How can I minimize client-side connection time to ...
# ask-ail
lemon-nest-44301
07/10/2025, 9:50 PMHow can I minimize client-side connection time to the room?
t
tall-airline-16756
07/10/2025, 9:50 PMThanks for reaching out, enx. I'm an AI assistant and I'm here to help. Give me a moment while I research this topic.
l
lemon-nest-44301
07/10/2025, 9:51 PMI'm working with React client, Node.js server, and python agent.
t
tall-airline-16756
07/10/2025, 9:52 PMYou can minimize client-side connection time to a LiveKit room with your React client, Node.js server, and Python agent by applying these optimizations:
• *"Warm" Token*—issue user tokens at login with long expiration; keep them ready for immediate room join to skip token fetching delays.
• *Parallel Agent Dispatch*—initiate agent dispatch and user connection in parallel, so both enter the room together.
• *Use
prepareConnectionawait room.prepareConnection(serverUrl, token)await room.localParticipant.setMicrophoneEnabled(true, undefined, { preConnectBuffer: true })adaptiveStreamdynacastRooml
lemon-nest-44301
07/10/2025, 10:04 PMSuppose I'm using the LiveKitRoom react component, like so:
<LiveKitRoom
serverUrl={serverUrl}
token={token}
connect={true}
audio={true}
video={false}
onConnected={() => {
console.log("[User] Connected to room.");
window.electron.send("show-orb");
setIsConnecting(false);
}}
onDisconnected={() => {
console.log("[User] Disconnected from room.");
}}
onError={(error) => {
console.error("[Orb] LiveKit error:", error);
setIsConnecting(false);
}}
>
<RoomAudioRenderer />
<ConnectedOrbContent
onStopSession={stopSession}
onOrbClick={handleOrbClick}
showPanel={showPanel}
panelCollapsed={panelCollapsed}
panelSide={panelSide}
setPanelCollapsed={setPanelCollapsed}
isInitializing={isConnecting}
/>
</LiveKitRoom>
Where would I implement the prepareConnection and microphone pre buffering?
t
tall-airline-16756
07/10/2025, 10:05 PMHey there! Let me walk you through a friendly guide on setting up microphone pre-buffering with the
LiveKitRoomprepareConnectionserverUrltokenroomLiveKitRoomaudiol
lemon-nest-44301
07/10/2025, 10:09 PMHow do I call room.prepareConnection when I'm only generating the room after the wake word to my AI agent is detected? Should the room be generated on app start instead, and be left empty until the wake word is heard and then connect the user to the room? Will that consume free tier resources, and wouldn't the room terminate after a while?
t
tall-airline-16756
07/10/2025, 10:10 PMHey there! I totally get what you're looking for, and I've got a friendly tip about managing your LiveKit room. It's super smart to create the LiveKit room only after the wake word is detected (we call this on-demand creation).
• Resource usage: By creating the room when you actually need it, you're not burning through LiveKit resources or free tier minutes unnecessarily. It's like only turning on the lights when you walk into a room—makes total sense, right?
• Room termination: No worries about unused rooms—they'll automatically clean themselves up after about 5 minutes if no one joins. It's like having a self-tidying virtual space!
• Best practice: Trigger the room creation after hearing the wake word, then smoothly call
prepareConnectionl
lemon-nest-44301
07/10/2025, 10:11 PMCan you show a direct example of how to do this in React, assuming I'm using the LiveKitRoom component and the keyword detection is handled by a useEffect that triggers when the keyword is heard?
t
tall-airline-16756
07/10/2025, 10:13 PMHey there! Let me walk you through a really cool way to use the LiveKitRoom component that only kicks into gear after your wake word is detected. Think of it like having a smart assistant that's waiting quietly until you specifically call its name.
