What is RoomStream?
RoomStream is embed signage's web-based digital signage player designed specifically for meeting room displays. It allows you to stream digital signage content on your meeting room screens when they're not in use for meetings.
Primary use cases:
Microsoft Teams Rooms: Display signage on your Teams Rooms displays between meetings
Zoom Rooms: Show content on Zoom Rooms screens between meetings
Ideal for: Meeting Rooms, Conference Rooms, Huddle Spaces and Pods
RoomStream streams content in real-time over the internet, ensuring your meeting room displays always show the latest content. This requires a stable internet connection at all times.
💡 Key concept
RoomStream differs to the embed signage traditional signage model. With RoomStream, an account receives a single RoomStream License which has an allocation of xN connections. The connections value can be increased / decreased as required via subscription.
Creating a RoomStream Device
1. Navigate to Devices
Go to the Devices page in your embed signage CMS at cms.embedsignage.com/admin/devices
2: Open the create menu
Click the dropdown arrow next to the "Register Device" button to reveal additional options.
3: Select 'Create RoomStream'
Click "Create RoomStream" from the dropdown menu.
4: Name the RoomStream
Enter a descriptive name for your RoomStream device (e.g., "Office Location XYZ" or "Boardroom Screen").
5: Create
Click Create.
Your RoomStream device is now ready and a unique URL has been generated.
Getting the RoomStream URL
Once a RoomStream has been created, a unique secure URL will be automatically generated.
Go to the Devices overview page
Locate your RoomStream device in the list
Click the "Copy URL" button
The URL is now copied to your clipboard and ready to use.
Security Note: Keep your RoomStream URL private. Anyone with access to this URL can view the content.
Managing Connections
Each RoomStream URL can be displayed on multiple screens at the same time. The number of simultaneous connections allowed is controlled by:
The RoomStream License subscription total (connections), and
The number of connections allocated to the specific RoomStream
By default, each RoomStream device is allocated 1 connection (one concurrent connection).
1. Viewing RoomStream current usage & live connections
On the Devices overview page, you can see how many connections are allocated and how many of those are active:
Display format: current connected total / total allowed
Example: 2/5 = 2 active live connections / 5 total connections allowed (a maximum of 5 concurrent connections at any given time).
To view the live connections, click on the connection tally:
Live connections can also be viewed from the Device Edit page:
2. Increasing RoomStream connection allocation
Go to the Devices page
Click Edit on your RoomStream device
Scroll to the "Stream License" section under Settings
Increase the 'Concurrent Connections' value
Click Save
Note: The maximum connections available depends on your RoomStream License subscription. Contact your supplier if you need additional capacity.
3. Disconnect unwanted connections
Should you wish to boot off any unwanted connections, you can do this easily by following these steps:
Click on the Live Connections tally
Next to the device you wish to boot, click the 'Disconnect' button
Once booted, you'll see a success message to confirm
Setting up content for RoomStreams
✅ RoomStream displays full-screen content from Playlist-only channels.
❌ Layout-based channels with multiple zones are not supported.
Creating a Playlist
Navigate to Playlists in the sidebar
Click 'Add New' located top right of the page
Add your content items:
Images and Videos
Content Apps, widgets and plugins
Text
Set duration and transitions as needed
Click Save
Example Playlist:
Distributing content to RoomStreams
1. via a New Playlist-only Channel
Navigate to Channels in the sidebar
Click 'New Channel' located top right
Give your channel a name
Important: ensure the channel 'Publish Type' is set to Playlist
Click the 'Choose Playlist' button and select your default Playlist
Click the 'Choose Devices' button to select the RoomStreams (and Device(s) if required)
Click 'Create Channel' located top right
Now click 'Publish Channel' for the content to go live.
Note: RoomStreams can only subscribe to playlist-only channels. Layout-based channels will not appear in the channel dropdown when editing a RoomStream device.
2. via an existing Playlist-only Channel
Go to the Devices page
Find your RoomStream device in the list
Click RoomStream Name
Click the 'Change Channel' button
In the Channel selection list, select one of the playlist-only channels
Click 'Update Channel'
Now click 'Save Device' to apply the update.
Content will begin streaming to your RoomStream URL immediately after saving.
