Local LG TV Remote

A beautifully designed, local-only web remote for LG webOS TVs. Scan your network, pair once, and control your TV from any browser — on your Mac or your phone. No cloud. No accounts. No npm dependencies.

The UI looks and feels like a real remote, with a neumorphic light/dark theme, an elongated device shape, a large central D-pad flanked by volume and channel rockers, a full number pad, and an electric-blue hero button that opens your installed apps.

Features

Connectivity

Automatic scan — discovers LG webOS TVs on your local network via SSDP
Manual IP — connect by entering your TV's IP address if scanning fails
One-tap pairing — accepts the on-screen approval prompt from your TV
Saved pairing key — reconnects instantly on subsequent launches
Phone mode — control the TV from any device on the same Wi-Fi

Remote

Power, Home, Menu — top icon row
Circular D-pad — large, neumorphic, with recessed OK button and four directional indicators
Volume rocker — plus / minus / VOL label, soft raised pill
Channel rocker — up / down / CH label, soft raised pill
Color keys — red, green, yellow, blue
Number pad — full 3×4 layout with letter sub-labels (1 ABC, 2 DEF …) and a backspace key
Media controls — rewind, play, pause, fast-forward
Apps launcher — the blue hero button opens a grid of every app installed on the TV, tap to launch

Design

Neumorphic UI — soft surfaces, gentle shadows, premium feel
Light & Dark themes — toggle in the drawer, persists across sessions
Remote-shaped frame — rounded device body with glossy top reflection, IR LED, and brand label
Fully responsive — comfortable on a phone screen or a desktop browser
Keyboard shortcuts — arrow keys move the D-pad, Enter is OK, Space is Play/Pause, Esc is Back

Requirements

What you need	Notes
A computer running macOS, Linux, or Windows	The server runs here
Node.js 18 or newer	nodejs.org
An LG Smart TV running webOS	Most LG TVs from 2014 onward
Same local network	Your computer and TV must be on the same Wi-Fi or LAN
For phone control	Your phone must also be on the same Wi-Fi

No npm install step — the project is dependency-free. Works on macOS, Linux, and Windows out of the box.

Quick Start (3 minutes)

The server runs on your computer and broadcasts the remote over your local Wi-Fi so any phone on the same network can open it.

1. Start the phone server

macOS / Linux:

npm run start:phone

Windows (Command Prompt or PowerShell):

npm run start:phone

You'll see output like:

Phone mode enabled. Open http://192.168.1.25:4173 on your phone.

On macOS you can also double-click phone.command in Finder. On Windows, double-click phone.bat in Explorer.

2. Open the remote on your phone

Type the printed URL (something like http://192.168.1.25:4173) into your phone's browser.

Your phone, your computer, and your TV must all be on the same Wi-Fi network.

3. Connect to your TV

Tap the menu icon (top-right of the remote, three lines).
Tap Scan network — your LG TV should appear in a few seconds.
Tap your TV in the list.
A "Pairing with your LG TV" dialog appears — accept the prompt on your TV screen.

You're connected. The status pill at the top of the remote turns blue and reads Connected.

4. Stop the server

In the terminal, press Control + C. Or run:

npm run stop

On macOS double-click stop.command. On Windows double-click stop.bat.

Phone Mode Details

npm run start:phone runs the server on port 4173 and binds it to your local network (0.0.0.0). Anything on the same Wi-Fi can open it.

Checklist:

✅ Phone, computer, and TV on the same Wi-Fi
✅ On Windows: allow the Node.js process through Windows Defender Firewall when prompted (private networks)
✅ On macOS: allow Local Network access when prompted
✅ This does not put the app on the internet — only your local network can reach it

Quick-launch files:

File	Platform	Action
`phone.command`	macOS	Double-click to start phone mode
`phone.bat`	Windows	Double-click to start phone mode
`stop.command`	macOS	Double-click to stop the server
`stop.bat`	Windows	Double-click to stop the server

If macOS blocks a .command file the first time, right-click it → Open → approve.

To change the port:

macOS / Linux:

PORT=5000 npm run start:phone

Windows (PowerShell):

$env:PORT=5000; npm run start:phone

Windows (Command Prompt):

set PORT=5000 && npm run start:phone

To find the printed URL later:

npm run status

Connect to Your TV

You can connect in two ways.

Option A — Auto Scan (recommended)

Turn on your LG TV.
Open the remote page.
Tap menu (top-right) → Scan network.
Tap your TV when it appears.
Accept the pairing prompt on the TV screen.

