🌐 How Workbench Connects
Workbench uses your Astropad account to find your devices, so it works from anywhere with internet. You can work from a different room, different city, or even a different country.
Workbench connects directly between your two devices when possible. If your network isn't stable enough, it automatically switches to a relay server; don't worry, no action is needed on your end.
A relay server is essentially an encrypted middleman that passes your session through when a direct connection isn't possible. It keeps things working, but you may notice a little more latency than a direct connection. In both cases, your screen data is always encrypted with 256-bit AES encryption and never stored anywhere.
⚡How Do I Achieve the Best Connection Quality?
The connection quality for Workbench can determine the experience you have. There are a few things to consider:
Distance
Connecting from the US to Japan means real world physics are involved. More distance means more latency, unfortunately there's no getting around it.
Your Internet Connection
A stable connection matters more than raw speed. You're much less likely to experience interruptions or dropped connections with a stable connection compared to a speedy connection.
If you have Fiber Internet on both ends, you'll have the best connection possible.
Wire your Mac to the router directly via Ethernet for a more stable experience.
If using WiFi, make sure you're close to the router to ensure a good signal.
VPN
Having VPN enabled on ONE device is usually successful. However, having both devices on a VPN at the same time can cause connection issues.
If your connection is acting up, try turning off the VPN on one device first.
Network Setup
Corporate firewalls, proxy systems, and heavily restricted networks can add latency or, in some cases, block the connection entirely. These types of networks put up a lot of barriers that Workbench has to work around, and sometimes it just can't get through.
If Workbench can't establish a direct connection due to a restrictive network, it will automatically attempt to route through a relay server as a fallback. This usually keeps things working, but latency will be higher.
Note: Firewall restrictions at the level of what you'd encounter in China can block the connection to Astropad's servers entirely. If you're traveling to or working from a heavily restricted region, be aware that Workbench may not be able to connect.
🔌 Before You Connect
Make sure everything is in order before your first connection:
Both devices have internet access
Workbench is open and running on your Mac
Both devices are signed into the same Astropad account
Prevent Sleep is enabled on your Mac
Remote Access is enabled in your Workbench Settings
All permissions were granted during first launch
Accessibility
Screen Recording
Local Network
We recommend testing your connection after the initial setup. Step outside or go in another room, pull up Workbench on your iPad/iPhone and make sure the connection is working. If not, run through the setup again to make sure you completed all the necessary steps.
📶 How to Check Connection Quality
Workbench includes a built-in Vitals Monitor so you can see exactly how your connection is performing in real time. This is especially helpful for our team if you need help troubleshooting further.
To Access Vitals
On your Mac, open Workbench and have it front and center
In the Mac Menu Bar on top of the screen, select Help
Select Vitals
You'll see the Vitals Monitor pop up
What Each Section Means
Latency
How responsive your session feels. The lower the number, the better. If your session feels sluggish or unresponsive, latency is the first thing to check.
Packet Loss
Data being dropped during transmission. Ideally this stays at 0.0%. If it starts climbing, you may notice stuttering or a degraded image quality.
Codec
Shows real-time bandwidth usage for H265 (HEVC) and Liquid (Tile) separately, plus the total combined. Useful for understanding how much data your session is consuming.
HEVC
Keyframe and recovery counts. If your recovery count is high, it usually points to a weak or unstable connection.
If something feels off with your session, Vitals Monitor is a good first place to check.