Live captioning at conferences: the internet and WiFi a remote captioner needs

How does live remote captioning work at a conference?

Live remote captioning turns speech into text in real time. Arts Access Victoria describes live remote captions as created in real time and viewable on a laptop, phone or big screen, usually delivered by a captioning service or a trained local typist.

At a conference the chain usually looks like this:

1. Audio out: a clean feed from the sound desk goes to a laptop or encoder at the venue.
2. To the captioner: the audio travels over the internet, or a phone line, to a captioner working off-site.
3. Text back: the captions return over the internet within seconds.
4. Display: captions appear on a screen beside the presenter, on attendees' own devices through a web link, or both.

Every step after the sound desk depends on the network. If the link drops, captions stop mid-sentence and the people relying on them miss what was said. That is why captioning should be planned as part of the event network, not added on the day.

What internet does a remote captioner need?

The NSW Health event accessibility checklist lists two connection items for live captioning: an adequate internet connection for attendees to connect to through their personal devices, and a phone line to connect the captioners. In network terms, that is several separate jobs.

Speed is rarely the problem. Stability is. The captioning laptop should be on a wired connection, on its own network, with nothing else competing for its link. Our bandwidth calculator helps add up the other loads in the room.

How do you keep captions running if the internet drops?

• Keep the phone line option. NSW Health lists a phone line to connect the captioners. Confirm with your captioning provider whether audio can move to a phone call if the internet fails.
• Add a second internet path. A backup connection on a different network that takes over automatically keeps the audio flowing.
• Separate the captioning network. Put the captioning laptop, the AV desk and presenter laptops on a production network, apart from guest WiFi. Our guide to separate networks for events explains how.
• Test with the captioner before doors open. Run a full sound check with the captioner listening, including the lectern, panel microphones and audience question microphones.
• Have someone watching the network. A technician monitoring the link can fix a problem before it becomes a gap in the captions. See on-site technical support.

How should attendees get captions on their own devices?

Captions on personal devices let people sit anywhere in the room and still follow every word. That only works if those devices can get online easily and stay online.

• Make joining simple. Print the WiFi name, password and caption link, or a QR code, on the program, on table cards and on the screen. A complicated sign-in page is a barrier for exactly the people who need captions.
• Avoid sessions that time out. If the guest network asks people to sign in again every hour, captions stop mid-session. Set a session length that covers the whole day.
• Plan capacity for the full room. Assume around one device per attendee for public events and 1.5 to 2 devices for each staff member and speaker. At about 50 devices per access point, a 300-person plenary needs at least six access points before staff and streaming are counted. Our guide on how many access points you need goes further.
• Check coverage where captions are read. Reserved seating near the screen and every breakout room should have a strong signal.

Arts Access Victoria recommends dedicated seating with clear sightlines to the captions. Plan the network around that seating plan, not just the main floor.

What else on an accessibility checklist touches the network?

• Hearing loops are an audio system, not WiFi, but they often share the sound desk feed with captioning. NSW Health lists ensuring a hearing loop is available, so plan both with the AV team.
• Auslan interpreters on stage need good lighting and visibility. If an interpreter joins remotely by video, treat it as a two-way video call on the production network, with the same backup as captioning.
• Hybrid audiences: online meeting platforms may provide automatic captions, but Arts Access Victoria advises checking their quality and arranging live remote captioning where accuracy matters. Our hybrid event connectivity checklist covers stream upload.
• Transcripts: NSW Health suggests sharing a text transcript after the conference. Keep the captioning laptop connected until each session officially ends.

What is a practical timeline for captioning and WiFi?

• Six to eight weeks out: book captioning and confirm how audio will be sent. Ask the venue for a wired port and a dedicated network at the AV desk. Our list of questions to ask your venue about WiFi helps.
• Four weeks out: finalise the room plan, reserved seating and screen positions, and estimate the number of devices.
• Bump-in day: install and test the production and guest networks, the backup path and the caption display.
• Before doors: run a full sound check with the captioner online, then open the caption link on a phone from the reserved seats.
• During sessions: keep a technician monitoring the captioning link and guest network load.

If you are planning a conference in Sydney with live captioning, send us the floor plan, session schedule and expected numbers, and we will plan the production and guest networks around them. Start on the contact page, or read about conference WiFi and event WiFi hire.

Sources

1. NSW Health: Event accessibility checklist
2. Arts Access Victoria: Get the Facts: Captioning

Event dates, prices and product details can change. Check the organiser or manufacturer before you plan around them. Planning figures are starting points; every network is confirmed against the actual site.