As far as I know the Multipeer Connectivity Framework that ST3 uses for the network functionality is not logging anything. And my experience with bug reports at Apple are really really bad. I get no feedback for months for most of my tickets. And after months they are usually closed as duplicates without any possibility to see the original ticket. A waste of time really.
peter Oh, okay. Anyway, I reported this bug to Apple, let's see if they see it 
BTW, I remember that in earlier versions the connection was closed when the app in the host iPad was put in the background, and then you changed something, so it wouldn't close. Could this be causing the problem?
The change was to prevent the host app from becoming inactive when running in the background. That has no implication on this problem.
I’m having the same problem that others are having when using my two iPads at any performance. No problems when using iPads at home with WiFi. Did’nt have this problem before I updated. Is there anything I can do?
Leronyoung after I updated my operating system to latest my problem went away.
Leronyoung are you using your own router when performing or going via the venues?
I would never use wifi from the venue. Always bring your own router!
I have two iPods on 17.5.1 and both on version 3.8.17. I have basically the same configuration that you have. Do I need to purchase a router? Is it possible to go back to previous version until this problem is resolved. Help. I perform a lot with these two iPads
Leronyoung i would definitely purchase a router if i was hevily relying on the host feature.
What external router would you recommend to solve my connection problem
Any particular brand or model?
No, any router will work. I use an old Airport Express. Small footprint and strong signal.
I can't tell. It is hard to fix an issue I can not reproduce myself. First I would need a way to see these disconnects. But for me the connection is absolutely stable.
EDIT: If you have this 30 second disconnect issue. Please send me the logfiles from both host and client via Settings > Create Support Email. They might contain some additional information.
After spending the last 4 hours analyzing this issue, I can reproduce it when I disable wifi on host and client devices therefore forcing the connection to use Bluetooth. Automatic reconnections work not very well as they need a couple of seconds to reestablish.
I did find the following information from Apple on the developer forums:
Multipeer Connectivity accesses peer-to-peer networking through Bonjour. The system’s Bonjour support no longer works over Bluetooth. Thus, Multipeer Connectivity no longer works over Bluetooth.
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Keep in mind that Multipeer Connectivity is effectively deprecated. While we haven’t officially deprecated it [2], most use cases are better served by other networking APIs. See TN3151 Choosing the right networking API for more on that.
Other developers are also reporting similar issues in their apps (no reply from Apple to this since March):
We have an app that runs on two iPads, in two different modes, that communicate with one another using Apple's Multipeer Connectivity APIs. Last week, after upgrading to iPadOS 17.4 we have had MANY customer reports of erratic connectivity, only on iPadOS 17.4. The iPads connect for 30 seconds to a minute, disconnect, reconnect for a short time again, and repeat.
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it is easy to replicate the issue on iPadOS 17.4. You must be disconnected from Wi-Fi, but still have the adapter enabled. (We disconnect via the iPad control center.) The pair of iPads will only stay connected for about 30 seconds before disconnecting.
As I can reproduce the issue by disabling wifi, I think the connection falls back to Bluetooth, which is no longer working correctly and as the whole technology seems to be deprecated (although not officially deprecated yet), we can not expect any fixes from Apple.
Effectively this means that Adhoc networking without a wifi network no longer works. You absolutely need to bring your own wifi.
I will investigate other networking APIs (like Websockets for example) for version 4 but those will also need a wifi network. So effectively starting with iOS 17.4 and above, adhoc networking has been killed as far as I can see it.
peter Nice…. Apple does a great job at being Apple again! Anyway, if I disable Wi-fi, I don’t even see the session, so in my case the problem is not bluetooth. I will try to see if I can setup a hotspot from my host iPad and connect the client to that. I think that only works though if I have a SIM card. Might be a good alternative to getting a router.
I will reproduce the issue and send you the logs. Let’s see if you find something helpful in there. Thank you!
Your logs look exactly like mine. And I have to clarify what I mean by "disable" Wifi: I did not completely disable it in iOS settings, but just disabled the connection to the current wifi network in control center.
But in the end it does not change anything: You need a wifi router. Adhoc network (even via hotspot) will not work.
