Configuring your PlayDeck


What you need to get started

  • Your PlayDeck, plugged in to a 5V power source
  • Your home WiFi name and password - PlayDeck uses 2.4 GHz networks only
  • A phone, tablet or computer on that same WiFi network
  • A Spotify Premium account

During setup you will create a free Spotify Developer App on your own account. This is what gives PlayDeck permission to control your music, and it keeps your listening data between you and Spotify   it never passes through Toasty Gear. We walk you through it in Step 4.

Step 1: Connect to the PlayDeck setup network

A new PlayDeck creates its own temporary WiFi configuration network

 

  1. Plug in your PlayDeck and wait for the display to wake up and animation to load.
  2. On your phone or computer, open WiFi settings.
  3. Connect to the network named Play_Deck_Setup. There is no password.
  4. A setup page asking to login to the network will open automatically on Iphone and Android, on PC you will be prompted to "go to network configuration page".

Step 2 — Give PlayDeck access to your home WiFi

  1. On the setup page, press Scan for Networks to list nearby networks, and select your network name.
  2. Enter your WiFi password.
  3. Press Connect to WiFi and wait a few seconds.

The display counts through the connection and confirms when it's done. Your phone will drop off the PlayDeck_Setup network at this point, reconnect it to the WiFi previously selected before continuing.

Step 3 — Open PlayDeck in your browser

PlayDeck is now connected to your home network and shows a QR code and an address, something like, example: 192.168.178.49. 

  1. On a phone: point your camera at the QR code and go to the address.
  2. On a computer: type https:// followed by the address into your browser, for example https://192.168.178.49

Your browser will warn you. This is expected.

PlayDeck talks to your browser over an encrypted connection, using a security certificate it generates itself (self signed SSL). Browsers only trust certificates issued by a public authority, and no authority will issue one for a device on your home network. So your browser shows a warning.

The connection is encrypted, and it never leaves your home network. To continue:

  • Chrome, Edge: click Advanced, then Proceed to 192.168.1.123 (unsafe)
  • Safari on iPhone or Mac: tap Show Details, then visit this website, and confirm
  • Firefox: click Advanced, then Accept the Risk and Continue

You'll only need to do this once per Spotify acount.

Step 4: Create your Spotify app

This is the most critical step. Take it slowly and it works first time.

Create the app

  1. In a new browser tab, go to developer.spotify.com/dashboard and log in with your Spotify account. Use the same account that you want to control with the PlayDeck
  2. Click Create app.
  3. App name: example: My PlayDeck
  4. App description: PlayDeck controller
  5. Redirect URI: type https:// then your PlayDeck's address from Step 3, then /callback — then press Add.

    Example, if your PlayDeck showed 192.168.178.49 the redirect should be https://192.168.178.49/callback

  6. Under Which API/SDKs are you planning to use? tick Web API and Web Playback SDK
  7. Tick the terms of service box and click Save.

The redirect address must match exactly. It starts with https://, not http://. It ends with /callback and nothing after it — no trailing slash. If Spotify rejects it or you see INVALID_CLIENT: Insecure redirect URI later, this line is almost always why.

Copy your credentials into PlayDeck

  1. Your app is created. Open its Settings to find the Client ID.
  2. Click View client secret to reveal the Client Secret.
  3. Go back to the PlayDeck page from Step 3 and paste both values into the form.
  4. Click Continue to Authorization.

Both values are stored only on your PlayDeck.

Step 5: Authorise PlayDeck

  1. Click Authorize with Spotify.
  2. Log in to Spotify if you're asked to.
  3. Spotify lists what PlayDeck is asking for — reading what's playing, controlling playback, and saving songs to your library. Click Agree.
  4. You're sent back to PlayDeck, which confirms the connection.

PlayDeck keeps its connection to Spotify from now on, including through power cuts. You won't need to repeat this.

Step 6: Play something!

Start playing music on Spotify from any device. PlayDeck follows whatever is playing on your account and shows the track, artist, artwork, progress and volume.

That's it. Your PlayDeck is ready!

 

Using your PlayDeck

Control What it does
Top left button Play or pause
Top right button Save the current song to your library, or remove it
Bottom left button Previous track
Bottom right button Next track
Rotary knob rotation

Volume
Rotary knob long press

Enter WiFi and account configuration menu

PlayDeck controls whichever device your Spotify account is currently playing on, the same way the Spotify app does. If nothing is playing anywhere, the buttons have nothing to control, start playback first.

Troubleshooting

I made a typo in the setup process

You can restart the login process by long pressing the rotary knob and entering the WiFi connection and Spotify account menager.

PlayDeck won't connect to my WiFi

Check the password first. Then check the network is 2.4 GHz — PlayDeck does not support 5 GHz. Many routers publish both under the same name, in which case you may need to enable the 2.4 GHz band or split the names temporarily. After three failed attempts PlayDeck returns to setup mode on its own, so you can start again from Step 1.

My browser says the connection is not private

Expected — see Your browser will warn you above. Click through it once and it won't ask again.

The QR code scans but the page won't load

Make sure your phone is on your home WiFi, not mobile data and not still on Play_Deck_Setup. Type the address in by hand, starting with https://. Give it 10–15 seconds and refresh.

Spotify says "INVALID_CLIENT: Insecure redirect URI"

The redirect address in your Spotify app doesn't meet Spotify's rules. Go back to the Spotify dashboard, open your app's settings, and check that it reads exactly https://[your-playdeck-address]/callback  with https, your PlayDeck's real address, and no trailing slash. Save, then return to PlayDeck and try again.

The buttons don't do anything

Start playback somewhere first, PlayDeck controls an active Spotify session, If music is playing and the buttons still do nothing, confirm your Spotify account is Premium. Playback control is a Premium-only feature of Spotify's API and there is no way around it.

PlayDeck stopped working after a router restart

Your router probably gave PlayDeck a different address, which no longer matches the redirect address saved in your Spotify app. Check the address on the PlayDeck display, then update the redirect URI in your Spotify app settings to match, and run Step 5 again. Setting a fixed address in your router prevents this happening again.

The display is blank or frozen

Unplug PlayDeck, wait ten seconds, plug it back in. If the display stays blank after a full restart, contact us.

Stuck?

  • Join our Discord Community, post your question in one of the channels our message us directly 
  • Email support@toastygear.com with your PlayDeck's address from the display and a photo of what you're seeing, and we'll sort it out.