diff --git a/app/client/components/App.js b/app/client/components/App.js
index 1d68a21..0069d64 100644
--- a/app/client/components/App.js
+++ b/app/client/components/App.js
@@ -6,8 +6,9 @@
 */
 
 import { AppElement, html, css } from './AppElement'
-import { customElement } from 'lit/decorators.js'
-import { createApp } from '../lib/network.js'
+import { APP_STATE } from '../store/appState'
+import { customElement, state } from 'lit/decorators.js'
+import { createApp } from '../lib/network'
 import './PerformanceDashboard'
 
 @customElement('web-app')
@@ -17,11 +18,22 @@ export class App extends AppElement {
      `
   }
 
+  @state()
+  globalAppState = APP_STATE
+
   constructor () {
     super()
-    this.app = createApp()
+    this.app = createApp(this.globalAppState)
     window.app = this.app
     this.app.setMetricsCallback(metrics => this.metricsUpdated(metrics))
+
+    // this is how we implement changes to the global state:
+    // once any child component sends this CustomEvent we update the global state according
+    // to the changes that were passed to us
+    this.addEventListener('app-state-changed', (event) => {
+      const newState = event.detail
+      this.globalAppState = newState
+    })
   }
 
   static properties = {
@@ -30,7 +42,10 @@ export class App extends AppElement {
 
   render () {
     return html`
-      <performance-dashboard .metrics=${this.metrics}></performance-dashboard>
+      <performance-dashboard
+        .appState=${this.globalAppState}
+        .metrics=${this.metrics}
+      ></performance-dashboard>
     `
   }
 
diff --git a/app/client/components/AppElement.js b/app/client/components/AppElement.js
index c09c638..1614aed 100644
--- a/app/client/components/AppElement.js
+++ b/app/client/components/AppElement.js
@@ -6,10 +6,30 @@
 */
 
 import { LitElement } from 'lit'
+import { property } from 'lit/decorators.js'
+import { APP_STATE } from '../store/appState'
 export * from 'lit'
 
 export class AppElement extends LitElement {
-  // todo: should use shadow root once the global style file is dissolved into the components
+  // this is how we implement a global state: a global state object is passed via properties
+  // to child components
+  @property({ type: Object })
+  appState = APP_STATE
+
+  // ..and state changes are send back to the root component of the app by dispatching
+  // a CustomEvent
+  updateState () {
+    this.dispatchEvent(
+      new CustomEvent('app-state-changed', {
+        detail: { ...this.appState },
+        bubbles: true,
+        composed: true
+      })
+    )
+  }
+
+  // currently we do not use shadow root since there is still a global style file
+  // but maybe one day we dissolve it into the components and use shadow dom instead
   createRenderRoot () {
     return this
   }
diff --git a/app/client/components/DashboardActions.js b/app/client/components/DashboardActions.js
index be1cfc3..d30c8a5 100644
--- a/app/client/components/DashboardActions.js
+++ b/app/client/components/DashboardActions.js
@@ -28,10 +28,11 @@ export class DashboardActions extends AppElement {
         <div id="windowed-icon">${icon_compress}</div>
       </button>
       <button @click=${this.close} id="close-button">${icon_poweroff}</button>
-      <button @lick=${this.switchPeripheralMode}>${icon_bluetooth}</button>
-      <div class="metric-unit">${this.peripheralMode}</div>
+      <button @click=${this.switchPeripheralMode}>${icon_bluetooth}</button>
+      <div class="metric-unit">${this.appState.peripheralMode}</div>
      `
   }
+  //      <div class="metric-unit">${this.peripheralMode}</div>
 
   toggleFullscreen () {
     const fullscreenElement = document.getElementsByTagName('web-app')[0]
@@ -54,6 +55,9 @@ export class DashboardActions extends AppElement {
   }
 
   switchPeripheralMode () {
-    window.app.switchPeripheralMode()
+    // window.app.switchPeripheralMode()
+    // todo: this is just a test property to see if the concept works...
+    this.appState.peripheralMode = 'PM5'
+    this.updateState()
   }
 }
diff --git a/app/client/components/PerformanceDashboard.js b/app/client/components/PerformanceDashboard.js
index dd93cdf..fffb925 100644
--- a/app/client/components/PerformanceDashboard.js
+++ b/app/client/components/PerformanceDashboard.js
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
 */
 
 import { AppElement, html, css } from './AppElement'
+import { APP_STATE } from '../store/appState'
 import { customElement, property } from 'lit/decorators.js'
 import './DashboardMetric'
 import './DashboardActions'
@@ -21,6 +22,9 @@ export class PerformanceDashboard extends AppElement {
   @property({ type: Object })
   metrics
 
+  @property({ type: Object })
+  appState = APP_STATE
+
   render () {
     return html`
       <dashboard-metric .icon=${icon_route} .unit=${this.metrics?.distanceTotal?.unit} .value=${this.metrics?.distanceTotal?.value}></dashboard-metric>
@@ -34,7 +38,7 @@ export class PerformanceDashboard extends AppElement {
         : html`<dashboard-metric .icon=${icon_paddle} unit="total" .value=${this.metrics?.strokesTotal?.value}></dashboard-metric>`}
       <dashboard-metric .icon=${icon_fire} unit="kcal" .value=${this.metrics?.caloriesTotal?.value}></dashboard-metric>
       <dashboard-metric .icon=${icon_clock} .value=${this.metrics?.durationTotalFormatted?.value}></dashboard-metric>
-      <dashboard-actions .peripheralMode=${this.metrics?.peripheralMode?.value}></dashboard-actions>
+      <dashboard-actions .appState=${this.appState} .peripheralMode=${this.metrics?.peripheralMode?.value}></dashboard-actions>
     `
   }
 }
diff --git a/app/client/store/appState.js b/app/client/store/appState.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..525adc2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/app/client/store/appState.js
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+'use strict'
+/*
+  Open Rowing Monitor, https://github.com/laberning/openrowingmonitor
+
+  Defines the global state of the app
+*/
+
+export const APP_STATE = {
+  // todo: this is just a test property to see if the concept works...
+  peripheralMode: 'FTMSROWER'
+}