Add a self-hosted screen
Point a TRMNL device or a Seeed reTerminal at Lobby's own EU server instead of the TRMNL cloud, and claim it with the code it shows.
Before you start
- Your organisation is on Pro for Rooms, or Complete Pro.
- A TRMNL device or a Seeed reTerminal E1001 on 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. A reTerminal needs flashing with TRMNL firmware once before its first setup (step 1).
- 1
Flash a reTerminal (first time only)
Skip this step on a TRMNL device. Connect the reTerminal to your computer with a USB cable and open trmnl.com/flash in your browser. Choose firmware version 1.8.0, not 1.8.10, and run the flashing process. When it has finished, carry on with the Wi-Fi setup in the next step.
- 2
Start in Lobby
Go to Screens, click Add a screen and choose Self-hosted screen.
Choose the kind of screen to add. - 3
Point the device at Lobby
In the device's Wi-Fi setup, enter https://byos.usethelobby.com in the Custom Server field. Include https:// at the start.
Point the device at Lobby's server, then claim it with the code it shows. - 4
Read the code on the device
The device shows Setup required with a Screen ID, starting with 'lobby-', and a 6-character claim code.
- 5
Claim the screen
In Lobby, enter the Screen ID and Claim code and click Claim screen.
Point the device at Lobby's server, then claim it with the code it shows. - 6
Save battery with active hours
Lobby asks 'Screen claimed. Save its battery?'. Click Turn on active hours to poll only on weekdays from 08:30 to 17:00, or click Skip to let the screen poll around the clock. You can change this later.
- 7
Attach it to a room or board
Attach the screen to a room or a board and activate it, just like any other screen.
A self-hosted screen's details.
What happens next
Lobby renders the screen on its own EU servers, so meeting data doesn't pass through the TRMNL cloud. If something goes wrong on Lobby's side, the screen keeps showing correct cached images for up to about 24 hours.
Tips
- On a reTerminal, leave 'Firmware Early Release' and 'OTA Updates' off.
- Moving a screen from the TRMNL cloud? Point it at the custom server, claim it as a new self-hosted screen and attach it to the room. Then remove the old TRMNL entry: uninstall the Lobby plugin in the TRMNL app and Lobby removes it by itself. If you can't get into that TRMNL account any more, open the old screen in Lobby and click Force-remove from Lobby in its Delete TRMNL screen box. That only removes it from Lobby, not from TRMNL.
- The screen's page shows a Self-hosted screen card with its Screen ID, firmware, battery, Wi-Fi strength and when it was last seen.
If something goes wrong
'No self-hosted screen found with that ID.'
Check the Screen ID on the device, and that it's showing Setup required after connecting to Lobby's server.
'That claim code is not correct.'
Re-type the 6-character code exactly as the device shows it.
'That screen is already linked to an organisation.'
The screen is claimed elsewhere. Delete it there first, or contact support.
The device says 'WiFi connected, but API connection cannot be established'.
The Custom Server address is usually missing https://. Correct it in the device's Wi-Fi setup. A device that was on the TRMNL cloud before can also show this once; it sorts itself out on its next wake.
Related guides
Still stuck?
Open Support at the bottom of the dashboard sidebar and send us a ticket. We reply by email, in the same thread.
Prefer email?
Write to support@usethelobby.com and include your organisation's domain.