Documentation

Everything you need to install, pair, update and maintain LinuxRemotePlayer. If something isn't here, write to support@linuxremoteplayer.com.

Requirements

• The TV PC: a Debian/Ubuntu-family Linux with systemd (thoroughly tested on KDE Neon with Plasma Bigscreen; see the compatibility matrix). Firefox is used for kiosk mode — if it's missing, the installer installs it for you.
• The remote: any phone with a modern browser (Android with Chrome or Firefox; iPhone with Safari). Nothing to download from any app store.
• Network: the PC and the phone on the same WiFi network. No ports need to be opened to the internet — all control is local.

Step-by-step install

In a terminal on the PC that will be connected to the TV:

The command downloads the latest version, verifies its integrity (sha256) and installs the package. Then the wizard starts and asks these questions (the wizard's prompts are currently in Spanish; here's what each one means):

1. "¿Qué usuario usará la TV?" — which user will use the TV?

The Linux username the TV logs in with (the one running the graphical session). The wizard detects the current user and proposes it in brackets — if it's right, just press Enter. Never use root: the wizard rejects it for safety.

2. "¿Esta PC está dedicada a la TV?" — is this PC dedicated to the TV? [S/n]

• S (dedicated TV mode): for the living-room HTPC that only acts as a TV. The service starts with the system, the firewall is enabled, and screen locking/blanking are disabled.
• n (desktop mode): for your general-purpose PC. The service runs only inside your user session and doesn't touch power settings or the firewall.

3. "¿Deshabilitar suspensión/apagado de pantalla?" — disable system sleep?

If the PC is the living-room TV, you want yes (the default in dedicated mode): it keeps the screen from turning off mid-movie. In desktop mode the default is to touch nothing.

4. "Selecciona layout de teclado" — keyboard layout [US / ES / LATAM]

The keyboard language the app emulates when you type from your phone. The wizard detects the system layout and proposes it — Enter to accept. If you type with ñ and accents, pick ES or LATAM accordingly.

The security certificate (the browser warning)

The first time you open the address on your phone, the browser shows a security warning. This is normal and expected. Why does it happen?

The connection between your phone and your PC is encrypted with HTTPS (required for the microphone to work). Since everything happens inside your home — no servers in between — the certificate is generated by your own PC, and your browser doesn't know your PC as an "authority". The warning says only that: the certificate is homemade. The connection is still encrypted.

How to accept it (once per phone):

• Android (Chrome/Firefox): tap "Advanced" → "Proceed to [address]" / "Accept the risk and continue".
• iPhone (Safari): tap "Show details" → "Visit this website" → confirm.

On the TV itself there's nothing to do: the installer configures the certificate in Firefox automatically.

Pairing your phone

1. Open the address the installer gave you in your phone's browser: https://your-pc.local:8000 (or the direct IP, e.g. https://192.168.1.50:8000).
2. Accept the certificate (above).
3. Type the PIN shown by the status panel on the TV screen.
4. Once the remote loads, add the app to your home screen: the app itself shows you how for your phone (Android: menu → "Install app" or "Add to home screen"; iPhone: share button → "Add to Home Screen"). It then opens full-screen, like a native app.

Updating the app

Updates arrive through the app itself — no need to come back to this page:

1. On the phone: Settings → Update → Check.
2. If there's a new version, tap the button and the PC updates itself (downloads, verifies and installs the package).
3. Fully close the phone app and reopen it to pick up the new interface.

Terminal alternative on the PC: sudo bash /opt/linuxremoteplayer/scripts/update.sh

Reinstalling the phone app

If the phone app gets into a weird state (blank screen, old version that won't update), reinstalling is quick and erases nothing on the PC side:

1. Long-press the LinuxRemotePlayer icon on your home screen → remove/uninstall.
2. Open https://your-pc.local:8000 again in the phone browser.
3. Pair with the PIN and add it to the home screen again.
4. If you had a Pro license, don't worry: the license lives on the PC, not the phone. It's recognized automatically.

Pro license and moving it between PCs

Activating your license

1. After checkout, your key (format LRP-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX) arrives at the email you paid with, within 1-2 minutes.
2. In the app: Settings → License → paste the key → Activate.

One PC at a time, with self-service moving

Your license works on one PC at a time. If you switch machines (or reformat), you don't need to ask anyone:

1. Install LinuxRemotePlayer on the new PC and activate your same key.
2. The app tells you the license is active on another device and asks if you want to move it. Confirm and done: the new PC gets premium and the previous one loses it.

Privacy and security

• The remote is 100% local. Touchpad, keyboard, apps, volume: everything travels encrypted inside your WiFi network, from your phone to your PC. None of it goes over the internet.
• No accounts, no telemetry. We don't ask you to register and the app doesn't send usage statistics.
• Voice is the only thing that leaves your home — and only if you have Pro and press the microphone button. That audio goes encrypted to our cloud service, is used solely to interpret the command, and the service logs only minimal metadata (size and outcome) to run the daily limit.
• Protected access. Nobody controls your TV without the PIN or the pairing link; every connection authenticates with a token.

Uninstalling

One command in the PC terminal:

It removes the service, the firewall rules it created, the hardware permissions and the sleep configuration. If you had an active license, the uninstaller releases it so you can activate it directly on another PC.

Troubleshooting

The phone can't find the PC

• Check that both are on the same WiFi network (beware of guest networks, which often isolate devices from each other).
• If your-pc.local doesn't respond, try the direct IP the installer showed (https://192.168.x.x:8000).

Touchpad/keyboard not responding right after install

The reboot is missing: hardware permissions apply after restarting the PC (or logging out and back in). One time only.

The first voice command is slow

Expected: if voice hasn't been used in a while, the AI service "goes to sleep" and the first command may take a few seconds to wake it. The following ones respond instantly.

I pressed the mic without speaking and something weird happened

With pure silence, the recognizer sometimes "hears" words that aren't there. Release the button only after saying the command, and speak directly into the phone.

It says the license is in use on another device

Your key is active on another PC. The app offers to move it — if it wasn't you who activated it elsewhere, write to us.

The phone app acts weird after an update

Fully close it and reopen it. If it persists, reinstall the phone app (2 minutes, nothing is lost).