Your Windows laptop has 16 GB of memory and integrated graphics. The tower in the next room has an NVIDIA RTX card and already runs Ollama or llama-server with a 30B model loaded. You want to chat with that model from the laptop, with chat history and a thinking switch, without copying a 20 GB file to a machine that cannot run it. Off Grid AI Desktop connects your laptop to that server. Its models show up next to your local ones, and the chat tells you which server answers and what it is waiting for.
What you need
- A Windows 10 or 11 PC with an x64 processor. The Windows download is an x64 installer; there is no Windows on ARM build.
- Off Grid AI Desktop 0.0.55 or later, the current stable release. Download Off Grid AI Desktop for Windows.
- Another computer on your network running Ollama or llama.cpp's
llama-server, or any server with an OpenAI-compatible/v1API. - The server's IP address, for example
192.168.1.30. On a Windows server, runipconfigand read the IPv4 Address line. - No account and no payment. Remote servers are part of the free app.
Your laptop needs no GPU and no model file. The model runs on the server; your laptop sends text over your network.
Step 1: Let the server accept calls from your network
By default both servers accept calls only from their own computer.
Ollama on a Windows PC listens on port 11434. Quit Ollama from its icon in the taskbar notification area. Open the Start menu, search for "environment variables", choose Edit environment variables for your account, and add a variable named OLLAMA_HOST with the value 0.0.0.0. Or run this in a terminal:
setx OLLAMA_HOST 0.0.0.0
Then start Ollama again from the Start menu so it reads the new value.
llama.cpp listens on port 8080. Start llama-server with --host:
llama-server.exe -m qwen3.5-27b-q4_k_m.gguf --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8080 -ngl 99
The -ngl 99 flag puts every layer on the NVIDIA GPU when you use a CUDA build of llama.cpp.
The first time a server listens on the network, Windows Defender Firewall asks whether to allow it. Allow it on Private networks only. If you missed the prompt, add a rule in an administrator PowerShell window, with the port of your server:
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Ollama" -Direction Inbound -Protocol TCP -LocalPort 11434 -Action Allow -Profile Private
Do this only on a network you trust.
Step 2: Add the server in Off Grid AI Desktop
- Open Off Grid AI Desktop on your laptop and click Settings in the sidebar.
- Find the card Remote model server. It reads "Connect to a model server on your network or another trusted host."
- Under Saved servers, click the Add server icon.
- In Server name, type a name you will recognise in chat, for example
Gaming PC. - In Address, type the server's address with its port:
http://192.168.1.30:11434for Ollama, orhttp://192.168.1.30:8080for llama.cpp. You do not need to add/v1. The hint under the field shows the exact address the app will call, for example "Will connect to: http://192.168.1.30:11434/v1/models". - If the server needs a key, paste it into API key (optional). The app encrypts the key with Windows' own data protection, tied to your Windows user account, and never writes it to a settings file in plain text.
- Click Test connection. The status line reports how long the server took and how many models it found. If it reads "Connection failed.", go back to Step 1 and check the firewall rule.
Step 3: Pick the models and save
- Under Text + Vision, search the server's models and select the one you want to chat with. The line under it changes to "Selected: " and the model's name.
- Optional: open Other models. If the server also offers image, voice or transcription models, pick them under Image, Voice and Transcription.
- Leave Use this server on. Its hint reads "Off keeps it saved; other servers are unaffected."
- Click Save. The status reads "Server saved and active."
Without a selected model, Save says "Test the connection and select at least one model first."
For a llama.cpp server, you also see Allow screen images. It stays off until you turn it on, and it controls whether Web Use and Computer Use may send screenshots of your PC to that server. Normal chat does not need it.
Step 4: Chat on the remote model
Open a new chat with Ctrl+T. Open the model picker in the chat: the server's models carry a Remote tag, next to the models on your laptop. Pick one and type. While you chat, the app reports the remote model truthfully:
-
Which server answers. The chat status shows the remote model and the server name, for example
Qwen 3.5 27B · Gaming PC. -
Thinking. If the model can think, the thinking switch works on the remote server too. The app asks Ollama for the model's capabilities and asks
llama-serverfor its chat template, so the switch sends the control that server reads. - Context window. A chat on a remote model uses the server's context window, not your laptop's local setting. In the model settings, the Context window row reads "Set by the remote model server." A llama.cpp server reports its window, so you see the real number. Ollama does not report one, so the row reads Not reported and the server decides how long a reply can be.
- Several chats at once. Two chats on a remote model run side by side. Neither waits for the other to finish.
Run several servers
You can save more than one server, for example Ollama on a gaming PC and llama-server on a workstation. Each one has its own Use this server switch, so you can turn one off without touching the others. Turning one off moves chat, image, voice or transcription only to a server that offers a model for it. Picking an image model on one server does not move your chat to that server.
If a server is off or removed while a chat uses it, the chat says so instead of quietly answering with a different model. Change model and Remove sit next to each saved server.
When the server is another Off Grid AI Desktop
If the tower runs Off Grid AI Desktop, add its gateway at port 7878. It tells your laptop what a request waits for, so the chat shows "Waiting for Gaming PC · 2 ahead" or that the model is loading. With Ollama and llama.cpp the chat shows "Waiting for the model server..." until the first words arrive. See how to run a local AI server for your whole team on Windows.
What this does not do
- It does not work outside your network by itself. To reach the tower at home from a cafe, use a private network such as Tailscale. See how to use your home AI models from your laptop anywhere.
- Reply speed is the server's speed plus network time.
- It does not download or manage models on the server. Pull models with
ollama pull, or startllama-serverwith the model you want, then click Test connection again to refresh the list. - Your prompts leave your laptop and go to that server. They stay on your network only if the server is on your network.
FAQ
Can I use Ollama running on another PC from my Windows laptop?
Yes. Set OLLAMA_HOST to 0.0.0.0 on the server, restart Ollama, and allow port 11434 through Windows Defender Firewall. Then add http://<server-ip>:11434 under Settings > Remote model server in Off Grid AI Desktop. The server's models appear in the model picker with a Remote tag.
Does Off Grid AI Desktop work with llama.cpp's llama-server on Windows?
Yes. Start llama-server.exe with --host 0.0.0.0 and add http://<server-ip>:8080 as a server. The app reads the server's context window and thinking support from llama-server itself.
Why does Test connection fail when Ollama is running?
Usually Ollama still listens only on its own PC, or the firewall blocks port 11434. Restart Ollama after setting OLLAMA_HOST, then check the inbound firewall rule on the server.
Do I need an NVIDIA GPU in my laptop?
No. The GPU work happens on the server. Your laptop only sends the conversation and shows the reply.
Is it free?
Yes. Remote servers are part of the free Off Grid AI Desktop app on Windows, with no account.
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