Why am I having network/connection issues?
With internet-based applications like Altar Live, your internet and network connection play a key role in the proper use of the application. In many cases, there isn't an error with the entire underlying system, but instead, a network condition that's causing things to not work right. There are several things to check on if you're experiencing network connection issues, or getting a message in your room that you're having network problems, and these have been detailed below.
We do understand that many organizations prefer to route their network traffic through a firewall to improve privacy and security. However, because Altar Live is a peer-to-peer service, we do need some traffic to be allowed through the firewall. We require that outgoing traffic via TCP and UDP on port 443 is open, so this change will need to be made by your network administrator.
At the moment we don't use a static range of IP addresses for Altar's servers, so we don't recommend using Altar behind a proxy or VPN. In some cases, users will have initial success using Altar behind these services, but in many cases, those users do end up experiencing connection issues at some point in time.
In some cases, it's possible that the connection problems don't have to do with your actual internet speeds, but instead your connection to your service provider. The most common point where this can happen is your WiFi router. WiFi routers have the best performance when your computer has a direct line of sight to the router. In situations where there are one or more walls between you and your router, it's possible for your network speeds to slow, and for the connection to your network to degrade. A good way to test if this is happening is to run a few internet speed tests in varying locations to see if the speeds and PING change. You could also try hard-lining over ethernet so that WiFi degradation isn't impacting the test.
In a few countries like Russia and the UAE, we're aware of restrictions that have been put in place for peer-to-peer applications like Altar. In many of these areas, we've had reports from users that they have spotty access to Altar, or that the service doesn't work for them at all. Unfortunately, because these are government-level restrictions that have been put in place on the internet, there isn't anything we can do to address these types of situations.
Online events that feel just like being in-person.
