why is my screen offline? A troubleshooting checklist

A screen shows as offline when its player hasn't checked in with Casty for a while. Most of the time the cause is at the venue, and it's usually the power, the TV's input, the internet or something that changed recently, like a new router. Work through those in order and restart the player last. If several screens in one venue dropped off at the same moment, start with the internet and the power, because that's the most likely cause.

First, check it really is offline

Click Displays in the menu, then Displays. An offline screen has a cross in the Logged In column, and its Last Accessed time is older than the others. With lots of screens, click Filters and set Logged In to No to list only the ones that aren't checking in.

Make a note of the Last Accessed time. It tells you when the problem started, and that's often half the answer. A time just after the cleaners arrived, or the afternoon the broadband went down for the whole street, points you straight at the cause.

If Logged In shows a tick but the screen isn't showing what you expect, you're looking at a different problem, usually an unpublished layout or an event with the wrong times. The new content isn't showing checklist covers that one.

Is it still playing?

Go and look, or ask whoever's on shift. Players keep a copy of their content, so a screen that's offline in the CMS often carries on playing what it already has. That buys you time. It won't pick up any changes until it's back, though, and anything that needs the internet, such as a web page or a live stream, won't show in the meantime. There's more on that in what happens when the internet drops.

A black screen, the TV's own menu or a "no signal" message tells you something too. Those point at the power or the TV, and the internet can wait.

The checklist, in order

1. The power

Is the screen on? If the player is a separate stick, box or PC, is it plugged in and switched on? A socket switched off at closing time, or a plug pulled out so someone could run the hoover, is an everyday cause and takes seconds to fix.

On a TV with a stick behind it, check where the stick gets its power. If it's plugged into a USB port on the TV, it goes off whenever the TV does, and some TVs don't supply enough power through USB to run a player properly anyway. Use the mains adapter that came with the stick.

Players start on their own when the power comes back, with no login needed. After switching something back on, give it a few minutes before you decide it hasn't worked.

2. The TV's input

If the screen shows the TV's own menu, a "no signal" message or a different source, someone has probably changed the input. In a pub that's often the sports box, switched over for a match and left there. Use the TV remote to switch back to the HDMI input the player is plugged into.

A TV on the wrong input can have a player behind it still checking in quite happily, but you'll want to fix it while you're standing there. If the TV is on the right input and still says "no signal", the player isn't sending a picture, so go back to step 1 and check its power.

3. The internet

Can a phone or laptop on the same network get online? Make sure your phone is on the venue's Wi-Fi when you test, and has mobile data switched off, or you'll be testing the wrong connection. If the internet is down, there's nothing to fix at the screen. It'll check in again once the connection is back.

4. Anything that changed recently

A new router, a changed Wi-Fi name or password, or moving the screen to a different spot can all stop a player connecting. Switching broadband provider often means a new router with a new Wi-Fi name, and the screens are the thing nobody remembers to reconnect. If something like that has changed, email us, as the player may need setting up again.

5. Restart the player

Switch the player off at the wall, wait ten seconds and switch it back on. For a display with the player built in, switch the display itself off and on. Then give it a few minutes.

Check it's back

Go back to Displays and click Refresh above the list. Once the player has checked in, Logged In shows a tick and Last Accessed shows the current time. To make sure it has your latest content, click the three dots on its row and click Collect Now, which asks it to check in and fetch anything new straight away. The help page for offline screens has the same checks with screenshots of each column.

When it keeps happening

One offline afternoon is bad luck. A screen that drops off every few days has a cause worth finding, and the reports under Reporting, then All Reports, help you find it.

Time Connected shows the share of time each screen was connected, with a bar for each day. Display Alerts lists every time a screen went offline and came back, with the start, the end and how long it lasted. Look for a pattern:

• The same time every day suggests something on a timer, or a person switching it off at closing.
• Lots of short drops through the day often mean a weak Wi-Fi signal. A cable fixes most of these, and Wi-Fi or wired explains your options.
• Drops only at busy times can mean the screens share a network with customer Wi-Fi that's struggling under the load.

The screen uptime reports page explains each report and its filters, and managing screens remotely covers the day-to-day checks that catch a dropped screen early.

When to email us

Email hello@casty.co.uk if the screen is still offline after these checks, or straight away if you can't get to the screen. Include:

• the venue, and the screen's name as it appears in Displays
• the Last Accessed time
• what the screen is showing now (a photo from your phone is ideal)
• anything that changed around that time, such as building work or a new router

Send it from the email address we have for you, so we know it's you. The phone photo matters here, because an offline player can't send a new screenshot, and a picture of the screen shows things the player can't see, like a "no signal" message from the TV. Getting help has the full list of what helps us sort things quickly.