How can I tune network performance?

Open it: SkyCoach menu → Settings → Network.

Before you start:

• You need SkyCoach app version 19.2 or later — earlier versions don’t have the Network screen.
• You must be connected to the SkyCoach network — either on an SC- antenna’s WiFi or through an ethernet adapter. If the screen says “Not connected to the SkyCoach network”, tap Open Settings and join it.
• The screen works in client mode only. In cloud mode it shows “This feature is only available in client mode.”
• The first time you open it, iOS asks for local network access — allow it, or the scan can’t see your devices.
• Wait for “Scanning Network…” to finish. The screen keeps refreshing live after that, so readings stay current while you adjust antennas. If you see “Scan Failed”, tap Try Again.

 

The antenna bridge cards

The antenna bridges are at the top of the screen — one card per bridge, showing both ends of the wireless link: the AP / Bridge side (broadcasting, press box) and the STA / Station side (receiving, sideline), each with its hostname (e.g. SC-SKYbridge), IP address, and a colored status dot.

Broken links sort to the top. If the top card is green, your whole network is in good shape. A side showing “Not Connected” or “Device hasn’t responded” is offline or unpaired.

Dot	Meaning	What to do
🟢 Green	Meets its target	Nothing
🟡 Yellow	Working, but degraded	Keep an eye on it
🔴 Red	Failing its target	Fix it — see the three steps below
⚪ Grey / “No data”	No reading yet	Wait for the scan; never assume it’s healthy

Throughput is the bottom line. If Capacity is above 120 Mbps on both sides of a bridge, that bridge is healthy — you don’t need to worry about anything else on it. The steps below are for bridges that can’t hit that mark.

Fix a bridge in three steps

This is the main thing you’ll use the Network screen for. When a bridge card shows yellow or red:

1. Tap “Details” on the bridge card.
2. Open “Recommended Actions.” The app has already diagnosed the link and built a numbered fix plan — Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 — targeted at exactly what’s wrong with this bridge.
3. Tap “Apply Fix” on each step, in order. The screen keeps refreshing live, so watch the card’s dot turn green as the fixes take hold.

Then move to the next non-green card and repeat, until every bridge card is green.

The steps the app may recommend, always in this order:

• Align Antenna — live aiming coach while you physically adjust the dish: “Adjust antenna until chains are balanced” → “Almost there — fine-tune for better balance” → “Chains are balanced — alignment looks great!”
• Use recommended frequency / Change Frequency — moves the link to a cleaner channel (the link drops briefly while it applies).
• Increase Power — runs a 2-minute automatic power sweep (“Trying higher power levels and measuring throughput…”).

Want finer-grained detail?

The three steps above are usually all you need. But the Details view also shows everything behind the grades, if you want to dig in:

Health Metrics — eight graded rows, each with a dot, live readings for both the AP and STA side, and its target printed underneath:

Metric	Target
Signal Strength	Expected dBm at your distance
Antenna Aim (Chain Imbalance)	Less than 3 dB between chains
Noise Floor	Below −88 dBm
SNR	30+ dB
Data Delivery	90%+
Efficiency	80%+
Response Time	Under 5 ms
Capacity	120+ Mbps

The Capacity row is the same throughput check you used to do by logging into the antenna — 120+ Mbps is the passing grade.

Graphs —

• RF ENVIRONMENT: a bar chart of radio channels showing interference. Tap any channel bar for detail; the chart calls out Best, Rec (recommended), and Current frequency.
• SIGNAL: a live gauge with per-chain bars — use this while physically aiming the dish.
• SIGNAL / THROUGHPUT: a rolling chart of signal (dBm) against speed (Mbps) over time.

The Details view also lists device facts: Model, Firmware, Frequency, Width, TX Power, Antenna Gain, Distance, ESSID, Uptime, and current TX/RX rates.

Special cards you might see

• Factory Default — an antenna that’s been reset and lost its SkyCoach configuration. Tap Repair, pick which antenna it should be from the list, and wait while the app uploads the configuration and the antenna reboots. (Use Search to look for factory-default antennas if one isn’t showing.)
• TFTP Recovery — an antenna stuck in recovery mode that needs to be re-flashed. Contact SkyCoach support.
• Login button on a card — the app couldn’t sign in to that device. Tap it and enter the device’s username and password.

The rest of the map

Below the antenna bridges, the screen also maps your infrastructure (router, switch, mesh AP, replay host — tap a card for configuration checks, DHCP range, connected clients, switch ports, and system stats) and your RCK camera kits (connection status, camera ID, plays left to upload, last seen). Small labeled lines (“WiFi”, “ETH 1G”) show how each device is connected.

If the Network screen isn’t working

If the scan keeps failing, the screen won’t load, or you’re on a device without the SkyCoach app, you can still check and tune throughput the original way — by logging in to each antenna in a browser. See How can I tune network performance by logging in to the antennas?

Record test clips and verify download speeds at each location

Finish by testing with real video. Short clips almost always download fast and are not a good indicator — test with longer than normal video lengths.

1. Record a 45-second clip.
2. On the sideline, connect an iPad to the sideline WiFi.
3. Open the event and time how long the test clip takes to download.
4. A 45-second recording should download in less than 10 seconds and never take more than 15.
5. Repeat at every location that has an antenna broadcasting SC-Location-XXXXX WiFi, standing beside the antenna you’re connected to.

To re-test after adjusting antennas without recording new clips: SkyCoach menu → Settings → Status → Info, scroll to the bottom, and select Clear video downloads. When you reopen the event, the clips download again.

See the Pregame Checklist and Keys To Success for other things that can impact performance!