Network requirements
The domains and ports to allow through a school or corporate firewall so Billboard can load content on your Apple TVs.
Last updated 5 July 2026
Billboard runs on a school or office network with almost no special setup, but if your network filters outbound traffic, a few domains need to be reachable. A blocked domain is the most common cause of a screen that connects but won't show content.
What the Apple TVs need
Everything is outbound HTTPS (TCP 443). The app makes no inbound connections, so nothing has to be opened to the Apple TV. Allow these on the network the Apple TVs run on:
| Domain | Why it's needed |
|---|---|
getbillboard.app | Fetches each gallery's manifest — its content list and display settings. |
*.getbillboard.app | Downloads your images and video, which are served from content.getbillboard.app. The wildcard also covers any future subdomains. |
Add both entries. A wildcard like
*.getbillboard.appmatches sub-domains only, not the baregetbillboard.app. Allow the apex domain and the wildcard, or the manifest won't load.
Billboard is HTTPS-only. If your network runs an SSL-inspecting proxy, make sure
getbillboard.appand*.getbillboard.appare trusted and passed through, not intercepted with a self-signed certificate — otherwise the Apple TV refuses the connection.
Also allow Apple's own services
So each Apple TV can install and update the app, keep time and run tvOS normally, allow Apple's standard domains too. Apple publishes the full list: Use Apple products on enterprise networks. In short, that's the App Store and *.apple.com (plus *.mzstatic.com for App Store content). If you deploy with an MDM, also allow your MDM's and Apple's device-management endpoints.
AirPlay on the local network
AirPlay is a local-network feature: a presenter's device reaches the Apple TV directly, not over the internet. For it to work, the presenter and the Apple TV must be able to see each other, with Bonjour / mDNS allowed and AirPlay's ports open between the client and TV networks. This matters most where guest and staff Wi-Fi are on separate VLANs. Apple lists the exact ports in Use Apple products on enterprise networks.
For the dashboard (admin browser)
If staff manage galleries from a locked-down network, their browser also needs:
| Domain | Why it's needed |
|---|---|
getbillboard.app, *.getbillboard.app | The dashboard, and media previews. |
*.supabase.co | Signing in and the account database. |
*.r2.cloudflarestorage.com | Uploading images and video (uploads go straight to storage). |
js.stripe.com, api.stripe.com, checkout.stripe.com | Billing and checkout. |
The Apple TVs never talk to Supabase, Stripe or the upload endpoint — those are only used by the dashboard in a browser.
Bandwidth and caching
- Manifests are small and cached at the edge for about a minute, so screens checking in create very little traffic.
- Images and video download once and then play from the device, so steady-state bandwidth is low. Large videos use more on first load — on big rollouts, stagger setup or keep clips reasonably sized.
Quick checks
- Screen connects but shows nothing, or a blank slideshow. The
content.getbillboard.appsub-domain is likely blocked (check your*.getbillboard.apprule), so media can't download. Allow it and reload. - Screen never leaves the welcome screen after entering a code.
getbillboard.appis unreachable, so the manifest can't load. Check the apex domain and any HTTPS inspection. - Works on guest Wi-Fi but not the main network. A filter or proxy on the main network is blocking one of the domains above.
More symptoms and fixes: Troubleshooting.