NetworkStep 2 of 7
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NetworkStep 2

Install Tailscale on Host & Clients

Install Tailscale on your PC and every device you'll connect from.

Windows Setup

Host & Client

Install Tailscale with the official installer or using the Windows Package Manager.

  1. 1Run the installer or execute the winget command above.
  2. 2Launch Tailscale from the Windows notification area and log in using your SSO identity provider.
  3. 3Verify that your Host PC appears in the Tailscale Admin Console.
Terminal Command
winget install --id Tailscale.Tailscale -e

1. Connect the Host PC

Your Host PC is the primary gaming or workstation machine you want to access remotely. Use the interactive platform selector above to install Tailscale for your operating system.

Once installed:

  1. Launch Tailscale on your host machine.
  2. It will open a browser window requesting authentication.
  3. Log in using the exact same identity provider you used in Step 1.

Your PC is now part of your secure mesh network (your “tailnet”) and receives a dedicated, static Tailscale IP address (typically 100.x.y.z).

2. Connect Your Client Devices

Clients are the devices you will use when away from home—your laptop, smartphone, iPad, or Steam Deck.

Install the Tailscale client on each device and log in with the identical SSO account. Within seconds, all your machines will discover each other over an end-to-end encrypted WireGuard tunnel without needing any router port forwarding.

3. Crucial: Disable Key Expiry on the Host

By default, Tailscale requires devices to re-authenticate every 180 days for security. If your Host PC’s key expires while you are traveling, you will be locked out until you get back home. We need to disable key expiry for the Host.

  1. Open the Tailscale Admin Console in your web browser.
  2. Locate your Host PC in the machines list.
  3. Click the three-dot menu icon (...) on the far right of its row.
  4. Select Disable key expiry.

Your host machine will now stay continuously reachable on your tailnet indefinitely. Next, we will configure a subnet router so you can reach sleeping devices and smart home hardware.