# Connect to Wi-Fi


> Connect a Screenly Player to a wireless network with a USB keyboard, or with a network.yaml file on a USB drive for headless setups.
By default a player uses DHCP over ethernet, which needs nothing configured. Wireless takes one of two routes.

## With a keyboard

This is the route to use unless something prevents it. You pick the network from a list, so there is nothing to mistype.

1. Connect a USB keyboard to the player.
2. Press **F2**.

    On a Pi 3, or a device on older software, press **ESC** instead.

3. Select your network from the list with the arrow keys and press Enter.
4. Type the password and press Enter.

For a hidden network, scroll to **Other** at the bottom of the list and enter the details by hand.

## With a USB drive

Use this when you cannot attach a keyboard, or when support asks you to. It carries more risk, because every detail is typed rather than picked.

1. Format a USB stick as **FAT32**. No other filesystem is supported.
2. Open the [Network Config Generator](/os/network-config-generator/).
3. Enter the SSID and passphrase. The other settings are optional.
4. Generate the file. A `network.yaml` downloads.
5. Copy it to the USB stick and eject the stick safely.
6. Boot the player and wait for the pairing screen. It will show a network error, which is expected at this point.
7. Insert the stick. The player picks up the configuration and reboots itself.

## If it does not connect

Check the band first. A Pi 3B is 2.4 GHz only, and everything newer handles both. Each model page lists what its radio supports: see [Screenly players](/docs/screenly-players/models/).

Then check two access point settings. These cause most of the wireless trouble we see, and neither looks like a fault on the player.

Turn off band steering on managed access points. It confuses players that are choosing a band.

Avoid one SSID that serves 2.4 and 5 GHz at the same time. Create a dedicated SSID for your players on one band or the other.

Both are worth ruling out before you spend time on the player, because a player that connects on one network and not another is usually looking at one of these.

On a corporate network that authenticates devices rather than using a shared password, see [Connect on an enterprise network](/docs/screenlyos/networking/guides/connect-on-an-enterprise-network/).