Orbit streams the rows you choose to viewers on the same local network — iOS devices running the RePro app, or any browser via the Orbit Monitor page — with no external server, account, or internet connection needed. Use it to give a camera op, director, or anyone nearby a live look at your rows, with per-viewer access codes and quality monitoring.
Turn Orbit on and open it
Open Main Settings (gear icon) → Orbit Streaming section → switch Enabled on. (This master switch stops every active Orbit stream the moment you turn it off.)
Close Main Settings. An amber Orbit Device Control button appears in the main-window footer. Click it to open the Orbit window.
The footer button only appears while Orbit is on and the app is unlocked (see Security & PIN Lock).
To publish GUI rows (BETA), FILE rows (BETA), or use the RKT direct-encode mode, turn on the matching switch in Main Settings → Beta Features first.
Publish a row
In the header of any row you want to share, click the small round amber ORBIT button. Hollow means off; filled with spinning dots means it's publishing. Repeat on each row you want viewers to see.
Create and share an access code
1. In Orbit Device Control, click + Generate Code. A new code appears with an auto-name and all rows permitted. (Limit: 50 codes.)
2. Click the code's name to rename it (e.g. "Camera Op"), then press Enter.
3. In the expanded code, click the A / B / C row chips to choose which rows this viewer sees (drag to reorder them).
4. Share it:
Click the QR icon and have the viewer scan it with the RePro app or the iOS Camera app, or
Click the copy icon to copy the code and send it. The eye icon reveals the code briefly if you need to read it aloud.
Two defaults to know: new codes are Video Only (no audio until you uncheck it) and have Snapshots off (tick Snapshots to let viewers grab stills).
Approve viewers manually
1. Expand the Settings section
2. Turn on Require Approval for Join Requests.
3. Optionally set Auto-Approve Reconnections (minutes) so a device that briefly drops isn't re-prompted.
3. When a device connects it appears under Pending Approval Requests — click Approve or Deny.
Monitor a viewer's quality
Click the Connected filter chip, expand a code, and read the Connections panel:
A streaming-mode badge — ORB2 (shared encoding, ~120 ms) or RKT (dedicated encoder, ~90 ms).
How long they've been connected, plus any timeout countdowns.
Per-row chips showing codec, resolution, fps, latency, RTT and loss %, colour-coded green / amber / red so you can spot a struggling link.
Each connected client also has 💬 Chat (if Pulse Messenger is enabled), 🆘 Dismiss (clears an assistance request), and 🗑️ Delete Snapshots (wipes that device's stills).
Show a holding test card
All viewers: tick Force Test Card (All Connections) at the top of the code list.
One viewer: tick that code's Test Card checkbox.
Every new connection: in Settings, turn on Start New Connections with Test Cards.
Limit how long viewers stay connected
In Settings → Timeout & Auto-Disconnect, set the global limits you want:
Inactivity Timeout — disconnects idle clients (on by default, 30 min).
Maximum Connection Duration — disconnects after a fixed session length; the viewer must re-enter the code.
Daily Reset — disconnects everyone at a set time each day (uses the host machine's timezone).
For a single code with different needs, expand it → Override Timeout Settings and set its own values.
Make Orbit reachable from other devices
By default Orbit is only reachable on the host machine. To let other devices on the network connect:
In Orbit Device Control's Broadcaster / Server card, tick Allow Remote Access.
If a toast asks you to restart, restart Pulsar.
Share the Server:
<ip>:<port>shown in the card, or have viewers scan a code's QR (it embeds the address). The Monitor link in the same card opens the browser Orbit Monitor page.
Revoke or remove access
Click the red Revoke icon to disconnect and block a code (confirm when asked). It can be Unrevoked later to reset it.
Click the trash icon to delete a code entirely. Delete is blocked while a code is connected or pending — revoke it first.
Tips & gotchas
New codes are silent and snapshot-free — uncheck Video Only for audio, tick Snapshots for stills.
Settings is collapsed at the bottom of the window — expand it to reach approval, timeouts and video-output options.
Force Test Card (global) overrides the per-code Test Card boxes while it's on.
Delete is blocked while connected or pending — revoke first, then delete.
RKT is heavy — it runs a dedicated encode per client per row and can spike CPU; ORB2 is lighter for many viewers.
Daily Reset uses the host machine's timezone, not the viewer's.
If Orbit features won't start, check About → System Dependencies & Firewall and see Troubleshooting.
Related pages
Main Window — where the per-row ORBIT button and footer button live.
Rows & Sources — how rows map to the A/B/C permission chips.
Pulse Messenger — the chat behind the per-client Chat button.
Monitoring & Preview — Pipeline Flow and preview tooling.
Security & PIN Lock — the footer button hides while locked.
Settings & Configuration — Beta Features and other settings.
Troubleshooting — when Orbit features are unavailable.
Glossary — ORB2 / RKT and other terms.