Before Falcon Player can run your show, you need to reach the correct device in a browser. We recommend proving that connection on the bench first. Once you can identify the player, save its settings and reach it after a restart, moving sequences becomes a much simpler job.
Reviewed October 29, 2026. Menu references follow the current FPP 10 manual. Check your installed release when a screen differs.
Choose the correct starting point
Scroll sideways to see all columns.
| What you have | Start here |
|---|---|
| A Raspberry Pi without FPP | Confirm supported hardware and prepare a dedicated card with the correct FPP image. |
| A Mattos Kulp PB2i package with preinstalled FPP | Start with its supplied installation. The PB2 Industrial listings identify FPP on internal eMMC; an SD-card rewrite is not the first step. |
| An FPP device already running a show | Record its identity and download a configuration backup before changing networking. Preserve sequence and media files separately. |
For example, our Kulp K16 PRO-PB2i listing identifies the internal-storage arrangement. A different Kulp package may have different supplied components. Check the actual order and board label.
For a fresh Raspberry Pi installation
- Check your Pi against FPP's supported hardware information. Use the appropriate power supply, a suitable microSD card and any required network adapter.
- Use the official FPP download path. The FPP quick start documents Raspberry Pi Imager's FPP OS choice; an image downloaded from the official release page must match your hardware.
- Select the intended card as the destination and verify it before writing. Imaging erases that destination, so keep your working show card and other drives out of the selection.
- After writing finishes, insert the card, connect the Pi's Ethernet connection to your router's LAN or its network switch, and apply power. Give the first boot time to complete.
Keep pixels out of this first exercise. Success here is a working web connection. It does not require enabling every output or installing a sequence.
Make one straightforward network connection
Connect the player through its Ethernet socket. On a controller with several RJ45 connectors, read the labels: differential receiver and DMX sockets are different connections. Put your setup computer on the same home network for this initial test.
Start with DHCP, allowing the router to issue an address. Try http://fpp.local/ in the browser. If that name does not resolve, open the router's connected-device or DHCP list, locate the player and browse to its numeric address. A working numeric address with a failing name points you toward name resolution, rather than a need to reinstall FPP.
If several players are connected, confirm which physical box you reached before editing it. Record its address, board type and FPP version. Give each player a distinct hostname that you can match to its enclosure label.
Understand the subnet before changing addresses
Here is an example only: on a network using 192.168.50.0 with mask 255.255.255.0, the computer might be 192.168.50.20 and FPP 192.168.50.30. They have different device addresses within the same subnet. Use your own network's settings; do not copy these numbers into an unrelated setup.
A manually assigned address must be unique and must not later be handed to another device. For a stable address, use a router reservation where supported, or plan a static address outside its allocation pool. Save the previous working values before making that change. After applying it, reconnect using the new address.
Leave a separate show network for the next stage. When FPP uses two interfaces for separate networks, the official guide places them on different subnets and normally uses a gateway only on the home-facing interface. Copying the same subnet onto both interfaces can create an avoidable troubleshooting problem.
If the page does not open
- Check power, the correct Ethernet socket and the connection to a LAN port.
- Try a known-good cable and inspect the router's device list again.
- Check that the computer is not on an isolated guest network.
- Try the numeric address instead of the hostname.
- Use a tethering method only when your hardware supports it. PocketBeagle 2 does not support the older USB-tether setup method.
A connection problem by itself is not a reason to overwrite a supplied PB2i installation. Keep the symptoms, board identity and network details together if you need help.
Finish this stage before adding the show
- Reach the correct player and record its hostname, address and version.
- Choose its intended Player or Remote role and check local time and time zone.
- Save a configuration backup to another device. Configuration backup alone does not include your songs or sequences.
- Use a normal FPP restart and confirm you can reconnect.
Next, follow Move Your xLights Show to Falcon Player for rendered files, output configuration, playlists and scheduling. You now have a known starting point for that work.
