Is there a way to force a direct connection for Steam remote play from outside of the host pcs network?

Solution 1:

The answer may vary depending on what you mean by "Direct Connection" from outside the network, but I will answer on the assumption that you generally want to improve your connection speed.

When working with Steam Remote Play (especially through the Steam Link app or hardware) the best way to improve image quality/frame rate is to improve the connection speed between devices. If you are playing games remotely from outside your home/network, the best thing you can do is improve your connection at each end.

In the Home environment:

Run a high speed capacity ethernet cable (cat5 or cat6) from the operating computer to your router/internet port. This ensures that on the host end you get the fastest connection between the computer and the steam network.

In the Remote environment:

• If you are playing on a mobile device, do what you can to strengthen the connection between your device and the wifi network you are playing on. This may include such actions as sitting closer to the router or closing other network activities on the device.
• If you are playing on a mobile computer such as a laptop, try and run an ethernet connection between your computer and the internet access point if possible, or follow the above steps for a mobile device.

Doing the above will reduce communication time between the Steam network and your remote device. When you're out and about, there's always going to be some level of delay due to the distance between you and your host computer, but following the above should help to minimize that lag.