Network Requirements
Requirements for All Installations
When installing hearTV, your network must meet the requirements listed here.
802.11ac Wi-Fi
Always use routers or access points that support 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Please refer to the Benefits of 802.11ac Wi-Fi support article for details.
Placement of Wi-Fi Access Points
Proper placement of your Wi-Fi router or access point is important to ensure good audio quality. Keep the following in mind when installing hearTV:
- Make sure there are no walls, no doors, and no floors between users, wireless hearTV devices, and your router or nearest access point. (Obstructions between your router or access point and a mobile phone can cause a significant loss in audio quality.)
- All wireless hearTV devices should be within 100 feet of the nearest Wi-Fi router or access point.
Password Protection
To prevent stray connections from overloading the hearTV Wi-Fi network, the network should be password-protected.
Internet Connection
Although hearTV does not require a connection to the Internet to stream audio, an Internet connection is recommended for the following reasons:
- Some phones automatically disconnect from Wi-Fi when an Internet connection is unavailable, which causes hearTV audio to stop streaming.
- An Internet connection enables the use of other online services such as e-mail, web browsing, and messaging apps while using hearTV. Without an Internet connection, users are disconnected from these services.
- When using the daily automatic reboot feature, hearTV will not reboot at the expected time. (hearTV requires an Internet connection to set the current time.)
- An Internet connection is required to update the hearTV firmware. (Firmware updates are not automatic. See How-to — Update Firmware for details.)
Requirements for Commercial-Grade Installations
If installing hearTV using commercial-grade networking equipment, please note the requirements listed below.
Manufacturer-Specific Requirements
If using network equipment from one of the manufacturers listed below, click the manufacturer name to see additional requirements.
AirGroup
Do not enable the AirGroup feature unless wireless clients are on a different VLAN from hearTV.If wireless clients are on a different VLAN from hearTV, define a service for
_heartv._udp.
. (Note the trailing dot.) See the following support articles from Aruba Networks for details:
mDNS Policy
Do not enable the mDNS Policy feature unless a more sophisticated configuration is desired.If you do require the mDNS Policy feature to be enabled, define a service for
_heartv._udp.local.
. (Note the trailing dot.) See the following support article from Cisco for details:
Client IP Assignment
Configure your network to use Bridge Mode. The hearTV system is not compatible with NAT Mode. See the following support article from Meraki for details:Bonjour Forwarding
If wireless clients are on a different VLAN from hearTV, you may use Bonjour Forwarding to enable access to hearTV from your guest Wi-Fi network. When setting up Bonjour Forwarding, use the service name_heartv._udp.
. (Note the trailing dot.) See the following support articles from Meraki for details:
- Bonjour Forwarding
- Watch Apple TV Over Secure Guest Wi-Fi (This article focuses on Apple TV, but the topics discussed also apply to hearTV.)
Wireless Client Isolation
If using the Wireless Client Isolation option, add each hearTV to Client Isolation Whitelist. Refer to the Ruckus Wireless support site for details:Captive Portal / Splash Screen / Login Page
The hearTV device may not connect properly to a network that uses a captive portal. (This is sometimes also known as a splash screen or a login page, where users might be asked to enter an e-mail address or to log in with Facebook.)
If your network has this type of feature, add the MAC address of each hearTV device to the list of clients allowed to bypass the captive portal. (This is sometimes known as a whitelist.)
The MAC address for hearTV is printed on a label on each hearTV device.
Isolation Mode / Guest Network / Private VLAN / Port Isolation
The network must not isolate wireless clients from hearTV. Isolation typically occurs when using an access point's Guest Network feature.
Subnet / VLAN
Wireless clients must be on the same subnet or VLAN as the hearTV devices.
Ports
The following ports must be open for traffic between wireless clients and the hearTV devices:
- UDP port 5353
- hearTV Pro Connect: UDP ports 1350 to 1351
- hearTV Pro 8x Connect: UDP ports 1350 to 1365
- For hearTV firmware version 5.1 and earlier, UDP port 4950.
Bonjour / mDNS
The network must support Bonjour/mDNS for the service type _heartv._udp.
. (Note the trailing dot.)
Firewall
An connection to the Internet is required to update hearTV firmware. If your network has a firewall that blocks traffic to the Internet, add an exception for firmware.hearTV.com
to allow firmware updates. (Firmware updates are not automatic. See How-to — Update Firmware for details.)