STREAM FRAME BY BOXTREE

Support & setup

Stream Frame brings video from your Steam Frame to your Mac, iPhone, or iPad. Need help? Email admin@boxtree.gg with your device model, app version, and a description of the issue. Never send SSH passwords or private keys.

Before you connect

1. Connect the headset and viewing device to the same local network.
2. Enable Developer Mode and SSH on your Steam Frame and set an SSH password.
3. Ensure ffmpeg with libx264 is installed on the headset and can read /dev/video99.
4. Enter the headset’s local IPv4 address, then select Stream. On iPhone and iPad, the default SSH username is steamos; change it in Settings if needed.
5. Verify the SSH fingerprint against your headset before trusting a new connection. Allow Local Network access when prompted.

See Valve’s developer documentation for headset setup. The iOS app connects directly to the headset; a Mac is not required.

Record and capture

Select Record during a stream to start an MP4 recording, then stop it when finished. Select Screenshot to save the current video frame as a PNG. On iPhone and iPad, open Captures to preview, share, export with Save to Files, or delete a capture. Files are also available under On My iPhone/iPad → Stream Frame. On Mac, choose a save location when prompted.

Try the iOS app without hardware

In Stream Frame for iOS, open Settings → Try sample stream. The clearly labeled DEMO plays a bundled sample through the actual video decoder. You can try recording, screenshots, Captures, and full-screen viewing without a network connection or headset. Select End to finish.

If the connection fails

• Check the IP address, SSH username and password, and that the headset is awake.
• Check Local Network permission in your iPhone/iPad’s system settings.
• Guest Wi-Fi and client isolation can prevent devices from reaching one another. Use a network that permits device-to-device traffic.
• The headset must accept SSH on port 22, and the receiving device must be reachable on UDP port 8090.
• A changed fingerprint is deliberately blocked. Verify the new identity on the headset before using Forget trusted identity in Settings.

If video does not arrive

Confirm that ffmpeg is available on the headset and that /dev/video99 can be read. Check that the network allows UDP traffic. Stream Frame sends video only; there is no audio stream. It does not control the headset’s games or stream over the internet.

Ending a session

Select End to stop the remote capture and disconnect SSH. On iPhone and iPad, switching apps or locking the device also ends streaming and finishes an active recording. Stream Frame does not provide background streaming or Picture in Picture.

Privacy and licensing

Read the Privacy Policy and terms and licenses. Stream Frame is an independent Boxtree utility, not an official Valve project.