Mobile & Remote Access - Kantivo Help Center

How It All Fits Together

Your primary computer hosts Kantivo and your database. Every other device (phone, tablet, second laptop) connects to it through a standard web browser. There is nothing to install on those secondary devices.

🔗 Quick Connect Tool →

How It Works

     ┌─────────────────────────────────┐
     │      YOUR MAIN PC (Server)      │
     │  ✓ Kantivo installed            │
     │  ✓ Database stored here         │
     │  ✓ Always running               │
     └───────────────┬─────────────────┘
                     │
          Your Network (Local or Tailscale)
                     │
     ┌───────┬───────┼───────┬───────┐
     │       │       │       │       │
   Phone   Tablet  Laptop  Another  Chromebook
     │       │       │      PC       │
     └───────┴───────┴───────┴───────┘
           All use WEB BROWSER

Supported Devices

📱

iPhone

Safari or Chrome browser

📱

iPad

Safari or Chrome browser

🤖

Android

Chrome browser

💻

Chromebook

Chrome browser

Setup Options

Option 1: Same Network (Home/Office WiFi)

When your mobile device shares a WiFi network with the PC running Kantivo, setup takes under a minute:

Locate your PC's local IP address

On the computer where Kantivo is installed, launch Command Prompt and run ipconfig. Write down the "IPv4 Address" value (it usually looks like 192.168.1.100).

Launch any web browser on your secondary device

Safari, Chrome, Firefox, or Edge -- any modern browser works

Navigate to Kantivo's address

Enter: http://192.168.1.100:3000 (substitute your actual IP address)

Sign in with your Kantivo credentials

The complete Kantivo interface loads in the browser, fully functional

Option 2: Remote Access with Tailscale (From Anywhere)

Need to reach Kantivo while you are away from your office or home network? Tailscale creates a private encrypted tunnel between your devices, letting you connect from any location worldwide:

Set up Tailscale on your Kantivo PC

Grab the installer from tailscale.com/download and log in with your account

Add Tailscale to your phone, tablet, or laptop

Available on the App Store (iOS/iPadOS) and Google Play Store (Android/Chromebook)

Authenticate with the identical account on every device

All devices must belong to the same Tailscale network to see each other

Note the Tailscale IP assigned to your PC

Open the Tailscale dashboard on your desktop -- the address begins with 100.x.x.x

Open Kantivo from anywhere

In your browser, navigate to http://100.x.x.x:3000

💡 Good to know: Tailscale offers a free tier for personal use. It establishes a direct peer-to-peer connection between your devices with end-to-end encryption. This aligns perfectly with Kantivo's privacy-centered approach.

Option 3: Accountant or Bookkeeper Access (Separate People)

When an external accountant, bookkeeper, or business partner needs to work with your Kantivo data, you can grant them secure access through Tailscale's device sharing feature:

Each person installs Tailscale independently

Both you and the other party sign in using separate Tailscale accounts

You share your PC on the Tailscale network

Visit login.tailscale.com, select your machine, and use the Share option

The other party accepts the shared access

They follow the link delivered to their email inbox

Complete the process with a Kantivo invitation

You generate an invitation inside Kantivo, the recipient gets an email containing the connection IP and an access code, and they enter both into their own Kantivo instance

→ Full Accountant Access Setup Guide

Quick Reference: Picking the Right Option

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  YOUR SITUATION                     │  RECOMMENDED APPROACH     │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│  Devices on the same WiFi           │  Option 1: Local Network  │
│  (at home or in the office)         │  Direct IP address        │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│  Your own devices, different        │  Option 2: Tailscale      │
│  locations (phone, travel laptop)   │  Same account everywhere  │
├─────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────┤
│  Another person needs access        │  Option 3: Tailscale +    │
│  (accountant, bookkeeper, partner)  │  Share + Invitation Code  │
└─────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────┘

Add to Home Screen (App-Like Experience)

Pin Kantivo to your device's home screen so it launches like a native app:

🍎 iPhone / iPad

Open Safari and navigate to your Kantivo address
Tap the Share icon (the square with an upward arrow)
Scroll through the options and select "Add to Home Screen"
Enter "Kantivo" as the label and tap Add

A Kantivo icon will appear on your home screen, ready to launch with one tap.

🤖 Android

Open Chrome and navigate to your Kantivo address
Tap the ⋮ menu in the top-right corner
Select "Add to Home screen"
Type "Kantivo" as the shortcut name and tap Add

💻 Chromebook

Open Chrome and navigate to your Kantivo address
Click the ⋮ menu in the upper-right corner
Choose "Install Kantivo..." or "Create shortcut"
Enable "Open as window" for a standalone app experience

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a dedicated mobile app I need to download?

No. Kantivo works entirely through your web browser on mobile devices. The only optional download is the free Tailscale app, which is only needed if you want to connect from outside your local network.

How is my financial data protected?

Your financial data is stored securely in your database. If you use Tailscale for remote access, traffic between your devices is encrypted end-to-end with no data passing through intermediary servers.

Does the host computer need to stay powered on?

Yes. Since Kantivo runs locally, the PC that hosts the application and database must be active for other devices to connect. A practical approach is to leave it running during working hours and configure it to sleep overnight.

Can several people use Kantivo at the same time?

Absolutely. Kantivo supports concurrent sessions from multiple devices. Each user authenticates with their own credentials, and role-based permissions control what they can see and do.

What if I need to work from a laptop at a client's location?

Two paths are available:
A) Open a browser on the laptop and connect through Tailscale back to your main PC
B) Install Kantivo directly on the laptop in "client mode," which connects to the PostgreSQL database on your primary machine

Need Help?

If you are unable to establish a connection, verify the following:

The host PC is powered on and Kantivo's server process is active
Both the host PC and the connecting device are on the same network, or both have Tailscale running and connected
You are entering the correct IP address followed by port 3000
The host PC's firewall permits inbound connections on port 3000

Still need assistance? Reach out to us at support@kantivo.app