troubleshooting                        
** 2/17/25   RustDesk  
  Ver   troubleshooting  
  2/17/25                        
   
  RustDesk I can remote into my Laptap via RustDesk using my RustDesk ID for the Laptop.   I cannot remote into my friends laptop from my desktop via Rustdesk (neither via direct IP or via the relay server).  
  RustDesk Svr However when I try remoting in via direct IP address I get a connection error, failed to connect. Her rustdesk window has a red indicater and a "Not ready. Please check your connection", at the bottom of the rustdesk pop-up.
  settings
  ID's+Tstuff Right now you have:   It means the RustDesk app isn’t connected to any server at all 
  troubleshooting •  Desktop ? Laptop using RustDesk ID = works — not your relay, not the public relay, not even the ID server.
    •  Desktop ? Laptop using direct IP = fails So the app never registers an ID, never shows “Ready”, and never accepts connections.
   
    The fixes
    RustDesk ID connections use your RustDesk server (ID + relay) 1 Is her internet actually working?
    ? Direct IP connections bypass the server entirely and require LAN-to-LAN reachability
    2 Is her network blocking RustDesk? This is the #1 cause when helping friends or family.
    So the fact that ID works but direct IP fails means: Open Settings → Network & Internet
    ? Your devices can reach each other through the RustDesk relay, Click her Wi-Fi or Ethernet connection
    ? but cannot reach each other directly over the LAN. Make sure Network profile = Private
    If it’s Public, Windows blocks inbound traffic and sometimes outbound traffic that RustDesk needs.
   
    Why direct IP fails even though ID works: 3  Windows Firewall is blocking RustDesk
    Open Windows Security
     Direct IP mode requires: Allow an app through firewall Find RustDesk
    •  Both devices on the same LAN Make sure BOTH boxes are checked: Private
    •  No VPNs Public
    •  No guest Wi-Fi isolation 4 Is she behind a restrictive network? Work Wi-Fi
    •  No firewall blocking inbound LAN traffic School Wi-Fi If she’s on any of those, RustDesk may never show “Ready”.
    •  RustDesk service running with LAN discovery enabled Apartment complex Wi-Fi
    If any of these fail, direct IP will fail with the exact message you’re seeing. Hotel Wi-Fi  Have her connect her laptop to her phone’s hotspot.
    Guest networks f RustDesk instantly turns green and shows “Ready”, the network she was on is blocking it.
    Public hotspots
    The 3 most common causes (in your exact scenario):
    5 Is RustDesk configured incorrectly? RustDesk > Menu > Settings > Network > ID Server
    1. Windows Firewall on the laptop is blocking LAN inbound traffic Relay Server
    RustDesk ID mode uses your relay server ? firewall doesn’t matter. If these fields are filled with incorrect values, RustDesk will show “Not ready”.
    Direct IP mode uses LAN ? firewall matters a lot.
    On the laptop: If she’s using your custom server, she must have: Your ID server address
    1 Windows Security Your relay server address
    2 Firewall & network protection Correct ports open
    3 Allow an app through firewall
    4 Ensure RustDesk is allowed for: If she’s using the public servers, those fields should be empty
    •  Private
    •  Public
    If “Private” is unchecked, direct IP will fail every time. Let’s pinpoint it quickly Does her RustDesk window show an ID number, or is the ID field blank? That single detail tells us whether the problem is:
    •  Firewall
    2. The laptop’s network profile is set to Public If her RustDesk shows an ID number, then: •  Network profile
    Direct IP requires the laptop’s network to be Private. •  Her RustDesk can reach the ID server •  Wrong server settings
    On the laptop: •  Her RustDesk has internet •  Or a blocked network
    1 Settings ? Network & Internet •  The RustDesk service is running
    2 Click your Wi-Fi or Ethernet
    3 Set Network profile = Private   Her RustDesk can register with the ID server, but it cannot establish a working connection channel (relay or direct).
    If it’s Public, Windows blocks all unsolicited inbound LAN traffic. That narrows it to three causes, and we can eliminate them quickly.
    1 Her network is blocking RustDesk relay traffic This is the #1 cause when the ID shows but the status is red.
    3. The laptop is not on the same LAN RustDesk needs outbound access to:
    Direct IP only works if both devices are on the same subnet. •  TCP 21115 (ID server) If she’s on: …these networks often block the relay port.
    Check the IPs: •  TCP 21116 (relay server) •  Work Wi-Fi
    •  Desktop: e.g.,  •  TCP 21117 (API server) •  School Wi-Fi
    •  Laptop: e.g.,  •  Apartment complex Wi-Fi
    If they are not in the same range (same first three octets), direct IP will fail. Quick test Have her connect to her phone’s hotspot. •  Hotel Wi-Fi
    If RustDesk instantly turns green and says “Ready”,  •  Guest network
    Quick test to confirm the root cause the network she is on is blocking the relay. •  Public hotspot
    On the desktop, open Command Prompt and run:  Ping 192.168.0.186 (Vickie's old PC) This test is extremely reliable.
    Results:
    •  If ping works ? firewall is the issue   <------------------- 2 Her RustDesk is pointing to the wrong server RusDesk > Settings > Network > •  ID Server
    •  If ping fails ? network isolation or different subnets •  Relay Server
    This one test tells us exactly where the failure is. If she is supposed to use your self-hosted RustDesk server, •  API Server
    these must match your desktop’s settings exactly.
    Let’s pinpoint it cleanly
    Tell me the result of this: If she is supposed to use the public RustDesk servers, 
    From your desktop, can you ping the laptop’s IP address?   YES then all three fields should be empty.
    Once I know that, I can give you the exact fix — no guessing.
    3 Windows Firewall is blocking RustDesk This one is sneaky because RustDesk can still show an ID even when the firewall blocks the relay channel.
   
