The Problem

Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen on Nintendo Switch only support local wireless trading. You and your trading partner need to be physically next to each other.

frlg.online removes that limitation.

The Solution

We use LAN tunneling to trick your Nintendo Switch into thinking your trading partner is right next to you — even if they're across the world.

1. A small program on your PC captures your Switch's local wireless signal
2. That signal gets sent through the internet to our relay server
3. The relay forwards it to your partner's PC
4. Their PC broadcasts it locally to their Switch
5. Both Switches believe they're in the same room

What You Need

• A PC (Windows, Mac, or Linux) near your Switch
• A Wi-Fi adapter on your PC that can see your Switch's wireless signal (most built-in adapters work; some users may need a USB Wi-Fi adapter, ~$10–15)
• The lan-play client — free, open-source (Downloads)
• A trading partner with the same setup

Is It Safe?

Yes. This entire project is open-source — you can inspect every line of code. The relay server only sees room codes and IP addresses. We never inspect or store your game data.

If you prefer full control, you can run your own relay server.

Do I Need a USB Wi-Fi Adapter?

Maybe. Your PC needs a Wi-Fi adapter that can pick up your Switch's local wireless broadcast. Most built-in laptop Wi-Fi works fine. If your PC only has Ethernet (desktop) or the built-in adapter doesn't see the Switch, a cheap USB Wi-Fi adapter ($10–15) will do the job.

Source Code

The lan-play client is open-source under GPL-3.0. You can review the code, build it yourself, or contribute.

What You'll Set Up

A relay server that bridges local wireless traffic between two Switch consoles over the internet. This is the same setup that powers frlg.online.

Requirements

• A VPS or server with a public IP address (Ubuntu 22.04 recommended)
• Basic Linux command-line knowledge
• About 15 minutes

Step 1 — Get a Server

Any VPS provider works (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Linode, etc.). A minimal instance (1–2 vCPU, 1–2 GB RAM) is more than enough. Choose a location close to you and your trading partners.

Step 2 — Secure the Server

# Create a non-root user
adduser frlg
usermod -aG sudo frlg

# In /etc/ssh/sshd_config, set:
#   PermitRootLogin no
#   PasswordAuthentication no
sudo systemctl restart sshd

# Firewall
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw allow 11451/udp
sudo ufw enable

# Intrusion prevention
sudo apt install fail2ban -y
sudo systemctl enable fail2ban

Step 3 — Install switch-lan-play

mkdir ~/switch-lan-play && cd ~/switch-lan-play

# Download the latest Linux binary
wget https://github.com/spacemeowx2/switch-lan-play/releases/latest/download/lan-play-linux
chmod +x lan-play-linux

# Quick test
./lan-play-linux --relay-server-addr 0.0.0.0:11451

Step 4 — Run as a Service

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/switch-lan-play.service <<'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=switch-lan-play relay server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=frlg
ExecStart=/home/frlg/switch-lan-play/lan-play-linux --relay-server-addr 0.0.0.0:11451
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable switch-lan-play
sudo systemctl start switch-lan-play

Step 5 — Connect

Point your lan-play clients at your-server-ip:11451 and you're set. Both players connect to your relay, and their Switches will see each other.

This Project

frlg.online is a free, open-source service that helps Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen players trade online. Built by fans who think everyone should be able to trade, regardless of geography.

Built With

switch-lan-play by spacemeowx2 — the open-source LAN tunneling tool that makes all of this possible.

License

This project is licensed under GPL-3.0, consistent with the switch-lan-play license. All source code is publicly available.

Supporting This Service

frlg.online is free to use. Server costs are offset by minimal, clearly-labeled advertising. If you'd like to support the project, share it with your friends.

Disclaimer

This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, or Game Freak. Pokemon and all related marks are trademarks of their respective owners.