An Amazon Signage Stick that keeps disconnecting usually has a weak Wi-Fi signal behind the TV, sits on a guest network that logs devices out, or has an Ethernet adapter powered from the TV's USB port. Restart the stick and the router first. If the drops come back, move to a stronger network position or go wired with the adapter powered from the wall.
A drop does not always blank the screen. Most signage apps keep playing saved content, so the first sign is often content that stops updating, or a screen your CMS lists as offline while it still plays.
Why the stick keeps losing its connection
- Weak signal behind the TV. The stick hangs behind a metal TV back, often in a metal bracket, sometimes behind a wall or a fridge. Each of these weakens Wi-Fi. A signal that is fine for a phone at the counter can be marginal for the stick.
- Guest or public Wi-Fi. A network with a sign-in page, or one that only lets a device stay connected for a set time, drops the stick or shows its terms page again. Amazon's fix: use a private network, or ask the network owner to exempt the stick.
- Ethernet adapter powered from the TV. Amazon names this as the cause of sticks that drop at random or get stuck "obtaining IP address". A TV's USB port has limited power output.
- Stick powered from the TV. The same limit applies to the stick itself. Use the adapter from the box in a wall outlet.
- Router trouble. An old router, a full address pool, or a router that has run for months without a restart.
- Network settings the stick does not support. Amazon's FAQ lists Enhanced Open, WEP, WPA/WPA2-Personal and WPA3-Personal, and says WPA-Enterprise is not supported. Amazon's mobile app and Remote Management API accept some password-based enterprise networks. A network that needs a certificate is a job for Ethernet. A hidden network name is also harder: during setup the stick lists only networks that broadcast their name.
How to fix it
Wait a minute after each step before you judge it.
- Restart the stick. Unplug its power for one minute, then plug it back in.
- Restart the router and modem. Unplug both for one minute. Plug in the modem first, wait until it is online, then the router.
- Check the power. The stick and any Ethernet adapter both run from the adapter that came with the stick, plugged into a wall outlet or a powered strip. Not from a TV USB port.
- Improve the signal. Move the router or add an access point near the screens, and keep metal between the two to a minimum. Amazon suggests a Wi-Fi 6E router, with one network name for the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands so the stick picks the best band itself.
- Leave the guest network. Put the stick on a private network with a normal password. If IT must allow it by hardware address, the stick's Wi-Fi MAC address is in Settings > About Device.
- Rejoin the network. Select the network again in Settings > Network & Internet > Wi-Fi and re-enter the password. This clears a changed password or router setting.
- Go wired. With an Ethernet adapter, signal strength and interference stop mattering. Power it from the wall, never from the TV.
If one store's screens drop and the others do not, the fault is that store's network. Fix the router or the signal there before you replace any stick.
Firewalls: the stick must reach Amazon's own services, including api.signage.amazon.com and device.signage.amazon.com (Amazon's FAQ has the full list), plus your CMS's servers. A firewall that blocks them looks like a stick that connects and then drops.
Where Brix fits
Brix is built to answer "is it the stick or the network?" without a site visit. On a Signage Stick, the screen's panel shows:
- Outage history for 30 days, with a cause on each drop when the player recorded one: Wi-Fi dropped, Weak Wi-Fi, No internet, Cable dropped, Power cut or Brix unreachable. Drops the player could not classify read Connection dropped. Scheduled off-hours are marked Off (scheduled) and never counted.
- The network the stick is on: Wi-Fi or Ethernet, the network name, signal, link speed, and a Test connection speed button that measures the real speed from the stick.
- A Wi-Fi drops often alert. It opens in the CMS when a screen has 10 network drops in 7 days, with no setup. Add an alert rule if you want an email too. See alerts and emergencies.
- Change Wi-Fi and a backup network. Send a new network to the stick from the CMS, or save a backup network it joins by itself after several days without Brix. See change Wi-Fi remotely.
While a stick is offline, it keeps playing the content it saved. See offline playback.
Brix cannot fix the network itself. If a site's Wi-Fi is weak everywhere, the answer is an access point or a cable, whatever software runs the screen.
FAQ
Does the Amazon Signage Stick work over Ethernet?
Yes, with Amazon's micro-USB Ethernet Adapter ($14.99): the stick has no Ethernet port. Power the adapter from the stick's own power supply or a wall outlet. Powered from the TV, it causes the random drops this page is about.
Why does the stick show a Wi-Fi terms page again?
It is on a public or guest network that expires connections. Move it to a private network, or ask the network owner to exempt it.
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