WiFi Setup Guide

2.4 GHz

Longer Range, Higher Congestion

✓ Penetrates walls and long distances better
✓ More forgiving for guests who wander
⚠ Shared with Bluetooth, microwaves, neighbours
⚠ Max ~20–25 concurrent listeners per AP before quality drops
⚠ Older channel width (20 MHz) = less total bandwidth

Best for: Open outdoor events, single-room venues under 50 guests

5 GHz

Faster, Cleaner, More Listeners

✓ Much less interference — cleaner audio stream
✓ 80 MHz channels = 4× the throughput of 2.4 GHz
✓ 50–80 concurrent listeners per AP before saturation
⚠ Shorter range — walls reduce signal significantly
⚠ All guests must be in good coverage of at least one AP

Best for: Indoor venues, dance clubs, 50+ guests — use 5 GHz whenever possible

📡 Access Point Capacity — What to Expect

🏠

Home Router (single)

Consumer ISP router or single home AP. Fine for testing and small private events.

~15–30 listeners

2.4 GHz: 15–20 max before audio stutters. 5 GHz: 25–30 with good placement.

🏢

Business / Mesh AP

Ubiquiti, TP-Link Omada, Cisco Meraki, or quality mesh system (Eero Pro, Orbi).

~50–100 per AP

5 GHz with 80 MHz channels easily handles 60–80 concurrent listeners. Multiple APs multiply capacity.

🏟️

Enterprise / Multi-AP

Professional venue WiFi with dedicated SSID per event, channel planning, and roaming.

200–500+ listeners

Create a dedicated SSID for Silent Disco on 5 GHz. Disable band steering. Set DTIM interval to 1 for lowest latency.

💡 Practical Setup Tips

📍

Place the Mac centrally

Run an Ethernet cable from the venue router to the Mac running Silent Disco WiFi. This eliminates any WiFi jitter on the server side — only clients use wireless.

🔒

Use a dedicated event SSID

If your router supports multiple SSIDs, create one called "Silent Disco" just for the event. This prevents other devices from competing for bandwidth.

📏

Test the coverage first

Walk the venue with a phone connected to the event WiFi and open a streaming page before doors open. Identify dead zones and reposition APs if needed.

🔋

Home routers at big events

Keep guests under 25 on 2.4 GHz or under 35 on 5 GHz. For anything larger, rent or borrow a business-class AP — Ubiquiti APs start around $100.

🚫

Turn off Bluetooth on the server Mac

If running on 2.4 GHz, Bluetooth on the same Mac can cause interference. Disable it in System Settings while the event is running.

📊

Watch the Listeners dashboard

The admin panel shows buffer health per listener. If multiple guests show "rebuffering" at the same time, it's a network issue — check AP placement.