    Next steps to fix direct IP connection Windows Security > Firewall & network protection > Allow an app through firewall > Find RustDesk Make sure BOTH boxes are checked:
    Since you confirmed the ping was successful, the next steps focus on firewall and RustDesk settings on the laptop: X Private
    If there are multiple RustDesk entries, allow all of them. X Public
    1. Check Windows Firewall settings on the laptop If RustDesk is missing from the list, that’s a huge clue — Windows blocked it on install.
    Open Windows Security
    Go to Firewall & network protection The fastest next step Is she on home Wi-Fi, work Wi-Fi, apartment Wi-Fi, or something else?
    Click Allow an app through firewall
    Find RustDesk in the list
    Make sure it is allowed on both Private and Public networks When I blanked out all three fields (ID server, Relay server, and API server) I was able to make a successful connection.
    If not, click Change settings and enable both
    The problem was misconfigured server settings on her laptop Her RustDesk was pointing to the wrong ID/relay/API server, so it could register an ID 
    2. Verify the laptop’s network profile is set to Private but could not establish a working connection channel. 
    Open Settings ? Network & Internet
    Select your active network (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) Once you cleared the fields, RustDesk switched back to the public RustDesk servers, which are always reachable unless a network blocks them.
    Confirm Network profile is set to Private
   
    3. Ensure RustDesk LAN discovery is enabled on the laptop Below is a streamlined, battle-tested configuration path tailored to your Proxmox LXC RustDesk server.
    Open RustDesk on the laptop
    Go to Settings 1 Use the correct server addresses on BOTH clients RustDesk requires three fields to be correct
    Look for LAN discovery or similar option •  ID Server:  yourdomain.com:21115 These must be identical on:
    Make sure it is enabled •  Relay Server:  yourdomain.com:21116 •  Your desktop
    After these steps, try the direct IP connection again. •  API Server:  yourdomain.com:21117 •  Her laptop
    If it still fails, let me know and we can troubleshoot further.
    If even one field is wrong, the client will show: “Not ready. Please check your connection”   (even though it displays an ID)
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Yes, guide me through temporarily disabling the Windows Firewall to test if it's blocking the connection. 2 Confirm your Proxmox LXC is reachable Port Protocol Purpose Quick external test
    21115 TCP ID server (hbbs) telnet yourdomain.com 21115
     Step-by-step: Temporarily turn off Windows Firewall (Laptop) If 21116 is blocked, RustDesk will show an ID but never go “Ready”. 21116 TCP Relay server (hbbr) telnet yourdomain.com 21116
    1. Open Windows Security 21117 TCP API server telnet yourdomain.com 21117
    •  Press Start
    •  Type Windows Security If 21115 works but 21116 fails, the relay is blocked — and that’s exactly what causes the red indicator.
    •  Open it
    2. Go to Firewall settings 3 Confirm the RustDesk services are running Inside your LXC: systemctl status hbbs
    •  Click Firewall & network protection systemctl status hbbr If hbbr is down, clients will show “Not ready”.
    3. Choose the active network
    You’ll see three profiles: 4 Configure your desktop RustDesk >  Settings > Network >
    •  Domain network - ID Server: yourdomain.com:21115
    •  Private network Restart RustDesk afterward. - Relay Server: yourdomain.com:21116
    •  Public network - API Server: yourdomain.com:21117
    The one marked “Active” is the one we need.
    Click that active profile. 5 Configure her laptop   Enter the exact same values.
    4. Turn off the firewall for this profile
    •  Find Microsoft Defender Firewall If she had old or incorrect values before, that explains the red “Not ready” message.
    •  Toggle the switch Off
    Windows will warn you — that’s normal. This is only temporary for testing. Once corrected, her client should immediately switch to:
    5. Test RustDesk Now try connecting from your desktop ? laptop again. •   Green indicator
    6. Turn the firewall back on immediately after the test Go back to the same screen and toggle the firewall On again. •   “Ready”
    •   Relay connection active
   
    6 Validate the connection path   When you connect to her laptop, RustDesk should show:
    ?? What this test tells us •  Relay: yourdomain.com:21116
    If the connection works with the firewall off: The firewall is blocking RustDesk, and we’ll fix the specific rule next. •   Encryption: Enabled
    If it still fails: The issue is elsewhere (network isolation, VPN, router settings, etc.). •   Direct: No (unless you’re on the same LAN)
   
    If it still tries to use the public relay, that means one of the fields is still wrong.