Packet Pipes
The link between the console and the server is scrambled.
Loading your friend’s challenge…
Packet Pipes
Today's board is on its way. Turn a tile to start.
Turn a tile: the glow shows which tiles carry the signal.
Three stars at par, two within three turns of it, one for restoring the connection.
Next board at midnight UTC.
How everyone did today appears here once 20 players have finished.
0Played
0%Perfect
0Streak
0Best streak
–Best time
Your card shows your solved board lit up, your turns against par, your stars and streak and the days to launch.
Turn the tiles until the signal reaches every one of them in a single unbroken tree, in as few turns as you can. A new board every day at midnight UTC, bigger through the week, with par, stars, a streak and a spoiler-free grid to share. A fan puzzle, not a real network.
How to play
Every tile is a piece of invented network cable, drawn in five shapes: an end (a device on one cable), a straight, a corner, a tee and a cross. The console tile is the source of the signal and the server tile is where it has to arrive. A tap or a click turns a tile a quarter turn clockwise; nothing else changes. The board is restored when the signal reaches every tile, every cable end meets another cable end, and there is exactly one way from the console to anything else: one tree, no loops, no loose ends. Tiles carrying the signal glow as you go, so you can work outwards from the console and see the network light up.
Par is the fewest clockwise turns that solve the board, found by the same solver that checks each board has only one solution, so it is a fair target rather than a guess. Three stars at par, two within three turns of it, one for restoring the link at all. Every player gets the same board on the same UTC day, and the grid you share shows which tiles ended up lit, never the layout.
The week
- Monday: 5×5.
- Tuesday: 5×5.
- Wednesday: 6×6.
- Thursday: 6×6.
- Friday: 6×6.
- Saturday: 7×7.
- Sunday: 7×7.
None of this is a status signal. The tiles are fiction, the board is grown from the day's seed, and no real service is being watched through the puzzle. For the real thing, use the live status and player reports; to hunt a failing node instead of untangling cables, try Ping Hunt, or keep a service alive in Uptime Tycoon.
Questions
How do I play?
Every tile is a piece of network cable: an end, a straight, a corner, a tee or a cross. Tap or click a tile to turn it a quarter turn clockwise. The board is solved when the signal from the console reaches every tile and the server with no loose ends: one tree, no loops. Tiles carrying the signal glow as you go.
How are par and the stars worked out?
Par is the fewest clockwise turns that solve the board, counted by the same solver that checks the board has exactly one solution. Three stars at par, two within three turns of it, one for restoring the connection at all. Everyone gets the same board each UTC day.
Can I play with a keyboard?
Yes. Tab into the board, move between tiles with the arrow keys and press Enter or Space to turn a tile. Each tile is read out with its type, where it points and whether it carries the signal, and the signal line under the board says how many tiles are connected.
What changes through the week?
Monday and Tuesday boards are 5×5, Wednesday to Friday 6×6, Saturday and Sunday 7×7. Bigger boards have more tees and longer paths, so there is more to untangle.
Is this a real network?
No. The tiles, the console and the server are drawings for the puzzle; nothing is measured or reported from any real service. For real signals use the live status page.
What are practice boards?
Random boards at any size, as many as you like. They never count as the daily and never touch your streak or stats beyond a practice counter.
Keep exploring
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