Why Venue Wi-Fi Causes Problems and How to Fix It
The biggest single cause of mid-game issues. Plain-English fixes.
The biggest single cause of mid-game issues. Plain-English fixes.
The phone-play model works because every player phone connects to the internet to join your game session. If venue Wi-Fi is slow, congested, or restrictive, players can't connect or stay connected.
Three common venue Wi-Fi failure modes:
1. Capacity: Cheap routers max out at 30-40 simultaneous devices.
2. Captive portal: Some venue networks force players to log in via a
"Click to Connect" page that breaks browser sessions.
3. Outbound restrictions: Corporate networks may block traffic to
services like Supabase that we use for real-time updates.
The fastest fix is to bypass venue Wi-Fi entirely. Ask players to switch to mobile data (4G/5G).
Most modern phones in the UK have generous data allowances. A full quiz night uses less than 50MB per player.
If multiple players are on a network with no mobile signal (basement bars, countryside venues), bring a 4G hotspot. Your phone's hotspot mode works for 5-10 players, or buy a dedicated hotspot for £30-40.
Corporate networks often block streaming services and unfamiliar domains. Ask the IT team to whitelist these domains:
- letsgogames.co.uk (the app)
- *.supabase.co (real-time updates and database)
- *.netlify.app (the hosting platform)
Email these to the IT team a week before the event. Most teams happy to action it.
Some venue Wi-Fi shows a "Click here to accept terms" page when you connect. If this kicks in mid-game, players' connections drop.
Fix: Ask each player to open letsgogames.co.uk first to make sure they pass the captive portal, then re-scan the QR code. Or, switch them to mobile data.
For new venues or big events, test capacity before you go live. Hand out 8-10 phones, have them all join a test session at once. If a few drop or take ages to load, you'll have the same problem with your real audience.