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How to set up voice chat for a LAN party

Last checked against official docs: October 21, 2026. These are setup steps taken from each project's documentation, not results from our own testing.

Voice chat feels pointless when everyone's in the same room, right up until two teams are shouting callouts over each other. LAN regulars on r/lanparty say the same thing: run a voice server even when everyone's in the room, so each team hears its own channel and the game audio instead of the whole room.

The good news is that a LAN makes this easier than normal. Everyone is on the same network, so you don't need to forward any ports on the router. One PC runs the server and everyone else connects to that PC's local IP address.

First: will you have internet at the venue?

This decides which option fits.

  • No internet at all (a cabin, a hall with no connection, a ship): Mumble's server and clients are separate programs you install locally, and r/lanparty users report running it with no internet. Test your exact setup with the network cable pulled before the event.
  • Internet available: any of the three options below can work. Read SILOD's notes below on what it contacts.

Option 1: Mumble (free)

Mumble is free, open source voice chat built for low latency. The server program is called mumble-server (or Murmur, depending on the package). Downloads are on mumble.info for Windows and macOS, and most Linux distributions package it.

Steps

  1. Pick the host PC. A machine that stays on for the whole event is better than someone's gaming rig that might get rebooted mid-match.
  2. Install and start the Mumble server on it. If you use Docker, the official image is mumblevoip/mumble-server, published on port 64738 TCP and UDP: 
    docker run --detach --name mumble-server \
  --publish 64738:64738/tcp --publish 64738:64738/udp \
  --volume ./data/mumble:/data --restart on-failure \
  mumblevoip/mumble-server:latest
  3. Find the host's local IP address (on Windows, ipconfig; on Linux, ip addr). Everyone connects to that address on port 64738.
  4. Allow the server through the host's firewall when your OS asks.
  5. Optional: the server config file has a bonjour setting (commented out as ;bonjour=true in the default file). Turning it on lets clients find the server on the local network without typing the address.
  6. Optional: set serverpassword= in the config file if there are people on the network you don't want joining. The default file also sets users=100 as the user limit.
  7. Make a channel per team so each team talks only to itself.

Everyone installs the Mumble client and runs its audio wizard once to set up their mic. Having the installer on a USB stick or a shared folder saves a lot of waiting if the venue has no internet.

Option 2: TeamSpeak 3 (free up to 32 slots)

TeamSpeak lets non-commercial groups run a TeamSpeak 3 server for free, limited to one virtual server and 32 slots. Download the server for Windows, macOS, Linux or FreeBSD (there's also a Docker image), run the ts3server binary and accept the license. TeamSpeak's setup guide says to forward UDP 9987 (its default voice port) in your router and give your server info to the people joining.

A party bigger than 32 people needs a paid license, starting at $55 a year for 64 slots. We couldn't find an official TeamSpeak statement about running with no internet connection. If your venue is offline, test it first.

Option 3: SILOD (Windows host)

Who it's for: a group where one person has an ordinary 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC that can stay on, and nobody wants to rent or run a server. That person buys a Host license. Everyone else joins free. In SILOD's words: "Joining is free: no key, no purchase."

Price: "Host 15 is $9.99 (15 people signed in at once), Host 25 is $14.99 (25 people signed in at once), and Host Unlimited is $19.99 (no signed-in cap). This is a one-time buy." It's not a subscription: "A paid Host license is a one-time buy." (SILOD separately lists a commercial license at $49.99 a year.)

Updates and support: "Early backers get every app update free for life." "Free email support for life."

Joining from a browser: "Friends can join from a web browser without installing anything." They can open the Join page and chat from a phone browser. "Voice in a browser needs Unlimited’s https link, because browsers block the microphone on the plain http link that Host 15 and Host 25 use. Otherwise, use the SILOD desktop app."

SILOD is made by 2-5-2 Technologies, the company behind this site.

SILOD bundles voice, text chat, file sharing and screen sharing in one app. The Host runs on a 64-bit Windows 10 or 11 PC. There is no Linux Host. Mac version coming soon. For a LAN, SILOD says that if you're only playing with people on your home network, you don't need to forward any ports.

Four things matter for a LAN party:

  • What leaves your PC. SILOD's FAQ: "The Host does not send your chats, voice, or files to 2-5-2's servers."
  • The What leaves this PC panel. In SILOD's words: "In Host Settings, under Data and security, the What leaves this PC panel lists every internet service the Host contacts, what each one is for, and what stays on your PC. The SILOD app has no ads, analytics or crash reporting, and SILOD has no age verification or ID checks."
  • What it contacts. SILOD's FAQ says: "Voice uses Google's STUN servers only (no Twilio). Every voice join, your own Host and LAN included, contacts Google STUN."
  • The license check. In SILOD's words: "The Host checks your license key with us when it starts, every 5 minutes while it runs, and when it stops, and also when you press Check or move the key to another PC." "The check sends only your license key and this PC's machine ID (the Windows MachineGuid), never your chats, members, or calls." "Forever keys never check. If the check can't reach us, a running Host keeps running, and it can still start within 24 hours of its last successful check."

It's an early access beta, so expect a SmartScreen warning when you install it. Check SILOD's requirements.

Who should pick what
  • You want it free and someone is comfortable running a server: Element (Element Server Suite Community on a single machine or Kubernetes) or Stoat (Docker, at least 2 vCPUs and 2 GB of memory per its guide). Both are free software (AGPLv3).
  • Voice is all you need: Mumble, which is free and open source. Or TeamSpeak, which is free up to 32 slots for non-commercial use.
  • You don't want to run a server, and you want voice, chat, files and screen share on an ordinary Windows PC: SILOD. Check first that the PC can stay on, that you can forward ports on your router, and that your ISP doesn't use CGNAT.
  • Your LAN venue has no internet at all: Mumble. Its server and clients install locally (see the internet question above). SILOD contacts Google STUN on every voice join and checks its license online, so it isn't the pick for a fully offline room.

Network basics that save the night
  • Wire what you can. A network switch and enough Ethernet cables connect everyone to the same network. Network switches on Amazon · Ethernet cables on Amazon
  • Give the voice host a fixed address. Set a DHCP reservation on the router, or a static IP on the host, so the address you hand out at the start is still right at 2 a.m.
  • Headsets beat speakers. Speakers in a shared room feed back into everyone's mics. Headsets on Amazon
  • Test the night before. Two laptops on the same switch is enough to check that the server starts and people can connect.

Not sure which voice app to settle on for after the party? See TeamSpeak vs Mumble vs Discord or the full list of self-hosted Discord alternatives.

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