Summary
Guidance for venue operators, installers and building advisers in Switzerland on running Auracast alongside inductive systems.
Key findings
- Prefers a fixed induction loop plus an Auracast transmitter. An Auracast transmitter with loaned neckloop receivers costs less, but the authors say it often does not work well enough in practice.
- Reports that all FM, infrared and Auracast systems tested so far reached the required magnetic field strength at the ear through a neckloop only with the transmitter fully driven and the receiver volume near maximum. It recommends an automatic gain control or fast peak limiter before the transmitter to keep the signal about 1-3 dB below clipping.
- Gives Auracast latency as about 30-40 ms, more for some transmitter-receiver pairs, plus up to 20 ms or more in the audio system, and notes that no maximum tolerable latency had yet been set.
- Estimates that the roughly 100 m range given in data sheets for 20 dBm transmitters could fall to 20-30 m under extreme conditions, and suggests mounting transmitters high on a wall or centrally on the ceiling, with several transmitters for large areas.
- Expects many systems to need a PIN because most people will soon be able to receive streams inside and outside the room, and notes open questions on PIN length (four digits are easy to guess), changing it and sharing it.
- Says room signs should give the stream name and any PIN, and that Swiss law does not require an acceptance report although builders and authorities usually ask for one.
- Says a loop plus Auracast costs more because two systems must be installed, and that Auracast with loaned neckloop receivers brings extra work in staff training and visitor information.
- The section on magnetic field strength at the neckloop states that the measurements used a 1 kHz sine wave, with full transmitter drive and receiver volume usually at maximum. It gives no number of systems tested.
Limits
Guidance from early practical experience, not a controlled study. The range figure is an estimate. The page bears a 17 February 2025 date but the archived text discusses the new SIA 500 draft; no revision date is stated, so the displayed date does not establish when every passage was written.
Read the original
pro-audito.ch/news/kann-bluetooth-auracast-als-hoeranlage-eingesetzt-werden
Cited in
- How far does one transmitter really reach in a full room?Partly answered
- What audio level should the stream carry: -35 dBFS or louder?Disputed
- Auracast, hearing loop, infrared, RF or Wi-Fi: which suits which room?Disputed
- How many receivers and neckloops does each code require, and how should a loan pool be run?Partly answered
- What commissioning tests and pass limits will the standards require?Open
- How do listeners find and join the right broadcast?Open
- Open or protected: when should a venue broadcast need a code?Open
- What do listeners prefer, and how often do they use venue systems?Partly answered
- How is an installed hearing loop checked against IEC 60118-4, and how often does it pass?Partly answered
- Where does infrared assistive listening work, and where does it fall short?Partly answered
- Which radio bands can venue FM and RF systems use, and what limits them?Partly answered
- Should a venue keep its hearing loop when it adds Auracast, and can one system serve both?Partly answered
- What does each system cost to install and to run over its life?Open
- How do listeners learn that a venue has assistive listening, and which signs and symbols do the rules ask for?Partly answered
- Do neckloops give telecoil users good sound from FM, infrared, Wi-Fi and Auracast receivers?Not reliable yet
Cite this source
Pro Audito Schweiz. Can Bluetooth Auracast be used as an assistive listening system? Pro Audito Schweiz (in German). 17 February 2025. https://pro-audito.ch/news/kann-bluetooth-auracast-als-hoeranlage-eingesetzt-werden/ (accessed 13 October 2026).
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