Wi-Fi and network requirements
Which networks a FlightWall can join, which it cannot, and what to use instead.
Check your network against this page before you set a display up. Most setup failures come from the network rather than the hardware.
What the display needs
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Band | 2.4 GHz only. The display has no 5 GHz radio and cannot see 5 GHz networks. |
| Security | WPA2, or an open network with no password. |
| Sign-in | None. The display cannot complete a browser sign-in page. |
| Connection | Wi-Fi only. There is no Ethernet port. |
WPA3 is not supported.
Networks that work
A normal home network. Most routers broadcast one name across both bands and move devices to the right one, so you rarely need a separate 2.4 GHz network. If your router splits the bands into two names, pick the 2.4 GHz one.
A guest network. A password-only guest network avoids most router security features and is the reliable fallback when a main network refuses the display.
An open network. The display can join a network with no password.
A phone hotspot. Useful for testing, and for letting a display download a software update before you move it back to your main network.
Networks that do not work
Captive portals. Hotel, cafe, campus, and many office networks show a web page where you accept terms or sign in. The display has no browser and cannot get past that page. Nothing in the app works around it.
5 GHz-only networks. Ask your provider to enable a 2.4 GHz network.
WPA3-only networks. Set the router to WPA2, or WPA2/WPA3 mixed mode.
Enterprise logins. Networks that need a user name, certificate, or directory account are out of reach.
Managed and workplace networks
If you want a display on a network you do not control, ask the network administrator for one of these:
- A separate password-only network for devices, often called an IoT network.
- An allowance for the display's MAC address. Find it in the app under System, in Device Information. See System and device information.
For a campus network such as eduroam, contact support with the network details before you buy or install.
Router settings that block the display
After joining Wi-Fi, the display checks that it can reach the internet by
contacting cdn.theflightwall.com. Some routers allow the Wi-Fi connection but
block that check, which leaves the display stuck at Network check failed.
Three settings cause most of these:
- DNS filtering or local DNS caching. Turn local DNS caching off, or set
the router to a public resolver such as
8.8.8.8and8.8.4.4, or1.1.1.1and1.0.0.1. - Security suites and parental controls. Allow
theflightwall.com,cdn.theflightwall.com, andapi.theflightwall.com, and check that the display is not paused or blocked as a device. - Device isolation. Some routers stop devices on the same network from
talking to each other. That does not affect the moment your phone is joined
to the display's own
Flightwall-network. It does block the phone from reaching the display once both are on your Wi-Fi, including the check at the end of setup.
Mesh systems are the most common source of these problems. Step-by-step recovery is in Setup and Wi-Fi problems.
After setup
Your phone does not have to stay on the same network as the display. Once the display is on Wi-Fi you can change its settings from any network or over cellular.
The one exception is the System page. Wi-Fi changes, factory reset, and airport search need your phone connected directly to the display, and the app prompts you when that is the case.
You cannot save a configuration while your phone is joined to the display's own
Flightwall- network. Rejoin your normal network first.
Changing networks later
There is no way to erase the Wi-Fi credentials stored on a display. Power cycling does not clear them, and removing the display from the app does not either.
To move a display to a different network, use Change Wi-Fi Network on the System page while the display is still in the app. If it is no longer in the app, put it through setup again by scanning the QR code on the panel.