iOS Simple Hub setup

Hello - I've just repurposed an old iPhone 5S to act as a simple hub. After some issues paring the ipods I have around the house everything seems to be working well - most of the time time. I've followed the instructions and prevented time-outs and put into guided mode, however I notice that the phone will go to sleep regardless of the settings I make - albeit after several hours. Any suggestions?

Also from time to time the clients don't seem to connect to the hub - is this likely to be due to wifi and therefore, as the manual suggests connecting the iOS device to ethernet would be better - presumably this is for a more robust connection? What do I need to do this?

This

Apple Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter

along with a generic USB to ethernet adaptor?

Totally normal and covered by the locked top post in this forum:

https://forum.simplecontrol.com/t/ios-12-0-and-guided-access-broken/3407/4

Turn off Guided Access if you're on iOS 12 is the moral of the story.

We do recommend Ethernet for more reliable connectivity of course, but relying on a 5S will be a bigger issue than Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet. The best choice as covered elsewhere is to use the same iPad that is (ideally) already used as your primary living room controller as your Simple Hub, and that iPad when put into service should be whatever is the most modern iPad at the time which will give it the best longevity over the years. Whereas choosing a 5S for instance is guaranteed to make you re-do everything soon as it will be the next device to go.