SUPPORT

The guided setup takes under 3 minutes:

1. Plug the display into power. It will boot and show a WiFi network list.
2. Tap your network and enter the password. Park Lantern uses the 2.4 GHz band — most home routers broadcast both, so this is automatic. If your router is 5 GHz only, enable 2.4 GHz in your router settings before this step.
3. Scan the on-screen QR code with your phone to enter your activation code — or tap Enter code manually and type the 8-character code from the card in the box.
4. Confirm your pre-selected parks. Tap Looks good to proceed.
5. Park data loads. You'll land on the Dashboard with your six configured screens.

If you get stuck at any step, email support@parklantern.com.

Your 8-character activation code (example: 7X9P-4WR2) is in two places:

• On the card inside your box, next to the QR code
• In the order confirmation email we sent when you purchased

If you can't find either, email support@parklantern.com from the address you used to order and we'll resend it.

Tap the settings gear in the upper-right of the dashboard, then Parks in the sidebar. Tap change next to any park slot or assign on an empty slot. You can configure up to 8 parks at a time. Changes apply instantly across all screens (wait times, hours, shows, dining).

Yes. Tap the settings gear → WiFi → Scan. Pick the new network, enter the password, and the display reconnects. No re-activation needed — your subscription stays with the device.

First, test your home WiFi on your phone to make sure it's working. If WiFi is fine on other devices:

1. Tap the WiFi bars in the upper-left corner of the dashboard.
2. Tap reconnect.
3. If your WiFi password changed recently, go to Settings → WiFi → Scan to re-enter it.

The display reconnects automatically once WiFi is restored. No data is lost during brief outages.

Park Lantern is built for home networks. Networks that require a browser sign-in page (most hotels, airports, and coffee shops) and corporate networks that need certificates or enterprise authentication are not currently supported.

If you'd like to use Park Lantern while traveling, a personal mobile hotspot or a portable travel router that mirrors your home credentials is the simplest path. We're tracking interest in native captive-portal support — let us know at support@parklantern.com if this matters to you.

Park Lantern uses the 2.4 GHz band. Most home routers broadcast both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz on the same network name; nothing extra to do — the display will just connect to the 2.4 GHz signal automatically.

If your network is 5 GHz only (some mesh routers default this way), you'll need to enable the 2.4 GHz band in your router settings before the display can connect. The 2.4 GHz radio gives much better range through walls anyway, which is what we optimize for.

Check the "synced Xs ago" timer at bottom-right. If it's more than a few minutes, WiFi may have dropped. Tap the WiFi bars to reconnect. The display caches data so you always see something during brief outages.

$175 includes the display and your first full year of park data. After year one, $50/year for ongoing live data. All parks worldwide are included — no per-park fees. Cancel anytime.

On the display: Settings → Subscription → Show QR Code. Scan with your phone to open the billing portal. Or email us and we'll help you update payment methods, view invoices, or cancel.

We retry automatically over 14 days with email reminders. During that grace period, your display keeps working with a gentle pill at the bottom of every screen. If payment still fails after 14 days, the display shows a branded clock with a renewal QR code — your settings and data are all preserved, and everything restores the moment payment is updated.

Your Park Lantern keeps working — just without live park data, weather, or trip countdown. It becomes a beautiful branded digital clock featuring the Park Lantern castle logo, so it's never just dark glass on your wall. Your settings are saved. Resubscribe anytime and everything returns instantly.

Yes. Cancel through the billing portal. Your display works until the end of your paid period. Resubscribe anytime to reactivate instantly.

Yes. Factory reset the old device (Settings → Factory Reset), then activate the new one with the same activation code. Email support@parklantern.com if you need help with the transfer.

Wait times come from the same upstream feeds the major park-tracker apps use, refreshed about every minute. The display checks for new data every 30 seconds, so what you see is at most a minute or two behind the official park app. A 1–3 minute difference from the in-park signage is normal and reflects how fast the parks themselves publish updates. The "synced" indicator in the bottom-right corner shows when the display last pulled fresh data.

From the dashboard, tap Countdown. Tap new trip, enter your trip name, destination, and dates. The countdown ticks live. Multiple trips are supported — switch between them with the pills below the timer.

Settings → Display → Screensaver. Three styles:

• Breathing — pulsing castle logo (default)
• Drifting — floating castle, prevents burn-in on long idle periods
• Countdown — large trip number above a drifting castle

Set the activation timeout: 10 min, 30 min, 1 hour, or never.

Settings → Display → Screen Schedule. Set off-hours (default 11 PM – 6 AM). The screen goes dark but the device stays connected. Tap to wake temporarily for 2 minutes. Data stays fresh for morning.

Shifts the display 1–2 pixels every 30 minutes — invisible to you but prevents ghost images from forming on the LCD over time. Enabled by default in Settings → Display → Hardware Care. We recommend leaving it on.

Hold the power button on the back of the device for 10 seconds until the screen goes dark. Wait 5 seconds, then press briefly to restart. All your settings are preserved. If this happens frequently, check Settings → Device → Check for Updates.

The upstream data feed may be temporarily unavailable. Check the "synced Xs ago" timer at bottom-right. If it's more than 10 minutes old, wait for the next refresh cycle. If it persists for more than an hour, email support@parklantern.com.

Settings → Factory Reset → Reset Device → Confirm. This erases WiFi credentials, activation, parks, trips, and preferences. The device reboots to the activation screen. Use this when transferring to a new owner or for deep troubleshooting. Your subscription is not cancelled — only the device is reset.

Email support@parklantern.com with a photo of the damage and your order number. We'll ship a replacement at no cost with a prepaid return label for the damaged unit.

No problem — email us directly at support@parklantern.com with your order number and a description of what's happening. We typically respond within a few hours during business days.