Production intercom · free
The production intercom that fits in your pocket.
CHARLIE26 turns the control room computer into an intercom hub. Crew members join from their own smartphone by scanning a QR code: no radios to rent, no mandatory app, no internet.
Windows · macOS · Android · any smartphone with a browser
Marco · TecnicocollegatoEsci▸ Collegati (1)
Tocca per aprire/chiudere · Tieni premuto per parlare
CHARLIE26 Intercom Evoluto · Andrea Battaglioli · ABit/s · Made in Bolognina
01
Channels, like a real intercom
A Production channel plus one channel per department. Separate TALK buttons, several channels heard at once.
02
The live program, on your phone
The control room sends video to whoever needs it: camera operators instantly know which camera is on air.
03
Ready in minutes
Start the program, print the QR codes, talk. Every event can be saved and reopened as a template.
04
Everything stays on the event network
Works without an internet connection, over Wi-Fi or cable. Encrypted connections.
The project
How it works
CHARLIE26 was born from the field work of an event and streaming technician. Intercom radios are essential in production, but they must be rented, charged and handed out, and there are never enough channels. CHARLIE26 brings the same logic to the smartphones people already carry: one main channel for the managers and one channel per department, with the heads of department linked to the control room.
1
Start the program in the control room
A single file, no installation. It finds the right network by itself and opens the control console in the browser.
2
Show or print the QR codes
The crew scan them with the phone camera: the intercom opens in the browser, with nothing to install.
3
Talk
One tap opens the microphone; hold it down to talk only as long as needed. You always see who is talking.
Control room computer
CHARLIE26 · control console
Event network · Wi-Fi or cable · no internet
Production manager phone paired as control room
Head of video Production + Video channel
Camera, lighting, audio crew… their own channel
What you need
- A control room computer running Windows 10/11 or macOS.
- A local network, Wi-Fi or cable, that the phones join.
- Android phones or iPhones with an up-to-date browser, or the CHARLIE26 Android app.
- No internet connection.
Secure, with no surprises
Voice and video are encrypted. The first time, the browser may ask to confirm the event certificate: once only, with a dedicated help page. The Android app recognises it from the QR code. The program detects the network card by itself and, on Windows, sits as an icon next to the clock.
At the event
Channels and roles
Every event has a main channel, Production (the name can be changed), and as many department channels as needed: Video, Audio, Lighting, Stage, Security… Everyone sees only their own channels and can listen to several at once, with a volume per channel.
The control room
Production manager
- Listens to every channel.
- A TALK button per channel plus TALK TO ALL; on the computer also keys 1–9 and the space bar.
- Appoints and removes heads of department.
- Mutes, opens or disconnects anyone.
- Sends the program video.
- Manages the whole setup, from the smartphone too.
Channel manager
Head of department
- Two TALK buttons: Production and their own department (even several).
- Decides how the crew use the microphone.
- Opens or closes individual crew microphones.
- Chooses whether the program video reaches the department.
- Approves video shown by the crew.
- Customises the channel background and icon.
User
Crew member
- Joins the assigned channels, with name and avatar.
- Talks following the head of department’s rules.
- Watches the video, choosing the quality.
- Can ask to show video from the phone, for example a cabling problem.
The microphone, channel by channel
The head of department (or the control room) picks the rule for each channel:
Free
One tap opens and closes the mic; hold it down to talk while you hold.
Push-to-talk only
You talk only while holding: no microphones left open by mistake.
Head of department only
The head of department opens the mic of whoever needs to speak.
The control console
Setup
Open access
One QR code for everyone. People type their name and pick a channel. Anyone can open a sub-channel, even password-protected, and becomes its head of department.
Access with credentials
The control room creates users and passwords and assigns roles and channels. Each user can have a personal QR code that logs them in directly, with nothing to type.
Configurazione
EventoCanali (5)UtentiQRVideoRegistroThe control console: QR codes and previews on the left, setup at the top, intercom panel below. Panels resize by dragging their edges.
Print-ready QR codes
General, per channel or per user. Download them as images or print them on A4 as cut-out cards.
Reusable events
Every setup can be saved as a template and reopened with one click, or exported to a file to prepare it on another computer.
It finds the network by itself
At start-up it picks the right network card; if the computer has several, change it from the console and the QR codes update.
