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For many churches, managing lighting, rigging, and other systems across multiple venues can be a logistical headache. Between youth rooms, chapels, and main sanctuaries, tech directors and volunteers juggle equipment that often operates in entirely separate networks. ETC’s new cloud-based service, SiteLink, is designed to simplify that process, offering a real-time, remote window into the status of a church’s lighting and rigging systems.
“ETC SiteLink is really great for anyone who wants to keep an eye on their system without having to be physically there,” says Kirk Starks, ETC marketing product manager for networking and mobile apps. “It allows you to see the status of your system from anywhere in the world and help troubleshoot with those onsite while you’re offsite.”
Real-time system data means fewer surprises on Sunday morning.
In practical terms, SiteLink can save time and stress for church tech teams. A breaker trip during evening rehearsal or a misbehaving fixture in a youth room can trigger alerts directly to a phone or email. Volunteers or staff can then take corrective action immediately, without the tech director needing to drive across campus—or multiple campuses—to troubleshoot.
Luke Delwiche, ETC market manager, points out that SiteLink is flexible in how it shares information. “You can stay high level with alerts or go incredibly granular,” he says. “Some users might only need to know about one room, while others might need to drill down to specific fixtures or devices. The system lets you control who sees what and how much detail they get.”
Whether it’s a youth space or a main sanctuary, SiteLink monitors multiple locations from a single dashboard.
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This level of granularity extends to ETC’s rigging systems as well. SiteLink pairs with the Prodigy Balance system, a smarter, partially automated counterweight setup, and with foundation and quick-touch presets, offering detailed status updates on hoists and motors. These insights are particularly valuable in churches with volunteers who may not be familiar with the technical nuances of rigging, allowing tech teams to identify problems before they compromise safety.
SiteLink also integrates with ETC lighting systems such as Mosaic, a timeline-based controller for large-scale LED installations, and Paradigm processors. For example, if a fixture isn’t tilting or panning correctly, tech teams can see exactly which device is causing the issue and why, whether due to a conflict with another console, a mispatched signal, or simple user error. Even non-ETC fixtures that support RDM can be monitored if connected through an ETC gateway, offering a broad, inclusive view of a church’s network.
Each user chooses how they want to receive alerts—text, email, or digest—so the right people get the right information at the right time.
“Alerts can be tailored to each user,” Starks explains. “You can choose to receive a text message when a device goes offline or an email digest summarizing events daily, weekly, or monthly. This ensures that volunteers and staff only see what’s relevant to them, while still maintaining full oversight of the system.”
To start using SiteLink, churches need the ETC Site Box—a hardware gateway connecting their local network to the cloud service. A yearly subscription provides access to SiteLink, with several tiers based on the depth of monitoring required. The basic plan offers simple red-light/green-light status checks, while more advanced tiers provide detailed alerts on power controllers, RDM devices, rigging systems, and EOS family consoles. The system even supports multiple locations per subscription, ideal for churches with several campuses.
“One of the things we focus on is saving time,” says Starks. “Every minute of a church tech’s time is precious, and SiteLink helps them stay on task and productive. It’s equally useful for churches of all sizes, from single-venue operations to multi-location campuses with distributed networks.”
Consider a Sunday morning scenario: A tech director receives an alert on their phone that a breaker tripped overnight at the main campus. Meanwhile, the youth room at a remote campus powers up, and a fixture isn’t behaving correctly. Using SiteLink, the director can immediately see the problem, identify whether it’s a mispatched console or a disconnected device, and communicate solutions to the onsite volunteer—all before anyone notices an issue.
Delwiche adds that for youth spaces in particular, where students may inadvertently unplug equipment, SiteLink’s notifications help prevent small mishaps from becoming service disruptions. “You get a detailed or high-level view depending on what you need,” he says. “It allows staff to stay ahead of problems and keeps the congregation’s experience seamless.”
Rigging inspections, motor loads, and system alerts are all visible, helping keep volunteers safe and spaces compliant.
Safety and liability are another key aspect of SiteLink’s design. ETC requires annual inspections for their rigging systems to maintain warranty and ensure safe operation. SiteLink logs system errors and movements, giving tech teams a record of activity that can be invaluable in maintaining a safe environment for volunteers and congregants alike.
In a crowded market, SiteLink distinguishes itself by offering a full-system view, integrating lighting, rigging, power controls, and consoles into a single interface. Competitors may provide monitoring for only a subset of devices, but SiteLink consolidates data across the entire system, making it uniquely suited for churches that rely on volunteers, operate multiple venues, or simply want to reduce the stress and inefficiency of manual troubleshooting.
Alerts let volunteers and staff know exactly what needs attention, so they can focus on the service, not chasing down issues.
For churches looking to modernize their tech oversight, ETC SiteLink offers an accessible, powerful solution. Whether it’s keeping a remote campus running smoothly, managing complex lighting systems, or ensuring rigging safety, the cloud-based service puts real-time system insight literally in the palm of your hand—so no detail goes unnoticed and every Sunday service can go off without a hitch.
Editor’s Note: This article is based on an interview with Kirk Starks and Luke Delwiche of ETC regarding the SiteLink system. Certain sections were organized and refined with the assistance of AI to clarify key points.
