Room sync troubleshooting
When a shared timer looks stale or a Host button appears to do nothing, start with the Room, role, and connection state. This checklist helps you separate a missing Host token, a wrong read-only link, a reconnecting device, a full Room, and a network problem.
Updated August 10, 2026 · About 6 minutes to read
Keep the authorized Host device available throughout the session. Use Display, Speaker, Moderator, and Agenda links for the roles that need timing information. If a shared view needs to reconnect, the Host should remain the reference point instead of opening several new copies of the Room.
Sync checklist
First decide whether the problem is Host control, Display, Speaker, Moderator, or Agenda. Host must keep control access; the other views are read-only. A Display that is not updating and a Host that cannot control the Room are different problems, so start with the exact device and URL showing the symptom.
Confirm that every device belongs to the same Room ID. For Host, preserve the full URL including its #token fragment. The token is the Host access credential; a Host path without it can connect as read-only and show controls that cannot actually change the Room. Never post the Host link in a public chat or send it to an audience device.
The full Host URL includes a private fragment that read-only share links do not need.
Host can show Local preview, Connecting, Authorizing, Connected, Read-only, or Reconnecting. Moderator View can show Watching, Reconnecting, No host, No display, or Room full. The Connected devices count also tells you whether the Room is receiving the devices you expected. Use the label to choose the next check instead of opening more duplicate tabs.
If Display, Speaker, Moderator, or Agenda is stale, check the network first, then reload that view from its original shared link. The sync connection retries after a close, but a browser tab can still be left on an old Room, blocked by a network change, or opened from a copied URL with the wrong role. Keep Host open while reconnecting the affected device.
Reconnect the device that is stale; keep the authorized Host available while you do it.
Free Rooms currently allow up to five connected devices. Close duplicate Display, Speaker, Moderator, or Agenda tabs and reconnect only the roles needed for the session. A room that has reached its connection limit cannot accept another WebSocket connection until a slot is released.
Five connected devices is the current free-room ceiling, including Host and all read-only views.
Common symptoms
Return to the original Host URL and make sure its #token fragment is still present. Do not try to turn a Display, Speaker, Moderator, or Agenda URL into a Host URL by editing the path. If the token is missing, reopen the Host link that was created with the Room.
Confirm the device uses the correct role-specific link and the same Room ID. Check whether Host is Connected, then reload only the affected read-only view. If several devices stop together, check the network that carries their WebSocket connections.
Use Moderator View as the room-health check. No host means the Host connection is absent, No display means no Display connection is present, and Room full means the connection limit has been reached. Close duplicates or reconnect the missing role from its Host-shared link.
Keep the page open while checking the device network, browser tab, VPN, firewall, and any network policy that may block WebSocket traffic. After the network is available again, reload the affected role-specific link if it does not return to a healthy state.
Connection labels
This app is running without the remote sync service. Local browser state can be useful for previewing, but it is not a multi-device production sync check.
The page is opening its Room connection and determining whether the device is Host or read-only.
Host has been authorized and can control the Room from this device.
The page is connected as a non-Host role. Use it for Display, Speaker, Moderator, or Agenda work, not Room control.
The socket connection encountered an error or closed and is trying to recover. Check the network before opening another copy of the Room.
Before the session starts
FAQ
The Host page may be connected as a read-only role when its #token fragment is missing or invalid. Reopen the original Host URL with its token instead of using a shared Display, Speaker, Moderator, or Agenda link. A real authorized Host connection reports Connected; a non-Host connection reports Read-only.
No. The Room sync sends shared state and timing anchors; each view calculates the displayed time locally using the synchronized state and server-time offset. The important check is whether the views share the same active Room state, not whether the server sends a new number every second.
Confirm the role-specific link and Room ID, check that Host is Connected, then reload the affected Display, Speaker, Moderator, or Agenda page. If multiple views are stale, investigate the network or sync service rather than repeatedly refreshing every device.
Free Rooms currently allow up to five connected devices. Count the Host, Display, Speaker, Moderator, and Agenda tabs together. Close duplicate or no-longer-needed views before opening another device.
No. Keep Host private on the control device and use the Display link on the projector or shared screen. The role-specific read-only links are designed to expose timing information without exposing live controls or the Host token.
Keep the authorized Host device as the operational source of truth. Stop opening new copies, verify the active timer and Room ID, reconnect only the affected read-only view, and communicate a temporary fallback to the room if the shared screen cannot be trusted until the connection recovers.
Next steps
Set up one Room, keep Host private, and share the right role-specific views.
Learn moreOpen the public timer on a projector, second screen, confidence monitor, or screen share.
Learn moreUse a read-only room-health monitor to check Host, Display, roles, and connections.
Learn more