Streaming Your Funeral Service: One Phone, One Mic, One Stand

Family who can't travel shouldn't have to miss saying goodbye. Streaming a service doesn't require a production crew or software your staff has to learn. Here's the entire setup to get you up and running.

What you need

• One phone
• One podium or lapel mic
• One stand, pointing at the speaker or on a chapel-wide shot

That's it. No production crew, no second operator, no software to install.

Setting up

1. Position the phone. Set it on the stand where it can see the chapel clearly, the podium or display area in frame, somewhere that won't block family or staff movement through the room.
2. Connect the mic. If you are using a mic, attach it to the podium or to whoever will be speaking.
3. Open Switcher Now in your browser. No app to download, no software to install.
4. Run a private Rehearse before the family arrives. Confirm the mic is transmitting clearly and check the framing from where a remote viewer would actually be looking, not standing next to the speaker.
5. Tap Go Live once the family is seated. Your staff's job ends here. No monitoring is required for the rest of the service.
6. Tap End Stream once the service concludes. The replay is automatically available at the same watch link.
7. Share the link. Send it out however your staff would normally share service details with the family. They tap it and start watching immediately, no account, no download required on their end.

What the family sees

Anyone who can't be there in person opens a link on their phone. They tap it, and they're watching. No sign-up, no download. Just a link, sent however your staff would normally share service details with the family.

Why this works for a service

A funeral service doesn't need multiple angles or someone cutting between cameras live. It needs the room, clearly, with audio that stays steady from the first word to the last. That's the whole job, and it's the one Switcher Now is built to do without anyone running it during the service.

Your staff isn't learning a production tool. They're setting up a phone before the service starts, and leaving it alone until it ends.

Day-of checklist

Run through this the morning of, not the night before, in case anything's changed about the room or the speaker setup.

• Phone charged to 100%, or plugged in if the stand allows it
• Mic paired and battery checked
• Stand positioned and phone framing checked from the actual camera position
• Signal checked from that exact spot, not just near the door
• Private Rehearse run, mic and framing both confirmed
• Watch link sent to the family in advance

What it costs

$19 for a single service, or $49/month if your home streams regularly. No equipment to buy, no contract to sign to try it once.

Getting started

If your home streams occasionally, one event is the way to try it. If you stream services regularly, the monthly plan covers you without thinking about it service to service.

Either way, the setup is the same: one phone, one mic, one stand. Set it up once before the service, and you're live.

Frequently asked questions

What equipment do I need to livestream a funeral service? One phone, one podium or lapel mic, and one stand. Switcher Now doesn't require a camera switcher, capture card, or dedicated streaming computer for a single-camera service setup.

How long does it take to set up a funeral livestream? About 60 seconds. Set the phone on its stand, attach the mic, and open Switcher Now in your browser. There's no software to install and no account required for viewers.

Do family members need to download an app to watch? No. Viewers open a link on their phone and start watching immediately. No account, no download.

How much does it cost to livestream a funeral service? $19 for a single event, or $49 per month for homes streaming services regularly. There's no equipment to buy and no long-term contract required to try it once.

Does staff need to operate the stream during the service? No. The setup runs unattended once it's started. It's built for a single camera and a single speaker, without anyone operating a switcher during the service.

What if we want more than one camera angle? Some services benefit from a second angle, a wider room shot alongside the main view, or coverage of more than one area. See the multi-camera setup

What if we need full production, graphics, or a broadcast crew? That's a different tool built for a different job. See Switcher Studio