Why is the player clock not working?

By default, BrightAuthor configures networked BrightSign players to synchronize their internal clocks with the BrightSign time server (http://time.brightsignnetwork.com). During the setup phase, players can also be configured to connect to any HTTP server to retrieve the time. This synchronization process is carried out using the HTTP Time Protocol (HTP).

Problems with this system can occur if a home or small office router is being used as a switch and DHCP server, and not to provide Internet connectivity. Routers that are configured in this manner will likely have incorrect time settings because they cannot determine the correct time without an Internet connection. Note that routers built for enterprise operations will likely not be affected by this issue.

When routers do not have upstream connectivity, they will often provide an error, configuration, or diagnostics page to any device that makes an HTTP request . A BrightSign player attempting to retrieve the time from the remote server will instead retrieve the time from the router redirect page, which will have the incorrect time. This can cause a number of problems with schedules, events, and clock/date displays. Even more severe problems can occur if the router causes time to move backward on the internal clock of a player.

If you cannot change the switch/DHCP configuration of the local network, we recommend disabling time server requests using the player configuration process in BrightAuthor:

1. Navigate to Tools > Setup BrightSign Unit.
2. Locate the Time server field under Network Properties.
3. Remove the URL entered in the Time server field so that it is blank.
4. Specify other player settings in the BrightSign Unit Setup window as desired.
5. Click Create Setup Files to publish the files to an SD card. You can then setup the player using the card.

The issue described above may also occur with some router models when they lose Internet connectivity, even if they are being used in a standard way and not as a network switch. You can prevent this issue by configuring the player to make NTP or HTTPS requests.