WiFi & network setup (on-device onboarding)

A screen can be put on the internet without a keyboard, monitor or SSH — straight from its own screen and your phone. This section covers the impressBox hardware players (Raspberry Pi and PC/x86 boxes) that support the built-in setup hotspot.

Who this is for. Installers and operators setting up an impressBox player on a new WiFi network, or moving one to a different network on site. It does not apply to Android / Samsung (Tizen) / LG (webOS) TV apps — those use the activation-code flow and the TV's own WiFi settings.

The simple version

  1. The player broadcasts its own temporary WiFi network called **ImpressBox-XXXX** (a "setup hotspot").

  2. The screen shows a QR code with the hotspot name and password.

  3. You scan it with your phone to join the hotspot; a setup page opens by itself.

  4. You pick the real WiFi network, type its password, and tap Connect.

  5. The player joins that network, the hotspot disappears, and the new network shows up in manage.

No cables, no login to the box, nothing typed on the screen.

When does the hotspot appear?

There are three ways it starts — see the linked pages for details:

  • Automatically, when the screen has no internet (a fresh box, or one that lost its network). This is the boot fallback.

  • You press the player's power button (a short press) — on devices that have one.

  • You send the **start_hotspot** command from manage — works on every player, and is the main way to trigger it on a device with no button (e.g. Raspberry Pi 4).

Device support at a glance

Player

Power-button start

Auto (offline)

start_hotspot from manage

Raspberry Pi 5

✅ short press

✅

✅

PC / generic x86

✅ front power button (short press)

✅

✅

Raspberry Pi 4

— (no usable button)

✅

✅

Android / Tizen / webOS TVs

not applicable — use the activation-code flow



The four topics

  1. The setup hotspot: how it works — what the hotspot is, its name/password, security, and how long it stays up.

  2. Start WiFi setup with the power button — by device — the short-press behaviour per player, and the 5-second-hold caveat.

  3. Set up WiFi from the on-screen setup portal — the page your phone opens: quick connect, hidden networks, and static IP.

  4. Network & IP addresses in manage — configuring WiFi, DHCP and fixed IPs from the dashboard, for one device or many.

Related: Device settings reference · All remote commands (reference) · Managing devices day-to-day