How to set up music in a dental office

What equipment does a dental office sound system need?

To play eleMusic, three things for each room or zone: a device with a web browser, speakers that device can reach, and a working internet connection. Here is how tablets, computers and TVs compare.

Does one device feeding several rooms count as one device?

Yes. A device is one stream: a tablet feeding the ceiling speakers in several rooms counts once. A plan counts the devices that play at the same time, not the rooms or speakers they reach. Solo covers 1 device, Practice up to 5 devices and Clinic up to 15 devices, and an extra device is $4 a month on any plan.

The trade-off is the station. Every speaker a device feeds plays that device's station, so a room that should hear something different needs its own device and its own speakers, or its own input on the amplifier. A worked example:

• A tablet behind the front desk, plugged into the amplifier for the waiting room and hallway ceiling speakers: 1 device.
• A tablet with a small speaker in each of four treatment rooms: 4 devices.
• That is 5 devices playing at once, which Practice covers (up to 5 devices for $24 a month). Give the hygiene room its own tablet as well and it becomes 6: Practice plus one extra device.

For open-bay operatories that share one space, feed the whole bay from one device. Two devices on the same station each play it in their own order, so neighboring chairs would hear different tracks at the same moment. See pricing.

What speakers work for music in a dental office?

For eleMusic, the speakers the room device can already play through. The player sends its sound wherever the device sends sound: the device's built-in speakers, a small powered or Bluetooth speaker beside it, or your ceiling speakers through the amplifier that drives them. There is no eleMusic speaker or player box to buy, and a speaker never counts as a device.

This guide does not rate speaker brands or models. If you are buying or wiring speakers, ask an audio installer what suits each room, and check that the room device has a way in: a cable input, Bluetooth, an amplifier input, or a Chromecast or AirPlay receiver.

How do you connect a tablet or laptop to the speakers?

There are four ways to get from the device to the speakers:

Casting with Chromecast or AirPlay

Once a station is playing, the player offers a Cast button in Chrome and Edge and an AirPlay button in Safari. On a Mac, Windows PC or Chromebook, the Cast button opens the browser's own list of the Chromecast devices it finds on the network. On an Android tablet, the Cast button appears once Chrome has found one. The AirPlay button appears when Safari finds an AirPlay speaker or TV. Google lists what Chrome can cast to:

A Chromecast, Chromecast with Google TV, Google TV Streamer (4K), Chromecast Ultra, or TV with Google Cast.

Google Streaming Help, "Cast from Chrome to your TV", read October 10, 2026

Apple describes the AirPlay side this way:

Stream music, podcasts, and other audio to Apple TV, HomePod, or AirPlay-compatible speakers or smart TVs.

Apple Support, "Use AirPlay to stream audio", published May 1, 2026, read October 10, 2026

Casting depends on the browser, the receiver and your network, and we have not tested every combination, so try it on your own receiver before you rely on it. Three things to know while a room casts:

• Keep the sending device awake, with the player open. If its tab closes or it goes to sleep, a Chromecast plays out the tracks it was already sent (up to 5 hours), then stops. With AirPlay, the sending device hands over each track itself, so the music stops once it can no longer send the next one.
• Tracks change with a short pause. The receiver starts each track after a brief gap, instead of the crossfade the device plays itself. How it works has the details.
• Volume. With a Chromecast, the player shows the receiver's volume, and the Rooms panel can change it from the office. With AirPlay, Bluetooth or a cable, volume is set on the device or the speaker.

Which browsers can play eleMusic and cast it?

The player runs in a current web browser and plays through the device itself, so try the browser on each room device once before you rely on it. Casting depends on the browser:

On an iPad or iPhone, other browsers are built on Safari's engine, so the player offers AirPlay in them too, not Cast. The Terms of Service (Section 7.4) say "Not every device or browser is supported, and we may stop supporting older ones", so keep each room device's browser and operating system up to date.