How to set up your Meeting Room Displays to run RoomStream full-screen digital signage
1. Microsoft Teams Rooms
Read our dedicated set up guide to deploy RoomStream to Microsoft Teams Rooms:
2. Zoom Rooms
Read our dedicated set up guide to deploy RoomStream to Zoom Rooms:
Understanding RoomStream player status indicators
When your RoomStream is connecting or experiencing issues, you'll see status messages on screen:
Player Status
| Colour
| What it means
|
Connecting | Blue | Establishing connection to the server |
Loading content | Green | Downloading content to display |
All connections in use | Yellow | Maximum concurrent connections reached - waiting for a free spot |
Reconnecting | Blue/Red | Temporarily disconnected, automatically attempting to reconnect |
Unable to connect | Red | Connection failed - check internet or credentials |
Device not found | Red | The RoomStream device may have been deleted |
Troubleshooting
1. Unable to add a new RoomStream
Case: You try to add a new RoomStream but get the 'No RoomStream License Available' message
Solution: This means your RoomStream license subscription total limit has been reached. You will either need to:
Reduce the number of active connections to a RoomStream AND reduce the number of concurrent connections allocated to that RoomStream
OR
Contact your supplier to buy more connections on your RoomStream License subscription
2. "Connection Capacity Reached" message on screen
Cause: The maximum number of concurrent connections has been reached.
Solutions:
Close other browser tabs or devices using the same RoomStream URL
Increase your seat allocation in the device settings (see Managing Concurrent Connections above)
3. "Unable to connect" or "Connection failed" message on screen
Cause: The player cannot reach the embed signage servers.
Solutions:
Verify you have a stable internet connection
Check that the URL is complete and hasn't been truncated
Ensure your embed signage subscription is active
Try refreshing the URL on the hardware
4. "Device not found" message on screen
Cause: The RoomStream device no longer exists in the CMS.
Solutions:
Check if the device was accidentally deleted
Create a new RoomStream device and update your URL
Verify the deviceId in the URL matches an existing device
5. Content not displaying or blank screen
Cause: Content configuration issue.
Solutions:
Check the internet connection on the hardware
Verify the channel has been published
Check that the playlist contains valid content items
Make sure content items are accessible (not expired or deleted)
Try assigning a different playlist to test
Regenerating a RoomStream URL
If you believe your RoomStream URL has been compromised, you can regenerate a new URL:
Go to Devices page
Click Edit on your RoomStream device
Find the Regenerate Key option
Confirm Regeneration
Copy your new URL and distribute - the old URL will no longer work
Important Considerations
Internet Requirements
Always-on connection required - RoomStream streams content in real-time
No offline playback - Content is not cached locally
Recommended: Use a wired ethernet connection for maximum reliability
Minimum bandwidth: Depends on content (video requires more than static images)
Security Best Practices
Keep your RoomStream URL private
Only share the URL with authorised personnel
Regenerate RoomStream URLs if you suspect unauthorised access
Review active connections periodically in the device settings
Content Limitations
RoomStream has some limitations compared to the standard embed signage player apps:
Feature
| RoomStream Limitation
|
Weather | ⚠️ Cannot use 'Automatic' option. Must input location. |
Google Maps | ⚠️ Cannot use 'device location' option |
Conditional Play | ⚠️ Cannot use:
|
Dynamic Data | ⚠️ Cannot use 'device specific' options/logic |
Layout-based channels | ❌ |
Source Input (HDMI in) | ❌ |
IPTV (HLS, UDP) | ❌ |
External Comms | ❌ |
Custom Apps | ❌ |
Forms | ❌ |
Hivestack (Perion) | ❌ |
Audio (any) | ❌ |
Analytics | ❌ |
RoomStream vs. Standard/Analytics Overview
Feature
| RoomStream License | Standard/Analytics License |
Delivery Method | Secure URL Stream | Local App (Windows/BrightSign/SoC) |
Hardware | Microsoft Teams Rooms / Zoom Rooms Systems | Dedicated Media Player or SoC Display |
Billing Model | Per Connection | Per Device |
Interactivity | No. Full-Screen, | Supports Touch/Wayfinding and External Sensors |
Multi-zone Layouts | No. Full-Screen, | Yes |
Offline playback | No | Yes |
Content caching | No | Yes |
Analytics tracking (proof of play etc) | No | Yes with Analytics license. |
Best For | Meeting Rooms, Pods & Huddle Spaces | Receptions, Menu Boards, Wayfinding, Video Walls etc |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the same RoomStream URL on multiple screens?
Yes! Each RoomStream can support multiple concurrent connections based on your connection allocation.
Does RoomStream work offline?
No. RoomStream requires a constant internet connection as content is streamed in real-time and not cached locally. For offline capability, use a traditional embed signage player.
Why can't I see my channel in the RoomStream device edit page channel options?
RoomStream only supports playlist-only channels. If your channel uses layouts with multiple zones, it won't appear. Create a new channel in playlist-only mode.
How do I know how many connections are active?
The Devices overview page shows active connections vs. allocated (e.g., "2/5"). You can also see this in the device edit page.
What happens when all connections are in use?
Additional connections will see an "All seats in use" message with a yellow status indicator on the player. The player will automatically retry and connect when a connection becomes available.
How do I update content on my RoomStream?
Simply update your playlist in the CMS. Changes are reflected in real-time on all connected RoomStream displays, once the channel is published.