Option B — Manual IP

Find your TV's IP address:
- On the TV: Settings → Network → Wi-Fi Connection → Advanced Wi-Fi Settings — the IP is listed there.
- Or in your router's device list.
Open the remote page.
Tap menu → type the IP into the Manual IP field → Connect.
Accept the pairing prompt on the TV screen.

After pairing

The pairing key is stored locally in .tv-keys.json. Next time you tap your TV, it connects immediately — no re-prompt.

To forget a saved TV, tap menu → Settings → Forget saved TV key.

Using the Remote

Here's what every part of the remote does.

Top icon row

Button	Action
🔴 Power (red)	Turn the TV off
🏠 Home	Open the webOS launcher (home screen)
☰ Menu	Open the drawer — Connect, Settings

D-pad (center)

A large circular control. Tap any quadrant to navigate, tap the center OK to confirm. Four small dots mark the cardinal directions.

Rockers (flanking the D-pad)

Rocker	Buttons
VOL (left)	`+` volume up, `−` volume down
CH (right)	`^` channel up, `v` channel down

Color keys

Red · Green · Yellow · Blue — used by apps for shortcuts (e.g., teletext, recordings, special menus).

Number pad

Type a channel number digit by digit. The TV meta line shows what you've typed. Press OK (or Enter on a keyboard) to tune to that channel.

The backspace key (right of 0) deletes one digit. If the buffer is empty, it acts as Back.

Bottom row

Button	Action
Back	Go back one step
Input	Switch input source (HDMI 1, HDMI 2, TV, etc.)
🔵 Hero (blue)	Open the Apps launcher — every app installed on the TV, tap to launch
Exit	Close the current menu or app
Menu	Open the drawer

Apps launcher

Tap the blue hero button. A grid of every app installed on your TV appears. Tap any tile to launch it on the TV.

Status pill

At the top of the remote:

Offline (grey dot) — not connected
Connected (blue dot) — paired and ready

Keyboard shortcuts

Key	Action
`↑` `↓` `←` `→`	D-pad
`Enter`	OK
`Esc`	Back
`Space`	Play / Pause

How It Works

A browser alone cannot scan your LAN or talk to an LG TV. This project runs a small Node.js server on your computer that bridges the two.

Browser or phone  →  local Node server  →  LG webOS TV

The server:

Serves the website from public/
Scans your network with SSDP
Connects to LG webOS over WebSocket (ports 3001 / 3000)
Sends LG ssap:// remote-control commands

The browser sends button presses as JSON to the server (POST /api/command), and the server forwards them to the TV.

Troubleshooting

Phone can't open the URL

Use npm run start:phone, not npm start
Phone and computer on the same Wi-Fi
Disable VPN, iCloud Private Relay, or guest Wi-Fi isolation
Allow macOS Local Network and firewall prompts
Test the printed URL on the computer first

Scan doesn't find the TV

Make sure the TV is on
Make sure the TV and computer are on the same network
Try the Manual IP option instead
Some routers block multicast/SSDP — check router settings or use Manual IP

Pairing prompt never appears

Look at the TV screen — most LG models show an on-screen approval
If you have an older model, the TV may show a numeric code (this app uses the newer prompt-based flow)
Try Settings → General → Devices → TV Manager on the TV and remove old paired devices
Delete .tv-keys.json in this project folder and pair again

Buttons don't respond

Check the status pill — it must say Connected
Re-pair if the TV was restarted or changed networks
Some LG apps block certain remote commands while in use

Server won't start

Make sure port 4173 is free, or set a different one:
```
PORT=5000 npm start
```

Local Files

These files are created in the project folder when you run the app:

File	Purpose
`.tv-keys.json`	Saved LG pairing keys per TV IP
`.server.pid`	Background server process id
`.server.log`	Background server logs

They are local-only and listed in .gitignore — do not commit them.

Security

This app is designed for trusted local networks only.

npm run start:phone binds the server to 0.0.0.0, which means any device on the same Wi-Fi can open the remote page while the server is running.

When you're done, stop the server:

npm run stop

Do not expose this app directly to the public internet — it has no authentication.

License

MIT

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
public		public
scripts		scripts
.gitignore		.gitignore
README.md		README.md
package.json		package.json
phone.bat		phone.bat
phone.command		phone.command
server.js		server.js
stop.bat		stop.bat
stop.command		stop.command

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