Direct PC to PC link

Only use this if you play on WIFI.

To connect two PCs together using one Ethernet cable and ensure NDI (Network Device Interface) uses the Ethernet connection and not Wi-Fi, follow these steps:

⚠️ INSTALL THE FOLLOWING ON THE GAMING PC ⚠️

1) Download/Install OBS (Version 31.1.0 Only)

2) Download/Install OBS DistroAV 6.1.1 Plugin

3) Download/Install NDI Runtime 6

4) OBS Settings

Video Settings:

  • Base (Canvas) & Output (Scaled) Resolution: 150x150 for Color or 300x300 for AI

  • Fractional FPS: At least240/1

Advanced Settings:

  • Color Format: BGRA (8-bit)

Game Capture:

  • Select game capture and your game.

  • Center it to the canvas by pressing Game Capture in Sources and then pressing CTRL + D.

  • The end result should look like the following:

As you can see the window shows the center of the screen! if the entire image is constricted to the box, you may did not center the window and should remove the current capture source and redo.

NDI Output Settings:

  • On the toolbar, go to Tools.

  • Select NDI Output Settings.

  • Click the checkbox next to Main Output.

Finally, Right click on the preview and select the option to disable the preview.

1. Set Up Direct Ethernet Connection

  • Connect an Ethernet cable between the two PCs directly.

  • Make sure both PCs have functioning Ethernet ports.

2. Assign Static IP Addresses

  • Since you are connecting the PCs directly without a router or switch, you need to manually assign static IP addresses to each PC.

    1. On both PCs, go to Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.

    2. Right-click the Ethernet adapter and select Properties.

    3. Click on Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) and then click Properties.

    4. Select Use the following IP address and configure:

      • PC 1 IP address: 192.168.1.10

      • PC 2 IP address: 192.168.1.11

      • Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0

    5. Click OK to save the settings.

3. Create Windows Firewall rule

Steps to Create Firewall Rules for NDI/OBS

  1. Open Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security

    • Press Windows + R, type wf.msc, and press Enter.

    • This opens the Windows Defender Firewall with Advanced Security.

  2. Create an Outbound Rule for NDI/OBS

    1. In the left pane, click Outbound Rules.

    2. In the right pane, click New Rule.

    3. Select Program, then click Next.

    4. Choose the path of your OBS or NDI application executable (for OBS, it's usually C:\Program Files\obs-studio\bin\64bit\obs64.exe), then click Next.

    5. Choose Allow the connection, then click Next.

    6. In the Profile section, check Private and Public but uncheck Domain, then click Next.

    7. Give the rule a name, like "OBS/NDI over Ethernet", then click Finish.

  3. Create an Interface-Specific Rule To make sure the traffic goes over Ethernet, you can bind the rule to the Ethernet interface:

    1. Right-click the rule you just created and choose Properties.

    2. Go to the Advanced tab.

    3. Under Interface types, click Customize.

    4. Select Only for local area network (LAN) and uncheck Remote Access and Wireless.

    5. Click OK and save the settings.

Fixing OBS/NDI when it's stuck looking for sources after a restart:

1️⃣ Check Network Connection

  • Make sure both PCs are on the same network (wired preferred).

    • Both PCs should be on Ethernet. If one is on Wi-Fi, this could cause issues.

    • Open Command Prompt (Win + R → type cmd → Enter)

    • Try pinging the other PC:

      ping <OTHER_PC_IP>

      Example:

      ping 192.168.1.100

      • If this fails, your PCs aren’t communicating over the network.

3️⃣ Check Firewall (Most Common Issue)

  • Disable Windows Firewall (temporarily for testing)

    • On both PCs:

      1. Press Win + R, type firewall.cpl, press Enter.

      2. Click Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off.

      3. Select Turn off Windows Defender Firewall for both Public & Private networks.

      4. Try refreshing NDI sources in OBS.

  • If turning off the firewall fixes it, then re-enable it and manually allow OBS/NDI on the Gaming PC:

    • Go back to firewall.cpl.

    • Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.

    • Find and check:

      • obs64.exe

      Disable Windows Firewall (temporarily for testing)

  • If turning off the firewall fixes it, then re-enable it and manually allow Moonlight.exe on the Script PC:

    • Go back to firewall.cpl.

    • Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.

    • Find and check:

      • Moonlight.exe

4️⃣ Check if DistroAV Plugin is Enabled

  • Open OBS → Tools → DistroAV NDI Settings.

  • Ensure "Main Output" checkbox is checked.

8️⃣ Restart Everything in This Order

  1. Turn off both PCs completely.

  2. Power cycle the router/modem and switch (unplug for 10 seconds, then plug back in).

  3. Start the sending PC first.

  4. Start the receiving PC.

  5. Open OBS on Gaming PC.

After trying these steps, your NDI source should show up. If it’s still not working, let us know!

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