One of the most common questions new Autodarts players ask is: “What device should I use for Autodarts?”
While many people assume a laptop is the best option, Autodarts places specific demands on hardware that not all laptops can handle reliably.
The main challenge when running Autodarts is USB bandwidth and power delivery. Autodarts requires three cameras running at the same time, and many laptops are not designed for this type of sustained USB load. This can lead to lag, dropped frames, or cameras failing to connect.
Despite this, a large number of Autodarts users successfully play using a laptop. Laptops are convenient and already available in most homes. However, problems often occur on laptops with two USB ports or fewer, where a USB hub is required. In these cases, the laptop may struggle to provide enough power or bandwidth, resulting in unstable Autodarts performance.
Because USB controllers and internal chipsets vary widely between laptop models, it is impossible to guarantee that a specific laptop will work perfectly with Autodarts. For this reason, I do not recommend any particular laptop model.
If you already own a laptop, it is worth trying it with Autodarts. Lowering camera resolution or frames per second can often improve stability, and many setups work without issue. If you only have 2 USB ports, try plugging 2 cameras in a hub and 1 straight into the laptop to balance out the power.
Recommended devices for Autodarts
The official Autodarts recommendation is to use either a Raspberry Pi or a thin client.
A Raspberry Pi runs Linux and works well with Autodarts, but it does require a higher level of technical knowledge to set up and maintain.
My personal recommendation for Autodarts is a thin client. Thin clients are small form factor PCs that offer reliable USB performance while using very little power. They are compact enough to wall mount or hide behind a dartboard setup and are widely available second hand at low cost. I picked up mine from eBay for less than £80. Just make sure the device you pick is a Quad Core with at least 8GB RAM
Thin clients are often dismissed because people assume they need a permanent keyboard, mouse, and monitor. In reality, these are only required for the initial setup. Once configured, you can control the thin client remotely from another laptop, phone, or tablet using remote desktop software. After that, the thin client simply needs to be powered on for Autodarts to run reliably.
If you have any questions about choosing the right device for Autodarts, feel free to message me.
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