User Manual
Troubleshooting
OnSong Console works by setting up your iOS device as a web server on the local network. That means that OnSong is acting as a website that only you can access. This allows access to OnSong Console to be safe and fast since there is no information transmitted over the Internet. However, there are a few issues that you may experience. Below are some common issues and ways to resolve them.
Why can't I access OnSong Console on my device without a premium subscription?
OnSong Console has always been a premium feature that is made available in addition to the base package of OnSong. In 2018, OnSong Console was rolled into the OnSong Premium set of features and is now only available as a subscription unlock with many other new features. If you had purchased OnSong as an add-on, you can still unlock the feature if you have since reinstalled OnSong. To do this, go into the Utilities Menu by tapping on the gear icon in the Menubar and choose Account. Make sure you are not signed into an OnSong account and Sign Out at the bottom if you are. You can then see an Add-Ons row that you can tap to view add-ons. Tap on the Restore Past Purchases button to unlock OnSong Console.
Why doesn't the Console website appear in the web browser?
When you first enable OnSong Console from within OnSong, you are displayed a web address, usually in the form of http://nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn This is called an IP address which is like a phone number which other computers on the local network can use to call and communicate with your device running OnSong. This number is only accessible by devices that are connected to your personal computer network and not to any other remote computers unless your network is configured to do so which is very unlikely. Make sure that you type in this web address exactly as it appears on the OnSong Console screen. If you type in this web address and omit the "http://" portion, your computer may try to search for this number instead or append an "https://" in front of the web address, causing the website to load.
Keep in mind that the OnSong app is running the web server software that creates this website. That means if you shut down OnSong or the device is put to sleep or falls asleep, the Console will no longer be available. While OnSong and OnSong Console are designed to keep your device awake when in use, you will want to ensure that you have not inadvertently caused the device to go to sleep.
My Console acted up in the web browser or disconnected. What can I do?
Sometimes things may change while you already have the Console open in the web browser. If the website is typed correctly, you may want to try force-refreshing the web page. To do this, press the SHIFT key on your keyboard and then tap on the refresh button in the web browser next to the location/URL bar. This will reload the web page from the server and usually fixes many issues.
Why am I seeing a network error when access the Console from a web browser?
If you're still having trouble, the likely cause is that OnSong has to be set up on your specific network. For instance, when you change computer networks, OnSong needs to start up the web server to run OnSong Console on that specific set of IP addresses. To ensure this, try to disable and reenable the Console from within the OnSong Console screen within OnSong and use the displayed web address to access, ensuring you are typing it correctly. If you are still having trouble, it is likely caused by how the computer network security is configured. For instance, your network may not allow a web server to be started. Web servers run on port 80 which is a port with special privileges. If this is the case, you may need to contact a network administrator to allow the web server to be used on the network. Another method is to switch to use a port by importing a settings file. This setting will run the Console web site on port 5076. Higher port numbers are usually not restricted in the same way. You would just have to append that port number to the end of the web address like this: http://nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn:5076. If you'd like to do this, please contact support.
Is there a way I can save this web address and use it multiple times?
Yes and no. One quirk with local computer networks is that most are designed to automatically assign new devices IP addresses and not every network is the same. This means that you will likely have a different IP address on one network and then a completely different IP address on another network. While most network routers will attempt to give each device the same IP address they were assigned before, but there is no guarantee that will happen unless you configure your router to reserve IP addresses for specific devices. Of course that is a more advanced networking topic than we have time to delve into here and how to do that differs with each router. Look up DHCP Reservations in your network router user manual for more details.
If you are looking to save the web address for future use and are using a Mac computer, you can tap on the web address within the OnSong Console screen in OnSong to toggle to a local domain name. This will display like http://my-computers-name.local instead of the IP address. Computers that are compatible with multicast DNS such as Macs can use this web address instead to access OnSong Console. This web address stays consistent as long as you don't change the name of your device even if the underlying IP address changes.
Why do I get a security warning when accessing the console website?
OnSong Console operates by making your iOS/IPadOS device a web server on the local network. Because of this, it is not possible to use SSL or TLS encryption for communication. This is because certificates for encrypted communication are provided by an Internet authority to ensure that the information being transmitted is coming from the legitimate owner of a domain name. Since the OnSong Console is not running on the world-wide web with a registered domain name, this sort of certificate is not available. While we could possibly self-sign a generated certificate, that often causes issues with most web browsers. Besides, the information being transmitted is not sensitive in nature and is only transmitted over the local network and never over the Internet. If you would like to secure the connection between your OnSong device and the devices accessing the content, please use a private network and do not use on a public access point. Also, this OnSong Connect API built into OnSong features a basic whitelist permissions system that requires confirmation to access any information transmitted over the network.
Why can't I seem to get console to activate on my device?
In iOS/iPadOS 14, Apple has added additional safeguards to prevent apps from using the local network unknowingly to the user. OnSong has always used the local networking on the device to enable wireless sharing, but now you may need to agree to this access when prompted by iOS/iPadOS. If you have not agreed to this at the prompt, OnSong will not be able to start the web server that Console uses. You can enable this access by opening the Settings app from your device's Home Screen, choosing OnSong on the left under Applications, and then turn on the switch next to Local Network Access.
What's the difference between OnSong Console and OnSong Console for Mac?
OnSong Console is built into OnSong and is unlocked view a previously-purchased add-on, or through an OnSong Premium subscription. OnSong Console for Mac was a separate purchase that has since been deprecated and not longer functions on newer versions of MacOS. Because of that, you will need to use the web-based OnSong Console instead. Please contact support so we can help get you using the latest version of OnSong Console.