When the Cast or AirPlay button does not appear, or finds nothing

• Pick a station first. The Cast and AirPlay buttons can show only after a station has started on the device.
• Same network. Google's list of what you need to cast from Chrome includes "a strong connection to the same Wi-Fi network as your Google streaming device". Apple's AirPlay steps for an iPhone or iPad begin: "Make sure that your iPhone or iPad, and speakers or Apple TV are on the same network." Put room devices on the same network as the receivers, not on a separate guest network for patients.
• A Mac's permission. Google notes: "To cast on a Mac computer with macOS 15 or later, you must give Chrome access in your system settings." The switch is in System Settings, under Privacy & Security, then Local Network.
• Managed browsers. If an IT provider manages your computers, casting can be turned off for the whole office. Microsoft's page for the Edge policy that controls it says "Disable this policy to disable Google Cast" and "By default, Google Cast is enabled." If choosing Cast brings up the message "Casting is not available in this browser", or the Cast button never shows, ask your IT provider.

Can a smart TV's web browser play eleMusic?

We have not tested eleMusic in the web browsers built into smart TVs, so we recommend casting to the TV from a tablet or laptop instead of opening the player in the TV's browser. To play a room through its TV:

• On the tablet or laptop, open elemusic.fm/play, connect the room with the access code and start a station.
• In Chrome or Edge on a computer, or Chrome on an Android tablet, choose Cast and pick a TV with Google Cast built in, or the Chromecast or Google TV device plugged into it. In Safari on a Mac, and in every browser on an iPad, choose AirPlay and pick an Apple TV or an AirPlay-compatible TV.
• Keep the tablet or laptop awake with the player open. It is the device your plan counts, and the TV plays what it sends.
• If the TV has a sleep timer or a power-saving setting that switches it off when no one touches the remote, set it so the TV stays on through office hours.

Casting depends on the browser, the TV and your network, and we have not tested every combination, so try it once before you rely on it; the casting section above says what to expect. If the waiting room TV also shows programs or videos, those raise questions of their own: see TV, videos and hold music.

Room-by-room setup checklist

Work through each room once, in this order.

1. Decide where the sound comes from

   The room's own speaker, a ceiling zone shared with other rooms, or a TV. Rooms on one ceiling zone share one device and one station.

2. Place and power the device

   Put it where staff can reach the screen, on its charger, where the Wi-Fi signal is good.

3. Connect it to the speakers

   By cable, Bluetooth or an amplifier input, as above. Check that the speaker or amplifier is on and set to the right input. A room that casts does this after step 6: once its station is playing, choose Cast or AirPlay in the player.

4. Join the office Wi-Fi

   Use the same network as any Chromecast or AirPlay receiver the room will use.

5. Connect the room to eleMusic

   Open elemusic.fm/play, enter the access code, give the room a name staff will recognize (Operatory 3, Waiting room) and choose "Connect this room". No microphone, no patient information, ever. The Terms (Section 12.1) also say never to put a patient's name in a room name.

6. Pick a station

   Each device keeps its own. For help choosing, see music for the waiting room and music for treatment rooms, or play a 30 second preview of each of the 8 stations.

7. Set the level in one place

   See where to set the volume and how loud to set it, below.

8. Make it a kiosk

   Bookmark elemusic.fm/play, set the screen to stay on, and on an iPad start Guided Access (steps below).

9. Check it from the office

   At the front desk, sign in as the owner or office manager and open Manage locations. The room should show as Live in the Rooms panel, with the station you picked. Pause it and play it once from there to confirm the office can reach it. The first command after the panel opens can take up to about 2 minutes to arrive; after that, commands arrive within a few seconds while the panel stays open.

How do you keep a tablet playing music all day?

Treat a room device as a single-purpose player: always on the player page, always on its charger, with the screen on during office hours so staff can see the station and any message it shows. The player does not keep a screen awake by itself, so set that on the device.

• Bookmark elemusic.fm/play, not elemusic.fm. The bare address is the website; /play opens the player. On an iPad you can also add it to the Home Screen, as how it works describes.
• Use a normal browser window. A private window can forget the room's connection when it closes.
• Keep it on the charger. An always-on screen uses more power.
• Keep the screen on. On an iPad, set Auto-Lock as below. On an Android tablet or a laptop, the screen timeout or sleep setting is in its display or power settings, and the names vary by maker.

Set Auto-Lock on an iPad

Apple's steps: open the Settings app, tap Display & Brightness, tap Auto-Lock, then choose a time interval. Apple adds two notes that matter for a room device:

Note: Delaying or preventing Auto-Lock may increase power consumption.

