Network & remote access

Two connections matter: the one between the server PC and your mixer, and the one between musicians' phones and the server. They have very different requirements, and confusing them is the most common cause of odd behaviour.

How the pieces connect

The three connections
Server PC → X32	The app controls the board over your local network. This link must be reliable and should be wired.
Phone → server, on the church network	A phone on the same network reaches the app directly at the PC's address. Fast, and works with no internet at all.
Phone → server, over the internet	Everyone else reaches the app through our cloud, which relays to your server. Musicians don't need your Wi-Fi password, and can use mobile data.

Musicians don't choose between the last two — signing in on this website takes them to the right one. What matters to you is that the second one keeps working even if your internet goes down, and the third one is why you don't have to hand out Wi-Fi passwords.

The link to the mixer

Put the board on a cable

Mixer control uses a protocol with no delivery guarantees. On a wire that's fine; over Wi-Fi, a lost message is simply lost — which shows up as a fader that occasionally doesn't move, or a change that has to be made twice. If the server PC reaches the board over Wi-Fi, the app writes a warning into its log every time it connects.

Ideally the PC and the board are on the same switch. A church network with a single flat address range is exactly right here; separate subnets, guest network isolation, or a Wi-Fi hop in between all cause trouble.

Finding the board

⋮→Settings→X32 can scan the local network and list the consoles it finds. If the scan comes up empty but the board is definitely on, enter its address by hand — the board shows it under Setup → Network. The port is 10023 and should not be changed.

Giving the board a fixed address (a DHCP reservation, or a static IP set at the console) saves you re-scanning after a power cut.

How musicians reach the app

On the church's own network

Any device on the same network can open the app at the server PC's address in a browser — on the PC itself, http://localhost. This path needs no internet connection whatsoever, which is the reason it exists: a broadband outage on a Sunday morning doesn't stop the service.

Over the internet

Musicians who sign in on this website are handed to your server through our relay. Nothing needs to be opened on your firewall and no port forwarding is involved — the server makes the connection outwards.

Musicians can use mobile data, so a full church car park doesn't take your Wi-Fi down with it.
You never hand out the church Wi-Fi password to visiting musicians.
The server PC needs ordinary outbound internet access. Nothing inbound.

Add it to a home screen

Over the internet connection the app can be installed like a real app, via ⋮→Add to Home Screen. That option isn't offered on the church-network address, because installing requires a secure connection — musicians who mostly play from the building can still add a browser bookmark.

Ports and other software

What the server uses
Port `80` on the server PC	How browsers reach the app. If another program on that PC already serves web pages, one of the two has to move — this is the usual reason a freshly installed server isn't reachable.
Port `10023` on the mixer	The X32's own control port. Set at the factory; don't change it.
Outbound HTTPS	How the server reaches our cloud, for remote access and to keep the roster in step. No inbound rules needed.

If a corporate-style firewall or filtering appliance sits between the PC and the internet, remote access is the part that will fail first — the app on the church network will carry on working, which makes it look like a phone problem. The troubleshooting page has the order to check things in.