OD Link Intercom clients on macOS, Windows, iOS / iPadOS and Android can join over the internet. Use Cloud for a hosted room or Direct Connection for a reachable Server App on your Mac. Local Network is another option when participants share the server’s network.
Choose who hosts the server
| Cloud | Server App | |
|---|---|---|
| Server hosting | Hosted for you | Your Mac |
| Participant connection | Room name and participant credentials | Server address, configured port and participant credentials |
| Administration | Prepare the room, channels, groups and users | Prepare the server, channels, groups, users and internet reachability |
| Audio sources | Client audio sources | Core Audio device inputs and output routing |
Explore Cloud or the Server App before choosing the arrangement for your production.
Prepare a Cloud room
- The owner chooses room capacity and billing period in the subscription configurator.
- The administrator sets up channels and groups and creates individual participant accounts.
- Share the room’s Server Name, plus each person’s User Name and Password, privately.
- Participants select Cloud in the client and enter those details.
Participants do not each need a Cloud management account. The owner’s management email is not the participant username. They do not configure the hosted server’s router or firewall.
Prepare a directly reachable Mac server
- Run the Server App on a supported Mac and prepare its channels, groups and users.
- In General, check the configured network port and network interface.
- Arrange external routing and firewall access for the configured TCP and UDP port. A successful connection on the same Wi-Fi does not establish that the server is reachable over the internet.
- Use Check Port Status, then test from a participant connection outside the server’s network.
- Share the server address, configured port and individual credentials. Participants choose Direct Connection.
If the network provider or venue cannot provide the required inbound reachability, use Cloud or ask the network administrator for an appropriate connection. Do not turn off the firewall globally.
Exact fields and the default port are documented in Direct Connection. A secondary address, where supported by the client, is an alternate address supplied by the administrator, not another room.
Confirm a real conversation
Start with two different participant accounts. Allow microphone access, choose a permitted group, turn on L, arm a channel and hold TALK. Ask the other person to confirm the words they heard, then reverse direction.
A moving meter establishes signal activity, not that the far end is listening on the correct channel or output device. If one side is silent, check the selected headset, listening state, channel permissions and microphone input before changing multiple network settings.
Plan for connection changes
Try the actual mobile or venue network before production. Wi-Fi handoffs, cellular coverage and headset route changes can affect an active conversation. Agree on a fallback communication method for critical cues.
For symptom-based checks, use troubleshooting. For a practical channel layout, see live production setup.
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