TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PLAYER READY ONLINE MENTORING

As part of our Alternative Provision support for we deliver online AP sessions using secure remote access to our platform via a remote desktop style environment.

To enable these sessions to function as intended, we kindly ask that the following network settings are reviewed by your IT team or provider.

We use a platform called Parsec for Teams, [https://parsec.app/]  which allows the learner to interact with specialist software (e.g. Minecraft modding tools, Unity, Unreal Engine, Blender) hosted on our secure servers.

Parsec, can be accessed via a Chrome browser, but for improved performance we recommend downloading the free client-side Parsec application and installing it on the device needed.

You can find the suitable downloads here:  https://parsec.app/downloads

However, some school networks may block the connection used by Parsec. To ensure smooth access from the learner’s device, we recommend the following:

🔐 Network Access Requirements (Outbound only)

 Please allow outbound access to:

Domains:

*.parsec.app  

api.parsec.app  

boot.prod.parsecgaming.com

Ports:

• TCP 443 – for session setup and authentication
• UDP 49000–50000 – for secure video, audio, and input streaming

No static IPs, whitelists, or installations are required, but you can just open the above from the specific devices used according to you own internal practices.

If your IT team would like any further technical details or a test connection, we are happy to assist, we are also available for a test session before the young person connects.

The young person will also need to be able to take part in a Microsoft Teams video call with the mentor, during this meeting we provide a unique one time invite to the Parsec session, its a good idea if the young person has headphones if working in an environment with noise.

🔄 Optional Fallback: Secure LAN Tunnel via ZeroTier

If your network blocks outbound UDP traffic or strict NAT/firewall rules prevent Parsec from streaming properly, we can use a secure fallback solution called ZeroTier.

• ZeroTier creates a virtual LAN tunnel, allowing the learner to connect directly to our mentor system as if they were on the same local network.
• Parsec traffic then routes through this encrypted tunnel — bypassing most firewall issues without requiring port changes or additional IT configuration.
• However, Parsec still requires TCP 443 access to api.parsec.app for authentication and session control. This domain must remain accessible regardless of the tunnel method.

   

ZeroTier is commonly used in education and enterprise settings. It is lightweight, secure, and causes minimal network disruption. No administrative rights are needed on the learner’s device to join the tunnel.

Any questions can be sent using the below form. Don’t worry, if you cannot unblock these, we can discuss alternative options.  

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