The Crestron Timer Integration connects your agency's Crestron processor to PublicInput's meeting dashboard, displaying a real-time speaker countdown timer on both the floorboard display and audience-facing dashboards.

This integration uses Crestron's WebXPanel technology to establish a secure WebSocket connection between the PublicInput dashboard and the Crestron control system. When a speaker's time is started on the Crestron system, the countdown is displayed live on the PublicInput meeting dashboard — giving the clerk, board members, and public a clear visual of remaining speaker time.

How It Works

The agency's Crestron processor manages the physical timer (started/stopped by the clerk or operator).
PublicInput's dashboard component connects to the processor via a secure WebSocket (WSS) connection using Crestron's WebXPanel protocol.
Timer values are transmitted in real-time from the Crestron system to the dashboard.
The dashboard displays a countdown timer that changes to a warning color when the speaker's time is running low (configurable threshold).

What You'll See

Countdown timer display on the meeting dashboard — visible to the public, board members, and staff.
Warning state — the timer changes color (e.g., to red) when the remaining time falls below a configurable threshold (default: 15 seconds).
Connection status indicators — the dashboard shows whether the Crestron connection is active.

Before You Start — Gather These from IT

You'll need the following from your IT/AV team before adding the component to a dashboard:

Field	Required?	Description
Host / FQDN	Required	The public-facing fully qualified domain name of the Crestron proxy (e.g. `timer.agency.gov`), or the internal hostname if the dashboard will only be viewed on the agency's local network.
JWT Auth Token	Required	A JSON Web Token generated on the Crestron processor using the `websockettoken generate` command. This authenticates the WebSocket connection.
IP ID	Optional (default `0xA7`)	The panel IP ID configured in the Crestron program. Confirm with your Crestron programmer if the default doesn't match your setup.
Join Number	Optional (default `1`)	The analog join number on the Crestron processor that contains the timer value (in seconds).
Port	Optional	Defaults to `443` (WSS via SSL proxy). Use `49200` for direct local-network connections to the processor.

Display Options (all optional)

Setting	Default	Description
Warning Threshold	15 seconds	Seconds remaining before the timer switches to the warning color (range 0–300).
Font Size	—	Display font size in pixels (12–500px).
Normal Color	—	Timer color during normal countdown (hex or CSS color name).
Warning Color	—	Timer color once at or below the warning threshold.
Font Family	—	CSS font-family for the timer display.

Network Requirements

If the dashboard is viewed outside the agency network (public-facing, remote staff), the Crestron processor must be reachable via a public FQDN behind an SSL proxy.
The connection uses secure WebSocket (WSS) over port 443 by default.
For local-network-only use, an internal hostname/IP with port 49200 can be used.

Step-by-Step: Add the Crestron Timer to a Meeting

In PublicInput, open the meeting you want to configure.
Click the Post Meeting tab on the meeting (this is where the floorboard / audience-facing dashboard layout lives).
Click Edit Dashboard to open the dashboard editor.
In the component sidebar, locate the Crestron Timer component and drag it onto the dashboard layout where you want the countdown to appear.
With the component selected, fill in the configuration panel on the right:
- Host — paste the FQDN or internal hostname from IT.
- JWT Auth Token — paste the token generated on the Crestron processor.
- Adjust IP ID, Join Number, and Port only if your Crestron setup differs from the defaults.
- Set display options (warning threshold, font size, normal/warning color, font family) as desired.
Click Save (and Publish, if prompted) to apply the layout.
Open the live dashboard view to confirm the timer connects and counts down. The component only connects to Crestron when viewed live — it will not connect while in editor/preview mode.

Editing or Removing the Timer Later

Return to the meeting's Post Meeting tab and click Edit Dashboard.
Click the Crestron Timer component to reopen its configuration panel and update any field.
To remove it, select the component and click the delete/trash icon, then Save.

Testing the Connection

Before going live, verify the Crestron connection using the Connection Test Harness:

👉 https://crestrondev.publicinput.com/

What the test harness does

Preflight connectivity tests — checks DNS resolution, HTTPS reachability, CORS headers, SSL certificate validity, and WebSocket (WSS) connectivity.
Live connection test — connects to the Crestron processor and displays real-time timer values.
Diagnostic output — provides actionable error messages if any step fails.

How to test

Open https://crestrondev.publicinput.com/ in your browser.
Enter the FQDN (or IP for local-network testing) and JWT token.
If testing on a local network with a non-standard port, enter the port number.
Click Run Preflight Tests to check connectivity without connecting.
Click Connect to establish a live connection and verify timer values.

Troubleshooting

DNS failure — verify the FQDN is correct and publicly resolvable (or that you're on the right network for internal hostnames).
SSL/HTTPS failure — ensure the SSL proxy is configured and the certificate is valid.
WebSocket failure — check that the proxy allows WebSocket upgrades (WSS) on port 443.
Authentication failure — regenerate the JWT token on the Crestron processor using websockettoken generate.
No timer values — confirm the correct IP ID and Join Number with your Crestron programmer.

Technical Details

Protocol: WebXPanel (Crestron's WebSocket-based panel protocol)
Libraries: @crestron/ch5-crcomlib@99.0.356, @crestron/ch5-webxpanel@2.8.0
Default ports: 443 (via SSL proxy) or 49200 (direct local connection)
Browser support: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari

Crestron Timer Integration for Meetings