Connection & FAQ
What to check when your phone can’t reach your PC, the game doesn’t respond, or Windows shows a warning.
SteerWave’s interface is currently in Simplified Chinese. Names below are translated, with the on-screen label in parentheses.
My phone can’t connect
When a connection doesn’t come up, the phone and the PC both say why. Follow the prompt:
| Message | Shown on | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Local network access needed (需要允许访问本地网络) | Phone | Tap Open Settings (打开设置) and turn on Local Network. The app retries when you come back. |
| Phone isn’t on Wi‑Fi (手机没有连接 Wi‑Fi) | Phone | Join the PC’s Wi‑Fi. Cellular data can’t reach the PC. |
| Phone and PC are on different networks (手机和电脑不在同一个网络) | Phone | The message lists both addresses. Join the PC’s Wi‑Fi; guest Wi‑Fi and routers with client (AP) isolation keep the two apart. |
| PC isn’t responding (电脑没有回应) | Phone | Make sure SteerWave is open on the PC, then look for one of the PC messages below. |
| Phone may not reach this PC / Windows Firewall is blocking the phone (手机可能连不上这台电脑 / Windows 防火墙阻止了手机连接) | PC | Click Can’t connect? Allow the phone (连接不上？允许手机连接) and accept the Windows prompt. It opens SteerWave’s port to your local subnet only, and clears the block rule Windows leaves behind if its own firewall prompt was dismissed. |
| Phone pairing doesn’t match (手机的配对信息不匹配) | PC | The PC was paired with a different phone. Show the pairing code on the PC and tap Scan Another PC (扫码连接另一台电脑) on the phone. |
Two more cases:
- Your PC’s address changed: if your router gave the PC a new IP, update the phone’s connection settings to the address under Backup address (备用连接地址) on the PC — no need to pair again.
- VPNs that change routing: turn them off on the phone or PC and try again.
Connected, but the game doesn’t respond
- Make sure you tapped Enable Control (启用控制) on the phone. After pausing, recentering, backgrounding the app or a dropout, you need to enable it again.
- Check that your game shows ✓ Configured (已配置) under game setup on the PC home page. If it says Needs setup again (需要重新配置), quit the game and click Set up again (重新配置).
- After the controller type changes for the first time, some games need a restart to see the new device.
- For a game that isn’t listed, go to Settings → Game compatibility → Control mode (设置 → 游戏兼容 → 控制方式) in the PC app, choose gamepad or joystick, and bind the three axes in the game. Choose Auto (自动适配) to go back.
- Some games only support specific controllers. SteerWave can’t guarantee every game will work.
Steering is reversed or off-center
- Reversed: turn on Reverse Steering (反向转向) in Control Settings and recalibrate.
- Off-center: hold the phone level and tap Recenter (重新回正).
Windows says “Windows protected your PC”
The Windows app isn’t code-signed yet, so SmartScreen may block it the first time. Make sure you downloaded it from this site and that it matches the SHA‑256 checksum on the download page, then choose More info → Run anyway.
“Get an app to open this ms-gamebar link” pops up
Windows does this when it detects an Xbox controller — including SteerWave’s virtual one — and tries to open Xbox Game Bar. Current versions of the PC app handle it automatically on startup, without admin rights. If you still see it, update to the latest version.
After your PC sleeps
When your PC wakes up, the app gets ready again and your phone reconnects on its own. For safety, you’ll need to tap Enable Control again on your phone.
Still stuck?
Contact us. You can export diagnostics from the PC app’s settings and include them — they contain your local address and logs, but no passwords or keys.