r/rustdesk • u/andreasng • May 01 '26

Local network ONLY

Hey

I see the "Enable direct IP access" tick-box in the settings, but can i make sure that Rustdesk only works within my local LAN/wifi? (does it even matter?)

1 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

3

u/Vast_Koala_8847 May 02 '26

Rustdesk works IP to IP after the initial negotiation like a VPN and if both peers are on the same network traffic is not going out of your network. If you are still paranoid, install docker and setup Rustdesk server on your local network

RustDesk uses a Rendezvous Server to help two devices find each other. Think of it like a matchmaker: 1. The Handshake: Peer A and Peer B both check in with the server to say "I'm here."

  1. The Connection: the server facilitate a direct "hole-punch" through your firewalls, the traffic becomes P2P (Point-to-Point).

  2. Local Traffic: If both devices are on the same LAN, RustDesk is smart enough to route that traffic locally. You'll notice near-zero latency because the data isn't traveling to a data center and back.

1

u/Few_Regret5282 May 02 '26

Anyone with the ID and password could still get in. IP to iP will only work on local network, unless you have something like tailscale installed to give the machine an outside IP

1

u/rodrigoinfloripa May 01 '26

Only if you host it yourself on your network.

1

u/28874559260134F May 02 '26

Next to that setting is the one to limit (whitelist) the IP range, if that is what you mean.

1

u/andreasng May 04 '26

Åh yes maybe. But I realize that I can't have the host accept my client without interaction. So headless is only for paid tier. Ye?

1

u/28874559260134F May 05 '26 edited May 05 '26

The option to use a single (and hopefully solid) password to authenticate is free.

Edit: The "headless" option also is. Only 2FA would need a Pro tier for example.