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Advanced Options

This chapter covers material beyond the basic setup and configuration — chiefly networking, which is the source of most difficulty for people new to the hobby.

Networking Considerations

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.

Common Network Setups

There are four common "show network" arrangements. 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. FPP can create its own Wi‑Fi (tethering) for configuration in the field.
  • Wired on 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. A good temporary arrangement while you set things up.
  • Wired on Separate Show Network – the controllers (and often the FPP's second interface) live on their own isolated network, keeping heavy pixel traffic off the home network. FPP typically bridges the two, and may run a DHCP server for the show network. Reach the show devices through FPP's Proxy Settings.
  • 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 MultiSync.

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 Backup, Restore and Proxies → Proxy Settings).

MultiSync / Remote details

A Player/Remote layout keeps devices frame‑accurate via MultiSync. Choose the sync transport that suits your network: Multicast (recommended where the network supports IP Multicast and IGMP Snooping), Broadcast (for networks that do not), or Unicast (most reliable on troublesome networks — set remotes to Unicast and disable multicast). Every remote must hold a copy of the sequences being played; use the MultiSync page's Copy Show Files or xLights FPP Connect to distribute them. See the MultiSync chapter for the full page reference.

Projector Control

FPP can control a projector (for example to power it on before the show and off afterwards) using scheduled Commands, scripts, GPIO, or network/serial control depending on the projector. Combine a scheduled Command entry a few minutes before the show with the appropriate projector control method.

Plugin Development

Plugins extend FPP with new pages, commands, playlist entry types and outputs. The Plugin Manager includes a Template Plugin to help authors with the required structure; a plugin provides a pluginInfo.json describing itself and hooks into the relevant FPP menus. Refer to the FPP developer documentation in the repository for the plugin API and packaging details.

Note

This chapter summarises the most‑referenced advanced topics. The FPP forums, the xLights Zoom Room, and the developer documentation in the FPP GitHub repository are the best resources for deeper or edge‑case configurations.