To connect OScam to a card sharing provider in 2026, you add reader blocks to your oscam.server configuration file, usually found at /etc/tuxbox/config/oscam.server (or your build’s config directory), then restart OScam. Each remote server gets its own [reader] section with a label, the protocol (cccam or newcamd), the device line with host and port, plus your username and password. Save the file, restart OScam, and check the Readers page in the WebIf to confirm the status shows CONNECTED.

That is the whole job in one paragraph. The rest of this guide walks through every line of the oscam.server configuration in detail, shows a complete working template for a two-server account, and explains how to verify and troubleshoot the result.

Key takeaways

• The oscam.server configuration holds one [reader] block per remote server; oscam.conf holds global settings like the WebIf port.
• The most common location is /etc/tuxbox/config/, but some builds use /usr/local/etc/ instead.
• For a CCcam-protocol reader you need six or seven keys: label, protocol, device, user, password, group, and cccversion.
• A quality subscription includes two servers; add both as separate readers so a reboot of one never interrupts viewing.
• Always verify in the OScam WebIf after a restart: a green CONNECTED reader means the configuration is correct.

What is the oscam.server configuration and where does it live?

OScam splits its configuration into a handful of small files, and each one has a single job. Knowing which file does what saves you from editing the wrong one at midnight.

• oscam.conf – global settings such as log options, network limits, and the [webif] section that controls the web interface (see our oscam.conf default config guide).
• oscam.server – the reader definitions, meaning every remote server or local card OScam should connect to.
• oscam.user – local user accounts that are allowed to request channels from your OScam instance.
• oscam.dvbapi – channel priority and ignore rules for local decoding on Enigma2 and similar receivers.

On most Enigma2 images and Linux builds, all of these files sit in /etc/tuxbox/config/. Some builds compile OScam with a different default and use /usr/local/etc/ instead, and a few images add a subfolder like /etc/tuxbox/config/oscam/.

Not sure which one your box uses? Open the OScam WebIf and look at the top of the Status page, or run oscam -V over SSH: the ConfigDir line tells you exactly where OScam reads its files from.

Step 1: Get your reader details

Before touching any file, collect the connection details from your provider: hostname, port, username, password, and protocol. With a cccam.eu subscription you receive these instantly after checkout, and you can always re-download a ready-made oscam.server file from the customer portal.

Every cccam.eu account includes two servers, Server 1 and Server 2, for redundancy. Both belong in your oscam.server configuration as two separate readers. When both are configured, a restart or maintenance window on one server never interrupts your viewing, because OScam simply keeps using the other.

Step 2: Add your [reader] blocks

Open oscam.server in an editor (via FTP, SSH, or the Files tab in the WebIf) and add one [reader] block per server. Here is a complete placeholder template for a two-server account using the cccam protocol:

[reader]
label = server1
protocol = cccam
device = your-server1.example,12345
user = username
password = password
group = 1
cccversion = 2.3.2

[reader]
label = server2
protocol = cccam
device = your-server2.example,12345
user = username
password = password
group = 1
cccversion = 2.3.2

Replace the hostnames, ports, and credentials with the real values from your provider. Every key has a specific purpose:

If your line uses the newcamd protocol instead, swap protocol = cccam for protocol = newcamd, remove the cccversion line, and add the key line from the table above with the value your provider specifies.

Step 3: Check the oscam.conf basics

The reader blocks do the connecting, but you still want eyes on what they are doing. That is the job of the WebIf, configured in oscam.conf:

[webif]
httpport = 8888
httpuser = admin
httppwd = choose-a-password
httpallowed = 127.0.0.1,192.168.0.0-192.168.255.255

With this in place, the OScam web interface is reachable at http://your-receiver-ip:8888 from your local network. If you are starting from scratch, our oscam.conf walkthrough covers a sane default configuration line by line, and the automated OScam install guide gets a fresh box to this point in minutes.

Step 4: Restart OScam and verify in the WebIf

OScam reads the oscam.server configuration at startup, so restart it after saving. On Enigma2 that is usually a softcam restart from the menu or the panel button; on a Linux server, restart the service or process you use to run OScam.

Then open the WebIf and click the Readers tab. Each reader has a status, and the colors tell the story at a glance:

• CONNECTED (green) – the reader logged in successfully and is ready to serve requests.
• OFF or UNKNOWN (grey) – the reader has not connected yet; give it a moment or check the device line.
• ERROR (red) – the connection or login failed; almost always wrong credentials, wrong port, or a typo in the hostname.

Once both readers show CONNECTED, zap to an encrypted channel. The picture should clear within a second or two, and the Status page will show which reader answered the request.

Step 5: A note on oscam.dvbapi for Enigma2

On an Enigma2 receiver, the dvbapi module is what hands decoded control words to the tuner, and the oscam.dvbapi file tells OScam which CAIDs to prefer or ignore per channel. You do not need a complex one to get started, but a tuned file speeds up zapping noticeably.

We keep an up-to-date file and a full explanation in our oscam.dvbapi guide, and the matching oscam services file pairs well with it. If you are still choosing hardware, our OScam receiver buying guide covers boxes that run this stack well.

Common oscam.server configuration mistakes to avoid

• Colon instead of comma in device. OScam expects device = host,port. Copying a CCcam-style C-line format with a colon or space breaks the reader.
• Editing the wrong config directory. If your changes seem ignored, OScam is probably reading from another path; confirm the ConfigDir as shown above.
• Missing group link. A reader with group = 1 only serves users whose group includes 1. Mismatched groups make everything look connected while nothing decodes.
• Only adding one server. If your subscription includes two servers, configure both readers; one-server setups lose the picture during every maintenance window.
• Sharing one line across receivers. Fair-use policies (including ours) allow one receiver and one channel at a time per subscription; running two boxes on one line triggers automated warnings and then a block.

If a reader connects but channels stay dark, the causes overlap heavily with CCcam-side problems; our connection troubleshooting guide applies to most of them. And if you are still weighing which softcam to run in the first place, see CCcam vs OScam.

Try it free: 48-hour OScam trial

The fastest way to test this guide is with a real line. cccam.eu offers a free 48-hour trial, no card required: you get two servers instantly, and the customer portal lets you download a ready-made oscam.server file so you can skip the typing entirely.

Paid plans run 12 months, 24 months, or lifetime, with automated instant delivery after purchase and the same two-server redundancy on every account.

Frequently asked questions