Tala Family Handbook

Connecting to the VPN

The family network uses a VPN (virtual private network) to connect your devices directly to the home server and to each other — no matter where you are.

Why you need it

Some services are only available over the VPN:

  • Game servers — Minecraft, Valheim, and other game servers run on the home network. The VPN lets you connect from anywhere as if you were at home.
  • Large file transfers — Moving big files (videos, backups) is faster over the VPN because traffic goes directly between devices instead of through a public relay.
  • Private services — Some admin tools and internal dashboards aren't exposed to the public internet.

Public services like files, photos, and tasks work without the VPN — but the VPN is still useful as a backup path if the public connection has issues.

How it works

We use Tailscale, a VPN app that runs on your phone, tablet, or computer. Once installed, it creates a secure tunnel from your device to the home server. You don't need to configure IP addresses or ports — Tailscale handles all of that.

The family runs its own Tailscale coordination server (called Headscale) at vpn.tala.family. This means your VPN traffic never touches Tailscale's commercial servers — everything stays within the family infrastructure.

Setup by platform

iPhone / iPad

  1. Install Tailscale from the App Store.
  2. Open the app and tap Get Started.
  3. When asked for a login server, choose Use a custom coordination server and enter: https://vpn.tala.family
  4. Sign in with your tala.family account (the passkey you created in the accounts guide).
  5. Approve the connection when prompted. You're connected.

Android

  1. Install Tailscale from the Play Store.
  2. Open the app and tap the menu (three dots), then Use a custom coordination server.
  3. Enter: https://vpn.tala.family
  4. Sign in with your tala.family account.
  5. Approve the VPN permission when Android asks. You're connected.

Mac

  1. Install Tailscale from the Mac App Store or via Homebrew: brew install tailscale.
  2. Open Tailscale from your menu bar.
  3. Before signing in, set the custom login server. Open Terminal and run: 
    tailscale login --login-server https://vpn.tala.family
  4. A browser window opens. Sign in with your tala.family account.
  5. Done. The Tailscale icon in your menu bar shows a connected state.

Windows

  1. Download Tailscale from tailscale.com/download.
  2. Install and open it.
  3. Before signing in, open PowerShell and run: 
    tailscale login --login-server https://vpn.tala.family
  4. Sign in with your tala.family account in the browser window that opens.
  5. Done.

Linux

  1. Follow the install instructions at tailscale.com/download/linux for your distribution.
  2. Run: 
    sudo tailscale up --login-server https://vpn.tala.family
  3. Open the URL it prints and sign in with your tala.family account.

Verifying your connection

Once connected, try reaching an internal service. Open your browser and go to:

https://vpn.tala.family

If the page loads and shows the VPN admin panel, your connection is working.

Multiple devices

You can install Tailscale on as many devices as you like. Each device gets its own identity on the network. There's no limit.

Troubleshooting

  • Connection drops frequently — Make sure Tailscale has permission to run in the background. On phones, check that battery optimization isn't killing the app.
  • Can't reach vpn.tala.family during setup — You need internet access for the initial setup. The VPN server must be reachable. If it's down, try again later.
  • "Login server unreachable" — Double-check the URL is exactly https://vpn.tala.family with no trailing slash or extra characters.
  • Lost a device — Ask a family administrator to remove the device from the VPN admin panel at vpn.tala.family. This immediately revokes its access.