Set active hours and refresh on a self-hosted screen

Let a self-hosted screen sleep at night and at weekends, choose how often it checks for changes, and see how Smart Updates works.

Plan: ProWho can do it: Admins6 steps

Before you start

A self-hosted screen. Active hours aren't available for TRMNL-cloud or virtual screens.

1
Open the screen
Go to Screens and click Configure on the self-hosted screen. Find Refresh rate.
Refresh rate, Smart Updates and active hours for a self-hosted screen.
2
Turn on active hours
Tick Only poll during active hours, or click Use weekday defaults for Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 17:00.
Refresh rate, Smart Updates and active hours for a self-hosted screen.
3
Choose days and times
Pick the days and the start and end times. Times are in your organisation's timezone.
Refresh rate, Smart Updates and active hours for a self-hosted screen.
4
Optional: add an off-hours message
Type an Off-hours message (optional), such as 'Please remove before cleaning'. It can be up to 200 characters.
5
Save
Click Save settings.
6
Let Smart Updates do the rest
On Pro there's nothing to switch on. Under Refresh rate you'll see 'Smart Updates is active': a self-hosted screen showing a single room wakes right when its design is due to change, when a meeting starts, ends or is less than 30 minutes away. The refresh rate then only decides how quickly brand-new bookings are noticed, so a longer interval saves battery without the screen being slow at meeting times.
Refresh rate, Smart Updates and active hours for a self-hosted screen.

What happens next

Outside active hours, the screen shows your off-hours message if you set one, or keeps showing its last state. It wakes again when the window opens.

Most screens last up to 3 to 4 times longer on battery when they only poll during active hours.
Refresh rate sets how often the screen checks for changes while it's awake: 5 minutes (the default), 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes or 1 hour. The panel only redraws when the room's status changes.
A change saved while the screen sleeps can take effect when it next wakes, which may be a few hours later.
The Overview page tells you how many self-hosted screens poll around the clock, with a Set active hours → link.
Smart Updates works within active hours. It doesn't apply to board screens or TRMNL-cloud screens.

Open Support at the bottom of the dashboard sidebar and send us a ticket. We reply by email, in the same thread.

Write to support@usethelobby.com and include your organisation's domain.