Technologies

• Auracast

  Questions and sources on Auracast broadcast audio: Bluetooth LE Audio streams from venue transmitters to hearing aids, earbuds, phones and loan receivers.

  • 46 questions
  • 156 sources
  • Newest dated source 13 Oct 2026

• Hearing loops

  Questions and sources on hearing loops (audio-frequency induction loop systems) in rooms and at counters, and on listening to them through a telecoil.

  • 39 questions
  • 211 sources
  • Newest dated source 4 Sep 2026

• Infrared

  Questions and sources on infrared assistive listening, which carries sound on invisible light to receivers worn with earphones or a neckloop.

  • 25 questions
  • 74 sources
  • Newest dated source 11 Jun 2026

• RF/FM

  Questions and sources on dedicated venue receiver systems: FM at 72-76 MHz and 216 MHz, the European assistive listening bands, and proprietary digital RF.

  • 28 questions
  • 69 sources
  • Newest dated source 16 Sep 2026

• Wi-Fi streaming

  Questions and sources on assistive listening streamed over a venue's Wi-Fi network to an app on listeners' phones or to dedicated Wi-Fi receivers.

  • 22 questions
  • 45 sources
  • Newest dated source 6 Aug 2026

• Shared

  What applies whichever technology is used: codes and standards, receivers, neckloops, telecoils, who can connect and what listeners prefer, and hearing research that does not depend on the technology. Questions and sources tagged Shared apply to every technology above.

  • 39 questions
  • 267 sources
  • Newest dated source 13 Oct 2026
  • Shared questions
  • Shared sources
  • Which hearing devices can receive which systems?Open
  • Which systems satisfy the ADA and building codes, and does a listener's own phone count?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
  • Will equipment bought today meet the standards that follow?Open
  • Can Auracast serve ticket windows, service counters and reception desks?Open
  • How many listeners carry a telecoil, an Auracast-capable device or a smartphone?Disputed
  • What do listeners prefer, and how often do they use venue systems?Partly answered
  • Are telecoils switched on and set up well enough for loops to work?Not reliable yet
  • How much delay does Wi-Fi streaming add, and when does it matter?Not reliable yet
  • What does Wi-Fi streaming need from the venue's network and from listeners' phones?Partly answered
  • Where does infrared assistive listening work, and where does it fall short?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
  • What works for announcements and ticket counters on buses, trains, stations and airports?Partly answered
  • What works in places of worship, and what do the rules ask of them?Partly answered
  • What reaches a cochlear implant user in a venue, and how well?Partly answered
  • Do neckloops give telecoil users good sound from FM, infrared, Wi-Fi and Auracast receivers?Not reliable yet
  • What works in courtrooms, council chambers and other meeting rooms where speech must be heard by all and kept in the room?Partly answered
  • What works in theatres and cinemas, and what do the rules ask of them?Partly answered
  • What works in hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, where a misheard word can matter most?Partly answered
  • What works in stadiums and arenas, and what do the rules ask of them?Partly answered
  • What works in hotel meeting rooms and conference centres, and what do the rules ask of them?Partly answered
  • What works in university lecture halls and large teaching rooms?Partly answered
  • What works for guided tours, museums and visitor attractions?Partly answered
  • What works in school auditoriums, gyms and assembly halls?Partly answered
  • Who designs and installs assistive listening, and what training or certification exists?Partly answered
  • What does a listener have to do to use each system, and where do people get stuck?Partly answered
  • Can assistive listening carry emergency and evacuation announcements?Partly answered
  • Are hearing aids set up well enough to use Auracast in venues?Partly answered
  • How can a venue check that its assistive listening works for listeners, day to day?Partly answered
  • What public funding or grants exist for venues to install assistive listening?Partly answered
  • How many people in an audience are likely to need assistive listening?Partly answered
  • How much do room acoustics and distance limit listening without a system, and what follows for choosing one?Partly answered
  • Can people without hearing aids benefit from venue systems through earbuds, headphones or their phones?Partly answered
  • How good is the sound each system delivers: bandwidth, codecs and speech understanding?Partly answered
  • What do complaints, settlements and court cases say about assistive listening?Partly answered
  • What should a venue specify and ask for when it buys an assistive listening system?Partly answered

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