Copy code
{`
import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from 'react';
import { LiveKitRoom } from '@livekit/components-react';
import { Room } from 'livekit-client';
export default function WakeWordLiveKitRoom() {
const [wakeWordDetected, setWakeWordDetected] = useState(false);
const [connectionDetails, setConnectionDetails] = useState(null);
const room = useMemo(() => new Room(), []);
// Simulate wake word effect (replace this with your real detector)
useEffect(() => {
const handler = event => {
if (event.key === 'w') {
setWakeWordDetected(true);
}
};
window.addEventListener('keypress', handler);
return () => window.removeEventListener('keypress', handler);
}, []);
// Get connection details only after wake word detection
useEffect(() => {
if (!wakeWordDetected) return;
const fetchDetails = async () => {
const resp = await fetch('/api/token?room=my-room&username=user');
const data = await resp.json();
setConnectionDetails(data);
// Pre-warm connection after you have details
await room.prepareConnection(data.serverUrl, data.token);
// Optionally pre-buffer microphone (before connect)
await room.localParticipant.setMicrophoneEnabled(true, undefined, { preConnectBuffer: true });
};
fetchDetails();
}, [wakeWordDetected, room]);
return (
{!wakeWordDetected && Say your wake word (press 'w' to simulate)...
}
{wakeWordDetected && !connectionDetails && Preparing connection...
}
{connectionDetails && (
)}
);
}
`}l
lemon-nest-44301
07/10/2025, 10:19 PMI see. So, should serverUrl and and warm token be constantly refreshed in my app's background so that when the wake word is called, we don't have to fetch the token first, and can immediately prepare connection? In other words, I should have a useEffect that runs every ten minutes, for example, that retrieves the newest warm token and runs prepareConnect.
t
tall-airline-16756
07/10/2025, 10:20 PMYou're totally on the right track! In event-driven apps like yours, the smart move is to refresh those warm tokens and serverUrl quietly in the background. This way, when that wake word gets detected, you're all set to connect lightning-fast with zero waiting around.
• Keep your serverUrl and token fresh in your React state by setting up a handy
useEffectroom.prepareConnection(serverUrl, token)room.connectl
lemon-nest-44301
07/11/2025, 4:18 AMAwesome! Next question - what happens if this refresh mechanism occurs while a session is currently active, and the user is talking to the agent? Will the room suddenly end?
t
tall-airline-16756
07/11/2025, 4:20 AMHey there! Good news about token refreshing - it's super smooth and won't mess up your ongoing video call. When your session is active, LiveKit handles token updates behind the scenes, so you can keep chatting without any interruption. Think of it like changing a battery in a device without stopping your conversation.
Important: Just a quick heads up - the only time you might see a reconnection is if you actually change the
serverUrltokenLiveKitRooml
lemon-nest-44301
07/11/2025, 6:30 AMThis step is the step that takes the longest to complete: publishing track {room: 'warmup-1752215291610', roomID: '', participant: 'warmup-participant-1752215291610', pID: 'PA_YtRgvwNL7yMn', trackID: undefined, …}
Any way to sped this up?
t
tall-airline-16756
07/11/2025, 6:31 AMHey there! Want to make your track publishing super smooth and lightning-fast? I've got some awesome optimization tips that will save you time and make your experience feel seamless.
• Fast publishing (concurrent operations): Think of this like multitasking! Start publishing your track as soon as you connect to the server, even before the room fully joins. In JS, you can do this by listening for
RoomEvent.SignalConnectedpreConnectBuffer: truel
lemon-nest-44301
07/11/2025, 6:36 AMCan you show a full example of using all three optimization techniques in React? (preConnect buffer, signal connected, and prepareConnection)
Assume we are using the LiveKitRoom component as well.
t
tall-airline-16756
07/11/2025, 6:37 AMHey there! Let me walk you through a super cool React example that shows how to optimize your LiveKit connection. Think of this like a behind-the-scenes magic trick for making your audio connections lightning-fast and super smooth—perfect for things like wake word detection.
