WallpadA real trackpad
Drag to move the pointer, tap to click, two fingers to scroll or right-click, hold and drag to select or move a window.
Scan the TV. Your phone is the remote.
Wallpad lets anyone drive the Mac behind an office TV from their phone: a big trackpad, a keyboard and media keys, like the Apple TV remote. Nothing to install on the phone.
Free and open source · macOS 13 or later on the TV’s Mac · Built for iPhone
Lobby TV
Drag to move · Tap to click
⌃⌥⌘
Fn
Try me!
How it works
From a Mac mini to a remote in five minutes.
- 1
Install Wallpad on the TV’s Mac
- 2
Let it control the Mac
- 3
Print the QR code and stick it to the TV
- 4
Scan it on the office Wi‑Fi
- 5
Type the code from the TV, once
Run this in Terminal on the TV’s Mac:
curl -fsSL https://github.com/Altimor/wallpad/releases/latest/download/install.sh | bashFeatures
Keyboard and ⌃ ⌥ ⌘
Type straight onto the TV. Tap a modifier for the next key or click, double-tap to lock it, so ⌘C and ⌘-Tab just work.
Media and function keys
Volume, F1–F12, previous/next track, Mission Control, Launchpad and the arrow keys, one tap away.
A code on the TV
A new phone has to type the code shown on the TV, so you have to be in the room. After that, it’s remembered for 30 days.
Office Wi‑Fi only
The remote only works from the TV’s network. Anywhere else the page simply won’t load, and the QR card says to use the office Wi‑Fi.
Codes that keep working
Each QR code points at the Mac’s name on the local network, not its IP address, so printed codes keep working when the address changes.
A QR card, ready to print
Setup makes a card with the TV’s name and its code. Print it, stick it on, done.
Nothing to install on phones
The remote is a web page that opens straight from the camera, so anyone in the office can use it.
Secure by design
Driving a TV’s Mac from a phone is powerful, so Wallpad stacks several locks.
- Every TV has its own secret, inside its QR code.
- A new phone also has to type the code shown on that TV.
- The remote only works from the same network as the TV.
- No server, no account: your phone talks straight to the TV’s Mac.
- Updates are only installed if they’re signed by the right developer.
No remote-control tool is risk-free: run Wallpad under a macOS user that’s only there to drive the TV.
Open source
The code is on GitHub under the MIT licence. Read it, run it on your own TVs, send a pull request.
github.com/Altimor/wallpadQuestions
Does it stream the screen to my phone?
No. You look at the TV, like with an Apple TV remote. Your phone only sends touches and keys, so it feels instant and uses almost no bandwidth.
Does it work on Android?
Wallpad is built for iPhone. The QR code opens a local network address (ending in .local), which iPhones open fine but some Android browsers don’t, so Android may not work.
What does the TV need?
A Mac plugged into it (a Mac mini is ideal) running macOS 13 or later, on the same network as the phones.
The page won’t load, but I’m on the Wi‑Fi.
Some networks, guest networks especially, stop devices from talking to each other. Join the main office network, or ask whoever runs it to allow it.
Is it secure?
It’s built to be: a secret per TV, a code on the screen, same network only and signed updates. Still, treat it like any remote-control tool and run it under a dedicated macOS user.
Is it free?
Yes. Wallpad is free and open source, under the MIT licence.