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Control Reelhost from your phone

Updated ยท 5 min read

Reelhost's own screens work in your phone's browser: run the check-up, record a show, add someone to Jellyfin or start a movie for everyone, without walking to the computer. At home it's on your Wi-Fi; if you allow it, it also works from anywhere over your web address. You can keep it on your home screen like an app.

What people use it for

  • Movie night from the couch. Open Watch together on the phone, pick the movie and who's watching, and start it on the TV and everyone's devices at the same moment. Pause and play for the whole group from the phone.
  • Record a show while you're out. Remembered a game or a show on the way home? Find it in Antenna & recordings and record it, if you've allowed your phone from anywhere.
  • Why won't the TV play it? From bed, open Monitor to see who's watching and why a stream struggles, or run the check-up.
  • Add a family member. In People & folders, add someone to Jellyfin, choose their libraries, or sign in a TV with its Quick Connect code.
  • Approve a new phone. When a phone signs in from away for the first time, Reelhost on the computer asks you to allow it.

It works while Reelhost is open on the computer that runs Jellyfin: the phone shows the computer's screens, and every command runs there.

Turn it on

  1. On the computer, open Reelhost and go to Connect devices > Control Reelhost from your phone.
  2. Choose a password of at least 10 characters. It's only for your phones, not your Jellyfin password.
  3. Click Turn on control from your phone.
  4. Scan the QR code with your phone's camera (or type the address, such as http://192.168.1.10:8098) and sign in with that password.

The rail's On your phone link shows the code again whenever you need it.

From anywhere, over your web address

Once your web address (yourname.watchhome.app, or your own domain) is set up and working, the same section offers a second switch: Also allow from anywhere (over your web address). It's off until you turn it on. Using it from anywhere at its own address needs a Reelhost 0.2.14 or newer.

  1. Turn on Also allow from anywhere. Reelhost shows the phone's own address, for example https://app.yourname.watchhome.app, with its own QR code. Its certificate is requested now, which can take a minute.
  2. Open that address on the phone and sign in with the phone password.
  3. The first time, the phone says Waiting for approval on your computer. Reelhost on the computer asks Allow this phone?, with the phone's kind and browser. Choose Allow. The request ends after 10 minutes if nobody answers.

It uses the same port 443 as your web address, so nothing changes on your router. With your own domain, add one DNS record first: app.yourdomain.com as a CNAME to yourdomain.com; Reelhost offers the switch once it leads to your home. Turning the switch off closes the way in straight away, signs out every phone that's away, and takes the phone's address out of DNS.

Tip: the computer has to be on with Reelhost open. If it isn't, the phone shows "Can't reach Reelhost on your computer".

Install it like an app

  • iPhone and iPad: in Safari, tap the Share button, then Add to Home Screen.
  • Android: in Chrome, tap Install the app when Reelhost offers it, or choose Add to Home screen in the browser's menu.

The full install (its own window, an offline page when the computer can't be reached) works over the HTTPS web address. On the plain home address, iPhone's Add to Home Screen works the same, but some Android phones add a shortcut instead of installing.

How it's kept safe

  • A password only for phones, set on the computer. A phone can't set or change it.
  • At home, home network only. The home address answers devices on your home network and nothing else.
  • From away, HTTPS only, and only through your web address. Reelhost tells a visit from away apart from one at home by the way it arrives, never by what the visitor claims.
  • New phones are approved on the computer. An allowed phone is listed in Reelhost's phone settings with Remove; Sign out all phones signs everyone out and forgets allowed phones.
  • Wrong passwords are limited. From away, a few wrong tries from one place make it wait, and too many in an hour pause signing in from away for an hour, with a notice on the computer.
  • Some things stay on the computer. A phone can't buy, enter or remove the license key, remove Reelhost or install Tailscale. From away it also can't change the web address, the router, the firewall or the phone settings.

Questions

Does it work when Reelhost is closed on the computer?

No. The phone uses Reelhost on the computer, so Reelhost has to be open there.

Is it a separate app from the app store?

No. It's Reelhost's own screens in your phone's browser, which you can add to your home screen. Jellyfin's own apps are still what you watch with.

Can a phone that's away from home change my web address or router?

No. From away, a phone can't change the web address, the router, the firewall or the phone settings. Do those on the computer.

Try it with Reelhost

Control from your phone comes with Reelhost. Using it from anywhere needs your web address, which is part of Complete and Yearly. Start with the free check-up.

Run the free check-up See pricing

The check-up is free and changes nothing. Every fix is previewed, backed up and reversible.