Display Freezes or Not Auto-Refreshing

Solutions when the display freezes or automatic refresh no longer works

12 min readLast updated: 1/15/20240

Display Freezes or Not Auto-Refreshing

If your LobbyFlight display freezes or no longer automatically refreshes flight data, follow these troubleshooting steps.

Symptoms

  • Display shows same data for hours
  • "Last Updated" timestamp doesn't change
  • Page completely frozen, no reaction
  • Browser shows "Page not responding"
  • Refresh animation runs endlessly

    • Quick Checks (2 Minutes)

    1. Is the Display Actually Frozen?

    Check: Does the clock on the display still move?

  • Clock moves → Only data refresh frozen
  • Clock stopped → Entire page frozen

    • 2. Is the Internet Connected?

    # Quick test:
ping lobbyflight.com

    3. Was There a Browser Update?

    Browser updates can cause problems:

  • Check if browser was recently updated
  • Restart browser after updates

    • Cause 1: Browser Memory Overflow

    Technical Details

    Browsers have limited memory. After long running time:

  • Memory fills up
  • Performance degrades
  • Eventually freeze

    • Symptoms

  • Display gets slower over time
  • Browser uses much RAM (> 1 GB)
  • "Out of Memory" errors

    • Solution

    Immediate fix:

    1. Browser completely close
2. Wait 10 seconds
3. Browser reopen
4. Display URL reload

    Long-term solution:

    Set up automatic daily restart:
- Using Task Scheduler (Windows)
- Using Cron (Linux)
- Or: Use Fully Kiosk Browser with auto-restart

    Windows Task Scheduler

    1. Open Task Scheduler
2. Create new task
3. Trigger: Daily at 04:00
4. Action: Restart browser with display URL

    Cause 2: JavaScript Error

    Symptoms

  • Page loads but then freezes
  • Console shows red error messages
  • Specific functions don't work

    • Solution

    Step 1: Check console

    1. F12 → Console tab
2. Look for red error messages
3. Note error text

    Step 2: Hard refresh

    Ctrl+Shift+R (Windows/Linux)
Cmd+Shift+R (Mac)

    Step 3: Clear cache completely

    1. F12 → Application tab
2. Clear Site Data
3. Reload page

    Cause 3: Network Interruption

    Symptoms

  • Data at some point stopped
  • "Last Updated" shows old time
  • Display otherwise responsive

    • Technical Details

    LobbyFlight fetches data based on your subscription tier (Basic: hourly, Pro: 30 min, Premium: 5 min). If this fails:

  • Old data remains displayed
  • No error message (to not disturb display)
  • Automatic retry runs

    • Solution

    Step 1: Check network

    ping lobbyflight.com
# Should respond

    Step 2: Check router

  • Are other devices online?
  • Restart router

    • Step 3: Check firewall

  • Is lobbyflight.com allowed?
  • Port 443 (HTTPS) open?

    • Cause 4: Power Saving Settings

    On Android

    Problem: Android puts browser to sleep to save power.

    Solution:

    Settings → Apps → Chrome → Battery:
- Disable "Battery optimization"
- Or: Set to "Don't optimize"

Settings → Display:
- Screen timeout: Never
- Screen saver: Disabled

    On Windows

    Problem: Windows pauses processes.

    Solution:

    Settings → System → Power:
- Screen timeout: Never
- Sleep mode: Never

Additionally:
- Disable "Fast Startup"
- Disable hibernate

    Cause 5: Browser Tab Throttling

    Technical Details

    Modern browsers throttle inactive tabs:

  • Less CPU for background tabs
  • Timers run slower
  • Updates may be skipped

    • Symptoms

  • Display freezes when tab is in background
  • Works fine when tab is active
  • Works after clicking the tab

    • Solution

    Option 1: Keep tab in foreground

  • Display should always be the active tab
  • No other tabs open

    • Option 2: Disable throttling (Chrome)

    chrome://flags/#intensive-wake-up-throttling
→ Set to "Disabled"

    Option 3: Use kiosk mode

    chrome --kiosk "https://lobbyflight.com/display/[hotel-id]"

    Cause 6: Service Worker Problems

    Technical Details

    LobbyFlight uses Service Workers for caching. These can sometimes cause issues.

    Solution

    Reset Service Worker:

    1. F12 → Application tab
2. Service Workers (left menu)
3. Click "Unregister" for all
4. Reload page

    Best Practices for 24/7 Operation

    Hardware

  • [ ] Sufficient RAM (min. 2 GB)
  • [ ] Stable internet connection
  • [ ] Power supply with surge protection

    • Software

  • [ ] Chrome in kiosk mode
  • [ ] Automatic daily restart configured
  • [ ] Power saving disabled
  • [ ] Automatic browser updates disabled

    • Monitoring

  • [ ] Regular visual inspection
  • [ ] Optionally: Remote monitoring set up
  • [ ] Error logging enabled

    • Automatic Restart Configuration

    With Fully Kiosk Browser (Android)

    Settings → Device Management:
- Scheduled restart: Daily at 04:00
- Reload on internet reconnection: Yes
- Reload after screen off: Yes

    With Windows Task Scheduler

    Batch script (restart-display.bat):

    @echo off
taskkill /F /IM chrome.exe
timeout /t 5
start "" "C:\Program Files\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe" --kiosk "https://lobbyflight.com/display/[hotel-id]"

    Task Scheduler:

  • Trigger: Daily at 04:00
  • Action: Run batch script

    • Still Problems?

    Diagnostic Data

    Collect before support contact:

  • Screenshot of frozen display
  • Console output (F12 → Console)
  • Network requests (F12 → Network)
  • RAM usage of the browser
  • Exact time of freeze
  • How long display was running before freeze

    • Related Articles:

  • Configure Display Rotation and Auto-Refresh
  • Activate Kiosk Mode for 24/7 Operation
  • Power Management and Screensaver Configuration

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