FPP Proxy puts your boards on a network of their own behind your FPP, so show traffic stays off your home network. The FPP gives each board its address, passes your browser through to each board's page, and can share its internet so the boards can update. You don't need two Ethernet ports: Wi-Fi can do either half of the job. It's also the setting we get asked about most, because one wrong tick stops the boards getting an address or getting online, so this page sets it up in the order FPP needs. If you'd rather not check it by hand, Baldrick Buddy scans your FPP for proxy problems and tells you what to fix.
OverviewHow it fits together
Your FPP needs two connections: one to your boards (the show network) and, usually, one to your home network so you and the internet can reach it. Either can be Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Find the row that matches your kit.
| Your setup | Home network | Boards | Boards get internet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi home, wired boards The usual choice on a Pi with one Ethernet port | wlan0, joined to your Wi-Fi | eth0, to a switch | Yes |
| Two Ethernet ports A Pi with a USB Ethernet adapter, for example | eth0, to your router | eth1, to a switch | Yes |
| FPP on its own No home network at the show | None: your phone or laptop joins FPP's own Wi-Fi | eth0, to a switch | No |
| Boards on FPP's Wi-Fi Boards join a Wi-Fi network the FPP runs | eth0, to your router | FPP's own Wi-Fi (wlan0) | For shows and board pages, but not online updates |
Whichever you pick, two settings do the work:
- The port that leads to your home network gets IP Forwarding: Masquerading/NAT. That's what shares the internet with your boards.
- The port your boards are on gets a fixed address and DHCP Server: On. That's what gives the boards their addresses.
Your FPP may name its ports differently (for example end0, enx… for a USB Ethernet adapter, or wlan1 for a USB Wi-Fi adapter). The Network page lists them. A Wi-Fi adapter does one job at a time: it either joins your Wi-Fi or runs FPP's own Wi-Fi network, not both. If you need both, add a USB Wi-Fi adapter.
SetupSetting it up with wired boards
This covers the first two rows: boards on Ethernet, and the FPP on your home network over Wi-Fi or a second Ethernet port. For FPP on its own, or boards on Wi-Fi, set this up first and then follow Using FPP's own Wi-Fi.
In FPP, go to Status/Control › FPP Settings › UI and set User Interface Level to Advanced. At Basic, the IP Forwarding and DHCP Server settings are hidden, and saving a port at Basic clears them.
Status/Control › Network, the port to your home network (wlan0, or eth0 with two Ethernet ports)
The port to your boards (eth0, or eth1 with two Ethernet ports)
Gateway and DNS (further down the Network page)
Wi-FiUsing FPP's own Wi-Fi
FPP can run a Wi-Fi network of its own, which it calls tethering. The FPP is always 192.168.8.1 on it, and it hands an address to anything that joins. Use it to reach an FPP with no home network, or to put boards on Wi-Fi.
Status/Control › Network, Tethering tab
FPP and Christmas, so change the password.FPP on its own, boards on Ethernet
http://192.168.8.1. Open each board through Status/Control › Proxy Settings (below).Boards on FPP's Wi-Fi, FPP wired to your router
FPP's own Wi-Fi doesn't give boards a DNS server, so boards on it can run the show and you can open their pages, but they can't find the update server. Use Buddy's Offline update. For a big display, Ethernet is also steadier than Wi-Fi for show data.
AccessOpening a board's page
Your computer can't reach the boards' addresses directly; the FPP passes you through. Open http://your-fpp/proxy/192.168.50.100/ in a browser (where your-fpp is the FPP's address: its home network address, or 192.168.8.1 on FPP's own Wi-Fi), or use the links on Status/Control › Proxy Settings.
FPP 9.5 and later do this for every address they hand out, on any port, including FPP's own Wi-Fi. On older versions, add each board's address on Status/Control › Proxy Settings, or update FPP.
Baldrick Buddy finds boards behind FPP by itself, shows them in its board list with an FPP badge, and can update them through the FPP.
OutputsGetting the show to the boards
OfflineShow networks without internet
If your FPP has no internet, neither do the boards behind it. That's fine for running a show, and it's common. Online updates won't work, but Baldrick Buddy can update boards behind the FPP with firmware it downloaded earlier (Offline update).
If the FPP does have internet and the boards are wired, the boards should be online too. If they can't reach the update server, internet sharing isn't set up right; see the fixes below.
FixesCommon problems
| What you see | Usually because | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Boards don't get an address | DHCP Server is off on the boards' port, or that port isn't Static | Boards' port: Static, 192.168.50.1, DHCP Server On. Update Interface, reboot. |
| The settings above aren't on the Network page | FPP is at the Basic UI level | FPP Settings › UI › User Interface Level: Advanced |
| Wired boards can't get online, but the FPP can | Masquerading/NAT is on the boards' port instead of the home port, or IP Forwarding is on without NAT | Home port (wlan0 or eth0): Masquerading/NAT. Boards' port: IP Forwarding Off. Reboot. |
| Settings look right, boards still offline | FPP hasn't been restarted since the change | Reboot the FPP |
| The FPP itself can't get online | Default Gateway is set while the home port is on DHCP, or isn't your router | Gateway empty (home port on DHCP) or your router's address (home port Static) |
| Devices on your home network act up | DHCP Server is on for the home port as well as your router | Home port: DHCP Server Off |
| FPP's own Wi-Fi doesn't appear | Tethering Mode is If no connection, and the cable to your boards counts as a connection | Tethering Mode: Enabled. Reboot. |
| FPP stopped joining your home Wi-Fi | Tethering is using the same Wi-Fi adapter | Tethering Mode: Disabled, or add a USB Wi-Fi adapter for tethering |
| Boards on FPP's Wi-Fi can't update online | FPP's own Wi-Fi gives them no DNS server | Use Buddy's Offline update, or put the boards on Ethernet |
| Can't open a board's page through FPP | FPP older than 9.5, or the board has a fixed address on another range | Update FPP (or add it on Proxy Settings); set the board to DHCP |
| Nothing lights, or the wrong pixels light | Outputs switched off, or universes and channels don't match the board | Tick Enable Output; FPP Connect with UDP Out set to ALL; match the board's start universe |
Baldrick Buddy scans your FPP for proxy problems: it reads the network and output settings, checks every point on this page, and tells you what to change. If you're still stuck, its Get help button opens a triage case with all of it filled in.
EscalateStill stuck?
Run through the Asking for help checklist, then post in the Baldrick community Facebook group with screenshots of FPP's Network page (every port, plus the Tethering tab if you use it) and its Channel Outputs page.