Wireless Microphones and Event WiFi: Sharing Spectrum Under Australia's Rules

Which frequencies can wireless microphones use in Australia?

Most wireless microphones, in-ear monitors and similar audio transmitters do not need an individual licence in Australia. They are authorised by the Radiocommunications (Low Interference Potential Devices) Class Licence 2025, as long as they stay within its frequency and power conditions. According to the ACMA, the main ranges are:

The ACMA also notes that the user is responsible for interference, and warns that equipment bought from overseas sellers may be built for other countries' frequency ranges. For a temporary event, that makes the frequency list from your audio team as important as the floor plan.

What changed when the LIPD class licence was remade in 2025?

The 2015 class licence was due to sunset on 1 October 2025, and the ACMA made the 2025 instrument to replace it from that date. For audio users, the Australian Music Association described the change as no major change to day-to-day use. The main additions relevant to events were:

• Wireless multi-channel audio systems (WMAS) are now permitted in 520 to 694 MHz. WMAS carries many audio channels in one wider transmission instead of one narrow carrier per microphone.
• The ACMA declined requests to limit WMAS to frequencies below 612 MHz. Its outcomes paper noted that WMAS is mainly used in professional audio and that these systems are typically retunable if band planning changes.
• On the Wi-Fi side, the same instrument added digital modulation transmitters in 5150 to 5250 MHz and RLAN transmitters in 6425 to 6585 MHz, which supports wider 160 MHz and 320 MHz Wi-Fi channels.

None of these changes moves wireless microphones into Wi-Fi bands. The practical overlap still comes from audio, intercom and video link equipment that uses the shared 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz ranges.

Why do 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz audio devices matter for event WiFi?

The 2400 to 2483.5 MHz range is the whole 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi band, so a digital microphone or intercom in that range is competing with every access point, phone hotspot and payment terminal nearby. The 5725 to 5875 MHz range covers the upper group of 5 GHz Wi-Fi channels. When both sides transmit in the same space:

• audio can drop out or add latency when the room fills with phones searching for networks
• Wi-Fi retries rise, which slows ticket scanning, EFTPOS and upload-heavy tasks such as live streams
• problems often appear only at doors-open, after a quiet soundcheck looked fine

Crowds make this worse. Planning assumes about one device per person at public events and 1.5 to 2 devices per staff member, with roughly 50 devices per access point. A room of 500 people can mean ten or more access points working alongside the stage audio. For a wider look at crowded radio space, see our guide to trade show WiFi interference.

How do you plan a shared frequency map for an event?

1. Get the audio frequency list early. Ask the partner AV specialists for each system's band, number of channels and whether any units use 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz.
2. Move critical audio away from shared bands where possible. Keynote, MC and ceremony microphones are better placed in UHF TV gaps or 1785 to 1800 MHz, confirmed with the Channel Finder for the venue address.
3. Build the Wi-Fi channel plan around the audio. If audio must use 5.8 GHz, keep Wi-Fi on the lower 5 GHz channels and 6 GHz where devices support it, and use narrow 20 MHz channels in 2.4 GHz only where older devices need it.
4. Fix channels for the show. Turn off automatic channel changes during the event window so access points do not move onto audio frequencies mid-session.
5. Separate the hardware. Do not mount access points on the same stand or truss position as audio receivers and antennas.
6. Scan with the room full of equipment. Run a spectrum check at soundcheck with access points, screens and video links switched on, then recheck at doors-open if possible.
7. Keep one shared sheet. List every transmitter, its band and its owner, so the audio and network teams can resolve a clash in minutes.

A site survey and coverage plan is the easiest point to capture this, especially in halls with pillars, marquees and outdoor stages.

What about the 600 MHz band?

In the United States, most of the 600 MHz TV spectrum was repurposed for wireless services after a spectrum auction, and wireless microphones there had to stop using the 600 MHz band by July 2020. That is why audio users watch the band closely. In Australia, the ACMA's five-year spectrum outlook for 2026 to 2031, released in draft in March 2026, lists the 600 MHz band (617 to 698 MHz) at the monitoring stage. That means the ACMA is tracking domestic and international developments, with no set timing for change.

The outlook also notes that the government proposes to explore options for the future of television broadcasting, which may include its spectrum needs. For event organisers, the practical points are:

• No change is needed today for microphones used legally in 520 to 694 MHz.
• Hiring audio and network equipment for each event, rather than buying, avoids being left with gear tuned to a range that may be replanned.
• Long-running events should ask their audio partners how widely their systems can retune.

The ACMA also states that it supports spectrum needs for major sporting events, including telemetry and broadcasting, which is a reminder that very large events often need formal coordination beyond the class licence.

What should organisers send before booking event WiFi?

To plan WiFi that works alongside stage audio, send:

• the floor plan with stage, front-of-house and broadcast positions
• the audio frequency list, or the contact for your lighting and sound partners
• expected attendance, staff numbers and payment points
• any live streams, which need 10 to 20 Mbps of stable upload each with 1.5 to 2 times headroom

You can send the floor plan and event details to get a network plan that includes a shared channel map. For music events, see concert and live music WiFi, and for multi-room programs, conference WiFi.

Sources

1. ACMA: Wireless microphones
2. ACMA: Remaking the low interference potential devices class licence (outcome, September 2025)
3. ACMA: Outcomes paper, remaking the LIPD class licence
4. ACMA: Five-year spectrum outlook 2026 to 2031
5. ACMA: ACMA plan sets spectrum path through 2031 (March 2026)
6. Federal Communications Commission (US): Wireless microphones
7. Australian Music Association: New LIPD licence

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.