ElsewhereDirect and relayed
Elsewhere connects your devices directly whenever the network allows it. That's the fastest path.
Some networks block direct connections. Then an encrypted relay passes the session along. It can't read what it carries. The longer path does add delay. While relayed, the picture is capped at 1080p and 30 frames a second.
How to tell
On iPhone and iPad, the ⋯ menu ends with Connected directly or Connected through the relay, and the round trip in milliseconds.
On the Mac you're connected to, the Elsewhere menu lists each session as direct or relayed. To see it in a Mac's session window too, turn on Show connection stats in Settings > Quality.
What helps
- Turn off a VPN on either device, then connect again. A VPN can block the direct path.
- Try another network. Hotel, office, and school networks are the likeliest to block direct connections. Cellular data often works where Wi-Fi doesn't.
- On Wi-Fi, move closer to the router, or connect the Mac with a cable.
- Lower the quality. Hiding the wallpaper and reducing animations help too.
Where quality lives
On a Mac, the session toolbar has Quality and a wallpaper switch. Settings > Quality sets where new sessions start.
On iPhone and iPad, Quality is in the ⋯ menu. Its default is in Settings.
Still slow?
Write to hello@elsewhere.is with when it happened and what the stats showed. We can see whether a session was relayed, never what was on the screen.