Network Requirements and Firewall Configuration

IT administration guide for network settings, required ports, and domains

15 min readLast updated: 1/15/20240

Network Requirements and Firewall Configuration

This guide is for IT administrators who need to configure network access for LobbyFlight displays. Here you'll find all the information about required ports, domains, and security settings.

Minimum Requirements

Internet Connection

  • Bandwidth: Minimum 1 Mbps download
  • Latency: Maximum 500ms recommended
  • Availability: 99%+ for continuous operation

    • Network Connection

  • WiFi: 802.11n or newer (5 GHz preferred)
  • Ethernet: Recommended for permanent installations
  • IP Configuration: DHCP or static IP

    • Required Domains

    Primary Domains

    The following domains must be accessible:

    # Main application
lobbyflight.com
*.lobbyflight.com

# API server
api.lobbyflight.com

# Content Delivery
cdn.lobbyflight.com

    Third-Party Domains

    For complete functionality:

    # Google Fonts
fonts.googleapis.com
fonts.gstatic.com

# Weather service (if enabled)
api.openweathermap.org

# Analytics (optional)
analytics.lobbyflight.com

    Required Ports

    Outgoing Connections

    PortProtocolPurpose
    -------------------------
    443HTTPSMain application, API
    80HTTPRedirect to HTTPS
    53DNSName resolution

    Important Notes

  • No incoming ports required - LobbyFlight works purely outbound
  • WebSocket connections use port 443 (for real-time updates)
  • No VPN or special protocols required

    • Firewall Configuration

    Recommended Whitelist Rules

    # Primary traffic
ALLOW OUT TCP *.lobbyflight.com:443
ALLOW OUT TCP *.lobbyflight.com:80

# DNS resolution
ALLOW OUT UDP *:53

# Google services (fonts)
ALLOW OUT TCP fonts.googleapis.com:443
ALLOW OUT TCP fonts.gstatic.com:443

# Weather service
ALLOW OUT TCP api.openweathermap.org:443

    Sample Configurations

    pfSense / OPNsense

    # Alias: LobbyFlight_Domains
lobbyflight.com
*.lobbyflight.com

# Firewall Rule
Action: Pass
Interface: LAN
Protocol: TCP
Destination: LobbyFlight_Domains
Destination Port: 443, 80

    Sophos / FortiGate

    # FQDN Object
Name: LobbyFlight
FQDN: *.lobbyflight.com

# Firewall Policy
Source: Display_VLAN
Destination: LobbyFlight
Service: HTTPS, HTTP
Action: Accept

    Windows Firewall (GPO)

    # PowerShell command
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "LobbyFlight" `
  -Direction Outbound `
  -RemoteAddress Any `
  -RemotePort 443,80 `
  -Protocol TCP `
  -Action Allow

    Proxy Configuration

    Transparent Proxy

    LobbyFlight works with transparent proxies without additional configuration.

    Explicit Proxy

    For environments with explicit proxy settings:

    In Chrome/Android:

  • Settings → Network → Proxy
  • Enter proxy server address
  • Enter port number
  • Add exceptions if needed

    • URL Whitelist for Proxy

    # No proxy for:
*.lobbyflight.com
fonts.googleapis.com
fonts.gstatic.com

    SSL Inspection Notes

    If SSL inspection is enabled:

  • Add *.lobbyflight.com to bypass list
  • Or import LobbyFlight SSL certificate
  • WebSocket connections may fail with inspection

    • VLAN Setup (Recommended)

    Dedicated Display VLAN

    For maximum security, we recommend a separate VLAN:

    VLAN ID: 100
Name: Display_VLAN
Subnet: 10.100.0.0/24
Gateway: 10.100.0.1

# DHCP Range
Start: 10.100.0.10
End: 10.100.0.250

# DNS
Primary: 8.8.8.8
Secondary: 8.8.4.4

    Inter-VLAN Rules

    # Display_VLAN to Internet
ALLOW Display_VLAN → Internet (443, 80, 53)

# Block other internal access
DENY Display_VLAN → Internal_Networks

    Bandwidth Calculations

    Per Display

    ActivityBandwidthFrequency
    --------------------------------
    Initial load2-3 MBOnce
    Flight refresh50-100 KBBased on tier
    Weather update10-20 KBEvery 30 min
    Keep-alive<1 KBEvery 30 sec

    Total for Multiple Displays

    10 displays: ~20 KB/s average
50 displays: ~100 KB/s average
100 displays: ~200 KB/s average

    Network Monitoring

    Health Check Endpoint

    GET https://api.lobbyflight.com/health
Expected response: 200 OK

    Monitoring Script

    #!/bin/bash
# Check LobbyFlight availability
curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}"   https://api.lobbyflight.com/health

    SNMP Monitoring

    If using SNMP for network monitoring:

  • Monitor outbound traffic to port 443
  • Alert on connection failures
  • Track bandwidth usage per display

    • Troubleshooting

    "Connection refused" Errors

    Diagnosis:

    # Test connection
curl -v https://lobbyflight.com
nslookup lobbyflight.com
telnet lobbyflight.com 443

    Solutions:

  • Check firewall rules
  • Verify DNS resolution
  • Test from different network
  • Check proxy settings

    • SSL Certificate Errors

    Diagnosis:

    # Check certificate
openssl s_client -connect lobbyflight.com:443

    Solutions:

  • Update system time
  • Update CA certificates
  • Disable SSL inspection
  • Check for MITM proxy

    • Slow Loading

    Diagnosis:

    # Test latency
ping lobbyflight.com
traceroute lobbyflight.com

    Solutions:

  • Check bandwidth availability
  • Test at different times
  • Try alternative DNS
  • Consider CDN issues

    • Security Considerations

    Data Privacy

  • All connections are TLS 1.2+ encrypted
  • No personally identifiable information transmitted
  • Flight data is publicly available information

    • Hardening Recommendations

  • Use dedicated VLAN for displays
  • Restrict outbound to required domains only
  • Enable logging for audit trails
  • Regular firmware/software updates

    • Compliance

  • GDPR compliant (no personal data)
  • No data stored on device
  • All data in transit encrypted

    • Support Contact

    For network-related issues:

  • Email: info@lobbyflight.com
  • Include: Network diagram, firewall rules, error logs
  • Response time: Within 24 hours

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