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Networking Overview

For your devices to communicate, the network must be configured correctly. You need to know your home router's IP address and subnet — usually 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 (check a label on the router, or run ipconfig on Windows / ifconfig on Mac to see the default gateway).

An IP address is four groups of numbers (0–255) separated by dots, e.g. 192.168.0.1. On most home networks the first three groups are the subnet (here 192.168.0) and the last group is the host (here 1). Devices can communicate directly only with other devices in the same subnet; reaching a different subnet requires telling the systems how to route between them (see Static Routes and Proxy Settings).

Some key rules that recur throughout this manual:

  • Give show controllers static addresses (or router reservations) so they do not change.
  • If a device uses two interfaces, put them on different subnets and give a gateway to only one (normally the home‑facing interface).
  • All FPP/controller host names must be unique.

Choosing a show network layout

There are four common "show network" arrangements, each covered in its own chapter. Each has trade‑offs, and you can combine them as needed. When numbering devices, it is suggested to use the higher end of the address range to avoid clashing with DHCP‑assigned addresses.

  • Standalone – a single FPP device drives the whole display directly (via a cape/hat or a locally attached controller) with no show network. Simplest; suited to small displays.
  • Home Network – FPP and the controllers sit on your existing home network. Easy to reach for configuration and updates, and good for testing, but show traffic shares the home network.
  • Separate Network – the controllers (and often the FPP's second interface) live on their own isolated network, keeping heavy pixel traffic off the home network.
  • Player/Remote (MultiSync) – one FPP player synchronises any number of FPP remotes with small sync packets, so each remote drives a nearby section of the display. Ideal for large or widespread displays where long cable runs are impractical. Each remote needs a copy of the sequences; the player holds the playlists and schedules. See the MultiSync chapter for the full page reference, including how to choose between Multicast, Broadcast and Unicast sync.

Static Routes

When you need a computer to reach a controller on a different subnet without FPP proxying, you can add a static route on the computer (or router) telling it to reach the controller's subnet via the FPP device's address. Note that static routes on Macs are not persistent across reboots — FPP's Proxy Settings are usually a better solution (see Proxy Settings).

See Configuring a Static Route for step-by-step instructions for both the router and computer methods.