Bluetooth or Wi-Fi? Choosing a connection for stage sync
6 min read
Stage sync, the feature that keeps every screen in the band on the same song, works in one of two ways: everyone joins the same Wi-Fi network, or the devices connect to each other directly over Bluetooth. Neither needs the internet, and both carry a song change in well under a second. On stage, other things make the difference: how long joining takes, how far apart the devices can be, what happens when the leader's screen locks. This article gathers everything you need to make the call by looking at the venue. The numbers were measured in Songlivo on real devices.
The two side by side
The short version: Wi-Fi joins fast and reaches far; Bluetooth needs no network and shrugs off a locked screen. The detail is in the table:
| Criterion | Wi-Fi | Bluetooth |
|---|---|---|
| What you need | Everyone on the same network or the same hotspot | Bluetooth switched on, nothing else |
| Joining the band | ~0.2 s | 3–4 s |
| Song change | ~0.1–0.2 s | ~0.2 s |
| Range | Wherever the network reaches | ~10 m |
| Number of devices | Suited to larger bands | 7–8 devices in practice |
| When the leader's screen locks | Members may drop briefly and come back on their own | The link holds |
For song changes both are too fast to notice; the choice comes down to the other rows of the table.
Choose Wi-Fi if…
- There's a network everyone can join at the venue or in the rehearsal room. With a shared network this is the default: joining the band takes a blink.
- You're a large band or the stage is wide. Bluetooth's range is a few metres; on Wi-Fi the limit is wherever the network reaches.
- One device in the band gets songs late over Bluetooth. On some phones and tablets the Bluetooth link drops into a low-power mode at intervals and holds packets for a few seconds; the same device runs without delay on Wi-Fi.
- There's no network, but you can open a hotspot on your phone. A hotspot is a Wi-Fi network too; more on that below.
Choose Bluetooth if…
- There's no shared network and you don't want to open a hotspot. Bluetooth needs no network at all; the devices only need to be close.
- The leader won't be looking at their phone. When the leader's screen locks or the app goes to the background, the Bluetooth link stays up: in testing the leader spent 35 seconds in the background and no member dropped once.
- The band is small and close together. In a test with four members the song reached all four devices within 2.5 milliseconds of each other on average; more members did not add delay.
Turn Bluetooth on before you open the app. On some phones the stage can't be set up while Bluetooth has only just been switched on; if that happens, fully closing and reopening the app is enough.
No Wi-Fi at the venue: use a hotspot
Wedding halls, basement stages and outdoor gigs have one thing in common: either there's no network, or it's a guest network. Guest networks and corporate networks with “client isolation” deliberately stop devices on the same network from seeing each other — sync won't work on them. The fix is simple: open a hotspot on the leader's phone and have everyone join it.
- Sync doesn't need the internet. Over the hotspot the devices only talk to each other; sync traffic never goes out to the internet.
- Watch the mobile data. Phones joined to the hotspot may use the leader's mobile data for other things (app updates, photo backups). If your plan is tight, know this before the gig.
- The phone running the hotspot will use the most battery. Set the leader up near a charger or plug in a power bank.
- If you can't open a hotspot, switch to Bluetooth. Some mobile plans block hotspots; then Bluetooth is the only way that needs no network.
Three common situations
- One device gets the song a few seconds late, the others don't. If you're on Bluetooth, suspect that device's Bluetooth link; run the stage over Wi-Fi or a hotspot and the delay goes away.
- Songs change about 10 seconds late. It's almost always Android's battery saver: it puts the radio to sleep and packets wait for the next wake-up. Turn battery saver off before the gig.
- On Wi-Fi with an iPhone or iPad as leader, members show “reconnecting” when its screen locks. iOS withdraws the app's announcement from the network while the screen is locked. Nobody needs to do anything: when the leader unlocks, members come back on their own (between 9 and 74 seconds in testing). If you don't want that gap at all, choose Bluetooth.
The quick decision
- Is there a network everyone can join? Then Wi-Fi.
- If not, can the leader's phone open a hotspot? Then Wi-Fi again.
- If neither, or if the leader won't be watching their screen: Bluetooth.
Whichever you choose, try it once at soundcheck: the leader opens the stage, everyone joins, you change two songs. If something's wrong, you'll see it before you go on.
Setting up the stage step by step — being the leader, joining, the 4-digit stage code — is covered in the guide. For the full venue checklist, read playing with your band without internet.