Connection guide

One destination, two paths in.

Every Remio session takes one of two routes between your client and your host. The direct path is device-to-device — sub-5 ms on the same network, glass-to-glass, no server in the middle. The relay path goes through the nearest encrypted relay edge — 30 to 100 ms round-trip, same end-to-end encryption, no decryption at the relay. Most homes get direct automatically; when they do not, four small fixes usually fix it.

See the paths Force a direct path
Network topology

One endpoint pair, two parallel paths.

The same client and host are reachable via two completely different routes. Remio tries the direct path first; if the network blocks it, Remio swaps to the relay path without dropping the session.

Your client iPad · iPhone · Mac
Android · Windows
Path A · Direct device-to-device

< 5 ms on the same network. Pixels travel device-to-device once Remio finds the shortest path. No server touches your stream — not Remio, not Cloudflare. End-to-end encrypted.

Your host Mac or Windows
at home
Path B · via encrypted relay

30–100 ms round-trip. When the direct path is blocked, the stream routes through the nearest Cloudflare relay edge. Still end-to-end encrypted — the relay forwards opaque bytes and never sees what is inside.

The switch is automatic. Remio probes the network every session. It tries the same-network path first, then a public direct path, then the encrypted relay. The first one that succeeds wins. The HUD shows which path you got — direct or relay.

Direct vs. relay

Same encryption, different speed.

Both paths are end-to-end encrypted with the same keys. The difference is who sits in the middle — nobody, or a Cloudflare relay edge forwarding opaque bytes.

Optimal

Direct connection

<5ms

same-network round-trip, glass-to-glass

Pixels travel device-to-device once Remio finds the shortest path. No server touches your stream — not Remio, not Cloudflare. Ideal for gaming, design work, and anything interactive.

Fallback

Encrypted relay connection

30–100ms

via nearest Cloudflare edge

When the direct path is blocked, Remio routes the stream through a Cloudflare relay edge. Still end-to-end encrypted — the relay forwards opaque bytes. Works on any network, including hotels and corporate Wi-Fi.

Configuration

How to force a direct path.

Most homes get a direct connection with zero setup. When you do not, walk through these four guides in order — each one rules out a common blocker.

Guide 01 — Why am I on relay

Diagnose the connection type

Remio shows the active path in the streaming HUD. A "relay" label means Remio could not open a direct path between your devices. Usually one of four things is to blame.

  • Devices are on different networks — cellular on one side, home Wi-Fi on the other.
  • Router firewall blocks inbound traffic from the public internet.
  • Mobile carrier networks sometimes hide your device behind layers of routing that block direct paths.
  • Corporate, hotel, or campus Wi-Fi explicitly blocks direct device-to-device traffic.
Guide 02 — Same Wi-Fi network

Confirm both devices share the LAN

Same network is the easiest path to direct — Remio finds the local route first and skips public-internet probing entirely. If your HUD still says relay, walk through these checks.

  1. 01Confirm both devices are joined to the same Wi-Fi network. On iOS, Settings → Wi-Fi. On macOS, System Settings → Network.
  2. 02If you run a mesh router (eero, Google Nest, Deco, ASUS AiMesh), make sure both devices are on the same network name — some meshes split 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz into separate networks.
  3. 03Disable AP isolation in your router admin if the option exists. AP isolation explicitly forbids device-to-device traffic on the same Wi-Fi.
  4. 04Disconnect and reconnect in Remio. The next session picks up the local route.

Guest networks on many routers (Verizon, Xfinity, ASUS) isolate clients by default. Pair Remio host and client on the main SSID instead.

Guide 03 — Across the internet

Open a UDP path on your home router

Connecting from outside your home network — cellular, a friend's Wi-Fi, a coffee shop — means your home router has to accept inbound traffic for the host. Most consumer routers do this automatically. When they do not, you can open the port range manually.

  1. 01Find your host Mac's local IP in System Settings → Network. It usually looks like 192.168.1.100 or 10.0.0.42.
  2. 02Open your router admin page in a browser. The address is usually 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1; check the sticker on the router for the default login.
  3. 03Find the Port Forwarding (sometimes "Virtual Server" or "Pinholes") section.
  4. 04Forward UDP ports 49152–65535 to your Mac's local IP. Leave TCP alone — Remio only uses UDP for streaming.
  5. 05Save the rule, reboot the router if asked, and reconnect in Remio. The HUD should switch from "relay" to "direct" within a few seconds.
Ports to forward
UDP 49152 – 65535 Remio streaming — encrypted video and audio

Remio picks random high ports each session. Forwarding the whole range is safe — the host listens only when a paired client is connecting, and traffic is end-to-end encrypted.

Guide 04 — Local firewall

Allow Remio Host through macOS firewall

macOS firewall (off by default since Ventura, on by default if you turned it on) can silently drop inbound traffic from your client. Adding Remio Host to the allow-list takes thirty seconds.

  1. 01Open System Settings → Network → Firewall. If the firewall is off, you can stop here — nothing is being blocked.
  2. 02Click Options… (or "Firewall Options" on older macOS).
  3. 03Add Remio Host to the list. The app lives in /Applications/Remio Host.app.
  4. 04Make sure "Allow incoming connections" is checked for Remio Host. Save.

Still on relay after all of the above? Some networks — hotels, corporate Wi-Fi, university campus — deliberately block direct device-to-device traffic and there is nothing on your end to fix. Relay is the right answer there. Remio picks the nearest Cloudflare relay edge automatically, so even relay sessions stay under 100 ms round-trip in most regions.

Free, all features · no account · no card

Ready to go direct.

Install Remio on the computer you want to reach and on the device you want to reach it from. Pair with a four-digit one-time PIN. The streaming HUD will tell you which path you got — direct or relay.

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