Tailscale Setup

Use Tailscale after the same-Wi-Fi quick start works. Tailscale connects your iPhone, iPad, Mac, VPS, and other machines through a private tailnet, so Redock can reach SSH without exposing the SSH port to the public internet.

Recommended Model

Use Tailscale for network connectivity and keep normal SSH for authentication:

Tailscale provides the private IP or MagicDNS name.
macOS Remote Login or the Linux SSH server provides standard SSH.
Redock signs in with the normal username plus password or SSH key.

This is usually more predictable than enabling Tailscale SSH for Redock, because Tailscale SSH uses its own authentication and authorization flow.

Install and Connect

Install Tailscale on the Mac or server.
Install Tailscale on the iPhone or iPad.
Sign in to the same account or tailnet on both devices.
Confirm both devices show Connected.
Keep Remote Login enabled on macOS, or keep sshd running on Linux.
Find the machine's Tailscale IP. It usually looks like 100.x.y.z.
If MagicDNS is enabled, you can use the machine name instead.

Screenshot **Mac and mobile device connected in Tailscale** Both devices must be connected to the same tailnet before Redock can use the private address.

Redock Host Settings

Use the Tailscale address as the Host:

Host: 100.72.10.25
Port: 22
Username: your-mac-username
Auth: Password or SSH Key
Connection Mode: SSH

With MagicDNS:

Host: home-mac
Port: 22
Username: your-mac-username
Auth: SSH Key
Connection Mode: SSH

Screenshot **Redock Host configured with a Tailscale address** Use the Tailscale IP or MagicDNS name as the Host while keeping standard SSH authentication.

demo.mp4 00:15

Video walkthrough Connect Tailscale devices and add the private address to Redock Connect both devices to Tailscale, copy the private address into Redock, and connect.

When to Use Tailscale

You often move between cellular and Wi-Fi.
You want to reach a home Mac from outdoors.
You do not want to configure router port forwarding.
You do not want to expose SSH to the public internet.
You need stable access to private machines across locations.

About Tailscale SSH

Tailscale SSH is a separate feature that manages SSH authentication inside the tailnet. Redock works best when Tailscale only provides the network path and Redock still connects to a standard SSH server.

Only enable Tailscale SSH if you understand its auth behavior and have confirmed your current SSH client setup works with it.

Troubleshooting

If the Host does not resolve, try the 100.x.y.z Tailscale IP before using MagicDNS.
If the connection times out, open the Tailscale app on iOS and confirm it is connected.
If authentication fails, troubleshoot the SSH username, password, key, and authorized_keys; Tailscale connectivity alone does not authenticate SSH.
If the Mac sleeps, adjust power settings so it stays reachable.