Network Display (Browser & Tablet)

Beam can publish the live display over your local network, so a phone, tablet, laptop, or any browser can show the same song information as your projector.

Beam browser display on a tablet

What it does

The network display shows the current mood layout — song info, cover art, and backgrounds — in a browser, and updates live when the track changes. Several devices can connect at the same time, with low latency.

When to use it

A tablet at the DJ table
A small side display somewhere in the venue
Checking the output from another device
When the DJ laptop and the display device are not the same machine

How to enable it

Open Beam Settings.
Go to Network Display.
Enable the network display service.
Beam shows the local address you can open in a browser.

Network display settings with host, port, and the local URL

The status bar shows Network: ON when the service is running, and Network: OFF when it is not.

How to open it from another device

Make sure the other device is on the same Wi-Fi / network as the Beam laptop.
Open the address Beam shows (something like http://192.168.1.50:8765) in any browser.
The current song and background should appear, updating as tracks change.

The browser can go full screen and keep the screen awake when you tap it.

Host, port, and local address — what they mean

Host — which network interface Beam listens on. 0.0.0.0 means “all interfaces”, so other devices on the network can reach it. Beam shows a detected local IP address as a hint for the URL to open.
Port — the door number on the laptop. The default is 8765. You can change it in Settings > Network Display if that port is busy.
Local address — the full http://<ip>:<port> URL to type on the other device.

Troubleshooting

Another device cannot connect — check, in order:

Same network — both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi/LAN. Guest networks often block device-to-device traffic.
Service enabled — confirm the status bar shows Network: ON.
Right IP — use the address Beam shows. The laptop’s IP can change between sessions or networks.
Firewall — your firewall may block Beam. On Linux especially, you may need to open the port. Allow Beam (or the port) through the firewall.
Port already in use — if another program uses the port, change Beam’s Port to a free one and reopen the new address.
Browser refresh — if a device shows a stale screen, refresh the page; it reconnects automatically.

More technical detail

For the HTTP/WebSocket API and internals, see NETWORK_DISPLAY.md.

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