In the event’s colours
Colour or image backgrounds for the access page and for each channel, channel icons, avatars chosen from four little monsters or a photo.
See and hear
Video, audio and pop-up
The program video, where it is needed
A camera operator needs to know which camera is on air. The control room sends video from the computer: webcam, capture card or OBS Virtual Camera. It can also take it straight from OBS or vMix, which stream it to CHARLIE26 using an address and a key shown in the console.
Channel by channel
Video reaches Production; departments get it only if their head turns it on.
Quality of your choice
Everyone picks High, Low (saves battery and network) or Off.
Previews in the control room
The console shows every live video; one click enlarges it.
Video from the crew too
A crew member can show live what they see: a cabling problem, a situation in the venue, security sharing images. The video starts only after the head of department or the control room agrees. The control room and heads of department broadcast right away: the control room everywhere, a head of department in their own channels.
Clear voice, even next to the generators
Low-latency audio with echo and noise cancellation. In the noisiest places, such as the stage or the machine room, switch on strong noise reduction: a digital filter that separates the voice from background noise. The screen stays on and, if the network drops for a moment, the phone reconnects by itself.
CHARLIE26Produzione
nessuno sta parlando
The pop-up: always on top of other apps
A small window stays visible while you use other apps: it shows the video, or who is talking and whether your mic is open. One tap to talk, one tap to go back to mute. It works from the browser and, automatically, in the Android app.
CHARLIE26Intercom EvolutoInquadra il QR dell’evento: tecnici e caporeparto entrano nel proprio canale, il QR 📱 Abbina telefono della console ti rende regia.
▸ Inserisci l’indirizzo a mano
CHARLIE26 – Intercom Evoluto · Andrea Battaglioli · ABit/s · Made in Bolognina
For those who want it
The Android app
The browser is all you need to use CHARLIE26. People who work at events often can install the Android app: everything the browser offers, plus a few conveniences for spending the evening with the phone in your pocket.
- It opens with the camera – Just scan the QR code: crew, channel, personal or control room pairing. Recent events stay in the Reopen list.
- No security warnings – The QR code carries the fingerprint of the event certificate: the app connects only to the real control room computer, without asking for confirmation.
- Active in the background – Use another app without losing the intercom. A persistent notification shows who is talking and whether you are on air, with a Talk / Mute button.
- Automatic pop-up – When you leave the app, the pop-up appears by itself with the video or the microphone status, and the talk button.
- The control room in your pocket – With the pairing QR code the phone becomes a second control room; exported setups go to the Download folder.
Installation
Download charlie26-android.apk to the phone, allow the installation and, on first launch, grant camera, microphone and notification permissions. Requires Android 10 or later.
On iPhone
Use it from Safari, with nothing to install: channels, microphone, video and pop-up all work from the browser.
Free to move
The control room on your phone
The production manager doesn’t have to stay glued to the computer. In the console, press Pair phone and scan the QR code that appears: the phone becomes a second control room with every command, while the console on the computer stays active.
- Screens are buttons at the top: Intercom, Event, Channels, Users, QR, Video, Log.
- From the menu: export and import the setup, pair another phone, end the event or close the app.
- Several phones can be paired at once, for example director and production manager.
- The pairing QR code is valid for five minutes and one use; each paired phone can be revoked from the console with one click.
Regia da smartphone
Ogni telefono abbinato ha gli stessi comandi della regia (anche più di uno insieme). Questa console resta sempre attiva.
Modelli di evento
Free
Download CHARLIE26
Free download, always the latest version. No sign-up.
Windows 10 / 11
A single file, start it with a double click.
macOS
For Macs with Apple chips and Intel Macs.
Android app
Optional, Android 10 and later.
Crew smartphones
Nothing to download: the browser is enough.
Free, for the people who bring events home
CHARLIE26 doesn’t want to replace a professional intercom system: it wants to be the lightweight tool you open on the spot, when radios aren’t enough or aren’t there at all. It is free, with no sign-up and no paid versions, and it grows with the suggestions of the people who use it in the field.
CHARLIE26 – Intercom Evoluto · Designed and developed by Andrea Battaglioli – www.andreabattaglioli.it
ABit/s · Made in Bolognina