--- title: "AirExtend for conferences: one stream to every phone" description: "Stream one audio and video feed from a Mac to every attendee’s phone over the venue Wi-Fi. No receivers, no app, no cloud. Open access or paired devices." url: https://airextend.278labs.co.uk/conferences/ language: en --- AirExtend · by [278labs](https://278labs.co.uk/) # One stream to every phone in the hall. The Mac in the booth sends one audio and video feed. Attendees on the venue Wi-Fi listen on their own phones. No receivers, no app to install, no cloud. [Talk to us](mailto:sapar@278labs.co.uk?subject=AirExtend%20for%20conferences) How it runs ## Why it fits events ## Screens ![The AirExtend menu-bar panel on the Mac in Broadcast mode: devices in sync, pairing QR code and address.](https://airextend.278labs.co.uk/img/shot-mac-panel-v1.webp) Mac: the control panel ![AirExtend on iPhone in dark mode, Broadcast: synced within 1 ms, the device delay trim and the Mac screen.](https://airextend.278labs.co.uk/img/shot-iphone-broadcast-v1.webp) iPhone, dark mode: synced listening ![AirExtend on a TV: the Mac screen as a tile, Broadcast status, delay trim and equalizer. The Mac screen in the tile is an illustration.](https://airextend.278labs.co.uk/img/shot-tv-v1.webp) TV: the picture first (in testing) ## Capacity and quality ## Who can join ## How it runs ### Put a Mac in the booth Apple silicon, macOS 14 or later, on Ethernet. Install AirExtend and its audio driver once. ### Set the stream Choose Broadcast, set the delay, and pick Compact (AAC) for large audiences. Choose the sources to share: the whole Mac or chosen apps. ### Prepare the network One network for the Mac and the attendees, client isolation off, 5 GHz access points sized for the crowd. ### Show the address Slides, badges and door signs carry the address or QR code. With Open access on, attendees listen at once. ### Check with Auto-sync Run Auto-sync once with devices in the room. The Mac’s panel lists each device and how far it is from the rest. ## Where it is used ## Plain limits ## Questions ### What if some attendees have a weak connection? They choose another transport on their own page. Low data is AAC at 128 kb/s. WebRTC uses Opus, survives lost packets and adapts to the link, keeps playing in the background in iPhone Safari, with a little more delay and the equalizer off. The standard stream stays lossless for everyone else. ### How do attendees join a conference audio stream without installing an app? They open the address of the Mac on the venue Wi-Fi in any current browser, on a phone, a tablet or a laptop. With Open access switched on there is no code to type. The iPhone and iPad app is optional. ### Can the QR code or PIN be handed out in advance? For an event use Open access, which removes the codes: anyone on the venue Wi-Fi who opens the address can listen. The Wi-Fi password is the gate, so give it only to attendees. Devices paired earlier stay paired. ### How many people can listen at once? It depends on the Wi-Fi network, not on a licence. The Compact AAC stream uses 192 kb/s per listener, so 300 listeners need about 58 Mb/s of Wi-Fi capacity, and the app’s own guidance is that hundreds can listen. The Lossless stream is about 1.6 Mb/s per listener and suits around 20. Video uses several Mb/s per device. These are guidance figures, not measurements on your venue. ### Does it replace a hearing loop or an assistive listening system? No. It supplements them. AirExtend is not a certified assistive listening system, and a venue that must provide one still has to. ### Can it do live interpretation in several languages? Not yet. One Mac sends one stream. Several rooms or languages need one Mac each, or a separate interpretation service. ### What does the venue Wi-Fi need? The Mac and the attendees’ devices on one network, with client isolation switched off so that devices can reach the Mac, and 5 GHz access points with capacity for the crowd. Put the Mac on Ethernet. A dedicated network for the event is the safest choice. ### Does audio go through the internet or a cloud? No. It travels from the Mac to each device inside the venue network. Nothing is sent to 278labs, and there is no account and no analytics. ### How is it priced for events? The Mac app is free for now. Event support and terms for organisers are by arrangement: write to sapar@278labs.co.uk. ### What can the stream carry? Whatever plays on the Mac: slides with video, a web stream, a recording or a feed routed into the Mac with an audio routing tool. The Mac’s screen can travel with the sound. ### Is a presenter’s voice in the same room delayed? A phone plays a little after the live voice because the network and the browser add buffer. For people in the room with the speaker, use Communicator (about 20 ms on a good network, more in a browser). For overflow rooms and breakouts the delay does not matter, and Broadcast keeps every device in step. [Talk to us about your event](mailto:sapar@278labs.co.uk?subject=AirExtend%20for%20conferences) [Your brand and online forms: AirExtend+](https://airextend.278labs.co.uk/plus/) AirExtend is an independent app by 278labs. It is not made, sponsored or endorsed by Apple, Meta, EssilorLuxottica, Ray-Ban, LG, Google or any other brand named here. Names are used only to say what works with what. Apple, Mac, MacBook, iPhone, iPad, AirPods and AirPlay are trademarks of Apple Inc.; Ray-Ban and Meta are trademarks of their owners; webOS and LG are trademarks of LG Electronics.