Battery and Thermal Monitoring
Live production is demanding on hardware. pMix monitors the thermal state and battery levels of connected devices to warn you before problems occur.
iPad thermal states
| State | Description | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal | Normal operating temperature | No impact |
| Fair | Slightly warm | No impact yet, but monitor |
| Serious | Hot | Performance may be throttled; consider cooling |
| Critical | Very hot | Significant throttling; the system may shut down |
iPhone telemetry
Connected iPhone cameras report:
- Battery level — Percentage remaining
- Charging state — Whether the iPhone is plugged in
- Thermal state — Same nominal/fair/serious/critical scale
- Storage — Available storage in MB (relevant if the iPhone is recording locally)
This data updates every 5 seconds in the Health Stats panel.
Managing heat
Live production pushes hardware hard — encoding, decoding, rendering, networking, and streaming all generate heat. Manage thermal issues by:
- Plug in and charge — Keep the iPad and iPhones plugged in to avoid battery death during a long show
- Remove cases — Cases trap heat; remove them during production if temperatures rise
- Ventilation — Ensure airflow around all devices
- Cooling accessories — A small fan pointed at the iPad helps significantly
- Reduce workload — Lower resolution, fewer sources, and simpler scenes all reduce heat generation
- Avoid direct sunlight — Outdoor productions should shade all devices
Battery planning
For a multi-hour production:
- iPad — Will drain quickly under load even when plugged in with an underpowered charger. Use at least a 20W charger
- iPhones — Camera streaming drains batteries fast. Use a power bank or lightning/USB-C cable during the show
- Monitor levels — Set up a routine to check battery percentages in Health Stats every 30 minutes
Tips
- “Fair” is fine — Don’t panic at “fair” thermal state; it’s normal during production. Act when it reaches “serious”
- Screen dimming — Dimming the iPhone screen (via remote control) saves battery and reduces heat
- Shorter shows — If thermal management is a persistent issue, consider breaking long shows into segments with cooling breaks