> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://support.caasie.co/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://support.caasie.co/boards/board-availability.md).

# Board Availability

Unlike traditional billboard bookings where advertising space is reserved in advance, CAASie purchases individual ad plays in real time based on what inventory is available at that moment.

Because of this, board availability can change throughout the day depending on demand, competing advertisers, publisher rules, and auction activity.

### What does availability mean?

Availability is a live indicator that shows whether a board currently has advertising opportunities available for CAASie to purchase.

Since future availability can't be predicted, CAASie uses a "Last Heard From" indicator instead. This shows how recently the platform received an opportunity to bid on an available advertising slot for that screen.

For example:

"Last heard from 20 minutes ago"\
"Last heard from 5 days ago"

A recent Last Heard From time generally means the board is actively communicating with CAASie and has recently made advertising inventory available.

If a board hasn't been heard from for an extended period, it may indicate that availability is limited, infrequent, or currently unavailable.

While availability doesn't guarantee your ads will play on a particular screen, boards with higher availability typically provide more opportunities for your campaign to enter auctions and win ad plays.

#### Things to keep in mind

Availability is constantly changing, so it's normal for a board's status to fluctuate throughout your campaign.

A board's availability can be affected by:

* Demand from other advertisers
* Publisher inventory rules and allocations
* Temporary technical or maintenance interruptions
* Seasonal demand or special events
* Screens becoming fully booked

Because availability is always moving, campaigns generally perform best when they have access to a larger pool of inventory rather than relying on just a handful of screens.

### Can I still select low-availability boards?

Absolutely. Adding a board to your campaign doesn't cost anything by itself. Your budget is only used when your advertisement is actually played on a screen.

That means there's very little downside to including lower-availability boards if they're relevant to your targeting strategy. If inventory becomes available, your campaign can potentially secure ad plays.

That said, it's usually a good idea to include a healthy mix of higher-availability boards as well.

### Where can I find the board availability indicator?

The board availability indicator can be found in the board information panels, as well as on board cards displayed on the map and within the "boards" tab of the campaign manager.

Availability is shown using a simple traffic-light style indicator.

Hovering over the indicator will display the board's Last Heard From time, showing when the screen last reported an available advertising opportunity to the platform.<br>

* <mark style="color:$success;">**◉**</mark>**&#x20;Green** – High: Last heard from less than 1 hour ago
* <mark style="color:$warning;">**◉**</mark>**&#x20;Yellow** - Moderate: Last heard from more than 1 hour ago, but less than 6 hours ago
* <mark style="color:red;">**◉**</mark>**&#x20;Red** - Low: Last heard from more than 6 hours ago