I used to get really patchy service from ARC so I tended to use Tidal when out and about. But since tweaking the MUSE presets in ARC the sound is so much better that I really want to be able to rely on it. So I was delighted the other day when I managed to listen to an album (streaming, not downloaded) throughout an hour-long train journey during which I know I went through some very poor reception areas (most apps stop working at various points during this journey).
I figured there must have been some kind of upgrade since I last used ARC to make this possible, so I gave thanks to the Roon software wizards and resolved to use ARC more. But then yesterday I went for a stroll around my hometown (Brighton, UK) where there is a very good 5G signal almost everywhere, and I couldn’t even load the homepage, never mind browse or play music. So I reverted to Tidal again, with a weary sigh.
Am I doing something wrong, or is ARC really that variable?
i am a bit newer to Roon. right now i sometimes face difficulties with roon arc because sometimes it gets
stuck on syncing for first time and never loads past…
i mean no matter how long i leave it for and even though my my library is kind of small…this happens sometimes at home too so now amslow connection issue even
as a result for listenting to my local music when outside sometimes i still resort to plexamp where i never face such issues…
i think arc is great but maybe something about roon’s desire to ‘over authenticate’ or guard its system or maybe the need for further optimization or addressing of potential of bugs?..
Roon ARC has definitely improved over recent months, but a long-standing issue for me remains unresolved, which may be what you have experienced.
When ARC has lost its connection, it doesn’t seem to recover, and all further actions, including the track being played, are blocked. I usually have to restart my mobile device, and try again. Something that is impractical while driving.
Unfortunately, a strong 5G signal doesn’t guarantee a good connection. However, ARC should handle such situations gracefully.
Given that Roon do not monitor this category, I am moving the thread to Feedback in the hope that Roon look into this. I also suggest you open a Support request: Technical Support Request.
I think I might have read that this poor behavior might me limited to certain mobile providers or something?
I certainly don’t experience this and German cell coverage is generally patchy.
For my case Arc work great when I use wifi connection and quite good in downtown but when I was abroad the city 5G connection was move to LTE or 4G/3G Arc play a few seconda and when connection was back music/podcast didn’t play again. Maybe it’s depend small size of buffer? Maybe developer fix this issue by increasing size of buffer?
The buffer size is currently, I think, several minutes (a track length or so). This should normally be enough to reestablish connection. It seems strange if it stops after a few seconds for you, I don’t think that’s normal.
I discussed even larger buffer sizes once with Roon and this seems to be tricky because buffer sizes that the streaming services allow are limited by legal restraints - they can’t allow downloading by third parties (as we know from ARC), and beyond a certain point a large buffer becomes a download from a legal perspective.
Yes it is quite long. What I find when the connection goes awry, is that I can skip back a track ot two, and play them. But, it will stop at the exact same place. Sometimes skipping forward works, but the track that was playing when thd connection is lost can not be recovered.
It’s just strange that I never have that. Of course, if the connection drops out long enough, the buffer will eventually run out, but if the connection comes back in time (and same if I switch between wifi and cell or vice versa), it always seems to continue without a hitch.
I agree it’s strange that our experiences differ so much. The thing that puzzles me the most is when I can’t even get started, despite being in a strong 5G area and every other app is working just fine.