Copy code
{`
import { useEffect, useMemo, useRef, useState } from 'react';
import { Room, RoomEvent } from 'livekit-client';
import { LiveKitRoom, RoomAudioRenderer } from '@livekit/components-react';
export default function OptimizedLiveKitWakeWord() {
const [wakeWordDetected, setWakeWordDetected] = useState(false);
const [connectionDetails, setConnectionDetails] = useState(null);
const [connectionPrepared, setConnectionPrepared] = useState(false);
const room = useMemo(() => new Room({ adaptiveStream: true, dynacast: true }), []);
const isPublishingRef = useRef(false);
// Pre-warm connection as soon as we have credentials
useEffect(() => {
if (connectionDetails && !connectionPrepared) {
room.prepareConnection(connectionDetails.serverUrl, connectionDetails.token).then(() => {
setConnectionPrepared(true);
});
}
}, [connectionDetails, connectionPrepared, room]);
// Listen for SignalConnected to publish audio with preConnectBuffer
useEffect(() => {
const onSignal = async () => {
if (!isPublishingRef.current) {
isPublishingRef.current = true;
await room.localParticipant.setMicrophoneEnabled(true, undefined, { preConnectBuffer: true });
}
};
room.on(RoomEvent.SignalConnected, onSignal);
return () => {
room.off(RoomEvent.SignalConnected, onSignal);
};
}, [room]);
// Simulate wake word detection, fetch credentials
useEffect(() => {
if (!wakeWordDetected) return;
const fetchToken = async () => {
const res = await fetch('/api/token?room=my-room&username=wakeword-user');
const details = await res.json();
setConnectionDetails({ serverUrl: details.serverUrl, token: details.token });
};
fetchToken();
}, [wakeWordDetected]);
// Simulate pressing 'w' as the wake word trigger
useEffect(() => {
const handler = (e) => {
if (e.key === 'w') setWakeWordDetected(true);
};
window.addEventListener('keypress', handler);
return () => window.removeEventListener('keypress', handler);
}, []);
return (
{!wakeWordDetected && Press 'w' for wake word…
}
{wakeWordDetected && !connectionDetails && Preparing connection…
}
{connectionDetails && (
)}
);
}
`}prepareConnectionRoomEvent.SignalConnectedpreConnectBuffer: truetall-airline-16756
07/11/2025, 6:42 AMHey there! Let me walk you through some friendly tips to make your LiveKit setup even smoother:
• Room instance: Think of your
RoomuseMemopreConnectBufferSignalConnected Copy code
room.on(RoomEvent.SignalConnected, async () => {
await room.localParticipant.setMicrophoneEnabled(true, undefined, { preConnectBuffer: true });
});prepareConnectionroomLiveKitRoomuseMemoSignalConnectedroomLiveKitRooml
lemon-nest-44301
07/11/2025, 6:52 AMAccording to the logs:
1. My token/URL retrieval time is almost instant, no problem there.
2. Then, the major delay happens right after retrieving the data - it takes a long time for the words "publishing track..." to appear in my console.
That is the bulk of the delay when connecting to my AI assistant. Is this delay due to the re-rendering process of LiveKitRoom component, or the connection process?
t
tall-airline-16756
07/11/2025, 6:53 AMHey there! I totally get why that delay might be frustrating. What you're seeing isn't actually a React rendering issue—it's just the behind-the-scenes magic of setting up your connection. Think of it like connecting a phone call: sometimes it takes a few seconds to establish a clear line, especially with all the network handshaking that's happening in the background.
The WebRTC connection is doing some pretty cool network gymnastics right now, working through things like ICE/STUN/TURN negotiations to make sure you get the smoothest connection possible. React is just sitting back and letting this happen smoothly. Pro tip: if you want to speed things up, try using
prepareConnectionSignalConnectedl
lemon-nest-44301
07/11/2025, 6:54 AMWhat's the average time it takes for a client to connect to the room? I want to know if my latncy is normal.
t
tall-airline-16756
07/11/2025, 6:55 AMI don't have the answer you're looking for.
You could also try asking your question:
• in one of the other Slack channels
or
• to https://deepwiki.com/livekit/livekit_composite which is trained on all LiveKit source code
If you find the answer, please post it here to help others!
l
lemon-nest-44301
07/11/2025, 6:59 AMSo there's really no way to reduce the latency further from 1-2 seconds?