If you can’t change Auto-Lock, Guided Access may be turned on. Guided Access disables Auto-Lock while it’s active, see Set up Guided Access.

Apple, iPad User Guide (iPadOS 27), "Keep the iPad display on longer", read October 10, 2026

Lock the iPad to the player with Guided Access

With Guided Access, you can temporarily restrict iPad to a single app. You can set a time limit, and customize which features, hardware buttons, and areas of the screen are available.

Apple, iPad User Guide (iPadOS 27), "Lock iPad to one app with Guided Access", read October 10, 2026

Set it up once, following Apple's steps:

• In the Settings app, tap Accessibility, tap Guided Access, then turn on Guided Access.
• Tap Passcode Settings, tap Set Guided Access Passcode, then enter a passcode. Keep it with the office manager.
• Tap Display Auto-Lock, then choose how long the iPad waits before it locks during a session. While Guided Access is on, this is the setting that counts.

Then start a session on the player:

• Open elemusic.fm/play in Safari, connect the room and start a station.
• Turn on Guided Access: ask Siri ("Turn on Guided Access"), use Control Center if you have added Guided Access there, or use the Accessibility Shortcut.
• Tap Session Settings, choose what stays available, then tap Done and Start.
• To end the session, triple-click the top button (on an iPad with Face ID) or the Home button (on other iPad models), then enter the Guided Access passcode.

Session settings that suit a music room:

• Touch: leave it on. After a power cut or a restart, some browsers wait for one tap before they play sound, and staff may want to change the station on the device.
• Volume Buttons: turn them off once the level is right, if the iPad's own volume sets the room's level, so it stays where you put it.
• Software Keyboards: leave them on if staff may ever need to type the access code again.
• Time Limit: leave it off, so the session does not end in the middle of the day.
• Screen areas: Apple lets you circle parts of the screen to disable, such as Safari's address bar, so no one browses away from the player.

Where do you set the volume: on the device or on the speakers?

On either one, but pick one. Fix the device's volume and adjust the room at the speaker or amplifier, or the other way round, so no one chases the level between two controls. For a room casting to a Chromecast, the Rooms panel can also change the receiver's volume from the office. For every other room the panel says "set on the device", and the level is changed in the room.

How loud should music be in a dental office?

Low enough that people can talk over it in a normal voice: at the front desk, and at the chair, where the team also has to hear its alarms and equipment. This guide gives no decibel figure: judge the level by ear, with the room in use.

How loud is the practice's decision under the Terms of Service (Section 12.4). Music for the waiting room and music for treatment rooms cover how to judge the level in each kind of room.

What does the office Wi-Fi need to do?

eleMusic streams its music, so every device that plays needs a working internet connection while it plays.

• Check the signal where the device sits, not next to the router. A tablet inside a cabinet or at the far end of a hallway may see a weaker signal. Google asks for the same on its side: "Your Google streaming device must have a strong Wi-Fi connection."
• One network for players and receivers. Room devices and any Chromecast or AirPlay receivers they cast to belong on the same network.
• Filtered networks. If a web filter or firewall manages your network, test one room before office hours, so you find a blocked address before patients arrive.
• When the connection drops, the player shows "Reconnecting" and keeps trying on its own. When it reaches eleMusic again, the music starts again by itself.

The Terms (Section 7.4) make the practice responsible for its devices, speakers, internet connection and any data charges.

What to do when a room goes quiet

Start with what the room's screen says, or what the Rooms panel at the front desk says about that room.

More setup questions

For the Rooms panel, keyboard shortcuts and how plans count devices, see how eleMusic works.

Sources

1. Apple, iPad User Guide (iPadOS 27): Lock iPad to one app with Guided Access, accessed October 10, 2026
2. Apple, iPad User Guide (iPadOS 27): Keep the iPad display on longer, accessed October 10, 2026
3. Apple Support: Use AirPlay to stream audio (published May 1, 2026), accessed October 10, 2026
4. Google Streaming Help: Cast from Chrome to your TV, accessed October 10, 2026
5. Google Streaming Help: Learn more: Local Network for casting, accessed October 10, 2026
6. Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Edge policy EnableMediaRouter (Enable Google Cast), accessed October 10, 2026
7. eleMusic Terms of Service, Sections 7.4, 12.1 and 12.4 (effective October 11, 2026), accessed October 11, 2026