HandyCafe Docs
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Network Settings

The Network Settings category configures the communication ports and authentication key used between the HandyCafe server and all client PCs on the local network.

Ports

HandyCafe uses three separate ports for different types of communication. All port values must be in the range 1 to 65535 and must not conflict with each other or with other services running on the server.

TCP Port

  • Default: 5001
  • Purpose: Main command and response communication between the server and clients. All session control messages (start, stop, extend), status updates, menu pushes, and configuration sync travel over this port.
  • Protocol: TCP with binary encoding and cryptographic authentication.

File Port

  • Default: 5002
  • Purpose: File transfers between the server and clients. Used by the Sync Explorer feature to push files (game updates, configuration files, software) from the server to client PCs.
  • Protocol: TCP-based chunked file transfer.

UDP Port

  • Default: 5004
  • Purpose: Screen streaming for the remote desktop feature. When an administrator views a client's screen from the server console, the video frames are transmitted over this port.
  • Protocol: UDP for low-latency, real-time streaming.

Connection Key

The connection key is a shared secret password used for cryptographic authentication. Every message between the server and a client is signed with this key to prevent unauthorized devices from joining the network.

  • All client PCs must be configured with the same connection key as the server.
  • If you change the connection key on the server, you must update every client's configuration to match. Clients with a mismatched key will fail to authenticate and will not appear in the server console.
  • Use a strong, unique key. Avoid default or easily guessable values.

Important Notes

Changing ports or the connection key requires action on both sides:

  1. Update the values in the server's Network Settings and save.
  2. Restart the HandyCafe server application.
  3. Update the corresponding values in every client's configuration.
  4. Restart the client application on each PC.

Firewall rules: Ensure that your network firewall (both the server's OS firewall and any hardware firewalls) allows inbound and outbound traffic on all three configured ports. Blocked ports will prevent clients from connecting or streaming.

LAN requirement: The server and all client PCs must be on the same local area network (LAN). HandyCafe uses mDNS for client discovery, which operates within a single broadcast domain. Clients on different subnets or VLANs may not be discoverable without additional network configuration.