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Find the right setup for you

Answer a few questions about where your server and displays are. The Setup Advisor picks the simplest supported way to run Tilecast for you and lists the guides to follow, in order, from an empty computer to a working display.

It isn’t a quiz. There are no wrong answers, and “I’m not sure” is a fine reply. It takes about a minute.

The Setup Advisor asks a few questions in your browser and shows the setup that fits. It needs JavaScript. Nothing you answer leaves your browser.Without JavaScript, start from the setup that sounds like yours:

Local network. Your Tilecast Server and Players are at the same site, so the setup with the fewest moving parts is to connect them directly over your local network. Nothing has to be reachable from the Internet.

Cloudflare Tunnel. Some Players, or the people who manage Tilecast, are away from the server. They need an address they can reach over the Internet. Tilecast’s optional Cloudflare Tunnel profile gives the server an HTTPS hostname without opening a port on your router.

Local Players with remote Studio. Your Players are at the server’s site and should keep reaching it without the Internet, but staff also need Studio from outside. Run Tilecast on your local network for the Players, and add a Cloudflare Tunnel hostname for Studio. Tilecast has no setting for two addresses, so this setup has limits that the guide explains.

Restricted network. Tilecast needs one thing from your network: each Player must be able to reach the server. VLANs, guest Wi-Fi, and client isolation often block that. Tilecast does not bridge networks or work around isolation, so the first job is to get that route opened.

These are the guides every setup uses:

Choose where to run Tilecast Server

Install Tilecast Server

Set up Tilecast on a local network

Set up Tilecast with Cloudflare Tunnel

Use a local address for Players and a hostname for Studio

Check that Players can reach the server

Ask your network administrator for access

Install Tilecast Player on Android TV

Install Tilecast Player on Linux

Prepare Tilecast Player on Windows (preview)

Choose a Player for your display

Pair your first display

Put content on the screen

Verify before you leave the screens unattended

Learn how updates work

Network
Server
Players
Recommendation

Network

Will Tilecast Server be on the same network as all of your Players?

A Player is the app on each display. “Same network” means the same building or site, connected to the same router or Wi-Fi.

YesSome Players will be somewhere elseNoI’m not sure

Network

Do you need to manage Tilecast Studio while you are away from that network?

Studio is the web app where you add content and approve displays.

YesNoI’m not sure

Network

Should local Players still reach Tilecast Server if the Internet connection goes down?

Players keep playing the content they already downloaded either way. This question is about receiving changes, commands, and status while the Internet is down.

YesNot importantI’m not sure

Network

How is your network set up?

Choose the closest match. A guest network is usually a separate Wi-Fi name that blocks devices from seeing each other.

Everything is on one networkPlayers and the server are on separate VLANs or networksPlayers use guest or isolated Wi-FiI’m not sure

Network

Can you change firewall, router, or network settings?

YesI have limited accessNoI’m not sure

Network

Do you have a domain name you can use for Tilecast?

A domain name is an address you own or rent, such as signage.example.org. You need one only when Players or staff reach Tilecast over the Internet.

YesNoI’m not sure what this means

Server

Do you already have a computer that can stay on whenever your displays need Tilecast?

Tilecast Server runs in Docker on a computer you control. Displays depend on it for new content, so it should not sleep or get switched off.

YesNoI’m not sure whether mine is suitable

Players

What will your displays run?

Tilecast Player runs on Android TV, Google TV, Fire TV, and Linux computers. A native Windows Player preview is in preparation. Apple TV is not supported.

Android TV, Google TV, or Fire TVA Linux computerA mix of Android and LinuxA Windows 10 or 11 computer (preview in preparation)Something else, or I haven’t decided

Choose an answer to continue.

How the Setup Advisor works

Section titled “How the Setup Advisor works”

It runs in your browser. Your answers aren’t sent to Tilecast, Cloudflare, or any other service.
The address of this page changes as you answer, so you can bookmark or share your result. The answers appear in the address, and nothing else does.
Copy my setup copies a short plain-text description for a support request or a GitHub issue. It has your answers and the recommended setup, and no addresses, passwords, or tokens.
It only recommends setups that Tilecast supports today. It points you to the guides for the details.

The setups it can recommend

Section titled “The setups it can recommend”

Local network. The server and every Player are at the same site. Players connect directly. See Set up Tilecast on a local network.
Cloudflare Tunnel. Players or staff are away from the server. See Set up Tilecast with Cloudflare Tunnel.
Local Players with remote Studio. Players stay on the local network, and staff reach Studio through a tunnel. See Local Players with remote Studio.
Restricted network. VLANs, guest Wi-Fi, or client isolation sit between the Players and the server. See Check that Players can reach the server.
Choose a server first. You need a computer that stays on. See Choose where to run Tilecast Server.

Every setup ends with Verify before you leave the screens unattended. If you already know your setup, start from Getting started or Installation instead.

Last updated: Oct 4, 2026

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