ARC playback fails on cellular data after one song due to 'poor connection' error (ref#4BBHCC)

Support
1

What’s happening?

· I'm having trouble with Roon ARC

What best describes your issue with ARC

· Other

How can we help?

· None of the above

Other options

· Other

Describe the issue

Can only play one song on cellular data, all playback after fails with 'poor connection' error.

Describe your network setup

MacBook Pro > Amplifi Alien > Spectrum 500mbit

2

To add some more info, this network setup has (and still does) work flawlessly with an iPhone 13 Pro, and I use ARC every day on my commute.

I’m trying a variety of albums in my current rotation to no avail. Most are on Qobuz

The phone exhibiting the issue is a brand new Pixel 9a on latest software. Everything works on wifi.

I ensured ARC has unrestricted data access and all the correct permissions. Signal is not the issue, this is with strong signal on Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband.

This is happening on the phone itself and via Android Auto

3

Hello @Mike_Stratton,

Thank you for reaching Roon support.

To better understand the situation, could you help us by providing some details?

  1. Playback Type: Are you experiencing this issue only with Qobuz tracks, or does it also happen with locally stored files?
  2. Movement Impact: Does the issue occur only while driving, or does playback also fail when you're stationary?
  3. Background Data Usage: Are there any active applications running in the background that might be consuming bandwidth? Checking data usage could help rule this out.
  4. Reproduction Test: Could you try playing both a local track and a Qobuz track while on cellular data, then share the timestamp when playback fails? This will help us identify any patterns.
Let us know what you find, and we’ll continue troubleshooting from there.
4

The issue happens when stationary, and when moving.

I just had playback stop at 9:02am EST, reset my network connection at 9:03. One song played and at 9:04 playback cut out again.

I just tried a local song when playback from Qobuz breaks, and that DOES work. Interesting…

Adding some more. After playing a local song I tried
A Qobuz song again (with no network toggling) at 9:08, no dice.

Then tried the same song, specifically from tidal, at 9:11 and the album has been playing fine. The issue seems Qobuz specific.

5

Hello @Mike_Stratton,

Thank you for the update.

When streaming music through ARC, it establishes a direct connection to the streaming service’s API. Based on your description, it appears that the issue is related to your connection to Qobuz over your mobile network.

To narrow this down, let’s run a few quick tests:

  1. Try playing the same song directly in the Qobuz app – This will help determine whether the issue is specific to ARC or a broader network-related problem.
  2. Test with a different mobile provider (if possible) – If you have access to another network, switching to it temporarily could reveal whether your current provider is causing the issue.

Please let us know the results, and we’ll continue troubleshooting from there!

6

Just installed the Qobuz app and successive songs play no problem.

I don’t have an ability to switch carriers, unfortunately

7

Hello @Mike_Stratton,

The main purpose of the test with Qobuz is to play the same song that reports a poor connection in ARC—in the same location and at the same time.

Could you please clarify how you performed the test? Specifically:

  • Were both ARC and Qobuz used on the same device?
  • Did you play the exact same track on both apps?
  • Is the issue reproducible on the WiFi network outside of your home?
This information will help us better understand the conditions of the test and assist you further. Additionally, please let us know the song name and timestamp when you face the issue where ARC does not work, but Qobuz plays well.
8

All tests will use the album ‘Everything Must Go’ by Goose, while sitting in my living room (in ARC of course). This is on the same Pixel 9a.

9:31 - I played the first 3 songs from the album via Qobuz with no issues on wifi.

9:35 - Disabled wifi, started the same album from Qobuz. The first two songs loaded, then playback stopped working.

9:49 - Opened the Qobuz app, loaded the same album, first four songs loaded no issue.

9:52 - Went back to ARC, tried playing the same album from Qobuz, no songs play.

10:00 - After a bit of clicking around in ARC, the first song absolutely will not play, however the second and third song will. Im not sure if this the ARC caching any data? You’d need to see from logs. Seems sporadic, some songs play (which I haven’t recently listened to), and some don’t.

Is there a logging option i should be enabling?

9

Chiming in that I tried to play the first song just now at 10:16 and it is playing. I hadn’t closed the app, just switched to something else and came back.

Also, when the playback stops working, restarting the app makes no difference.

11

Hello @Mike_Stratton,

We’ve discussed this with our senior QA and development teams. The team is investigating some possibilities here and, as soon as that investigation is complete, we’ll be sure to follow up ASAP.

You have our apologies for the trouble here, and we’ve greatly appreciated your patience as we continue investigating this tricky issue. We’ll be in touch as soon as we can.

12

I appreciate that. I’ll keep an eye out for a response.

13

Also just reporting back that Qobuz songs play great in ARC on other wifi networks. Been bouncing around between albums on my work wifi with no issue.

Seems the issue is exclusively on cellular.

14

Hello @Mike_Stratton,

In the meantime, the R&D team is looking into this. Can you try using the VPN solution to avoid possible issues with the routing on the ISP side?

16

So I have a ubiquiti router with a built in to home VPN, when using that ARC doesn’t work at all.

At the moment I don’t have much time to be setting up something like tailscale, and as a reminder ARC works flawlessly on my iPhone 13

17

Hi @Mike_Stratton,

Thanks for the reply - our team will have more information to share once our Arc team has analyzed things further. We appreciate your patience in the meantime. :raised_hands: