Customer frustrated with Roon setup issues (ref#U896PW)

Support
1

What is the operating system of your Roon Server host machine?

· Nucleus

What kind of device are you using to perform the login?

· iOS

Where are you trying to login?

· I can't log into Roon

Please try to restart your Roon Server by closing the Roon Server app in the taskbar (MacOS), task manager (Windows) or rebooting your Roon Server machine.

· No, the issue remains the same

Different device

· I cannot switch to a different device

Are you still facing the issue on the different device

· No, the issue remains the same

Record the timestamp

· All the time, no rhyme or reason, maddening.

Describe the issue

I HATE ROON! I want to talk to a human and set this damn thing up right, it is constantly giving me trouble. I have two options for Roon: somebody talk to me or I cancel

Describe your network setup

Spectrum

3

There is no in person or telephone support for Roon.

This forum is the right place to be and Support will respond once your ticket reaches the head of the queue.

Thank you for your patience please.

4

Hi @Paul_Schulten,

Did you see this linked post from Roon (May 4th)?

If the issues you’re currently having are related I can reopen that topic for you, just let me know.

If they are new issues, please describe here so that Roon can investigate.

5

Hey @Paul_Schulten,

As others have mentioned, you’re in the right spot for support. Are you able to describe your issue a bit more?

Is it tied to Arc, like your other post linked here by @Carl? If so, did you ever try out last suggestions?

We’re here to help, just let us know what’s going on. Thank you! :folded_hands:

7

Ok here we go again. Got things working, no idea how, both from the nucleus and ARC. Lasted a month or so.

Today, for no reason whatsoever, everything stopped working. Yes I reset everything. Everything else I have or use works fine, except for %=%)@; Roon.

Cannot connect to Nucleus one. My Windows PC connects, I guess, but can’t find that stupid Nucleus.

I am gobsmacked by what Roon says this will do and what it actually does. The app will not find Nucleus. Turned it on/off a million times. Hate this thing. Love the music.

Can someone, ANYONE, just talk me through this on the phone? Can I get a refund? Will Roon pay for my blood pressure medicine? AAHHHHH!

8

Hello @Paul_Schulten

What we can see: your Windows PC is your server and it is working, on the current version, holding 438 albums and 5,289 tracks with Qobuz connected. Your Nucleus One has not been seen by us for sixteen days and is on an older version. The app is right that it cannot find it. You have two servers, and the one with your music is the PC.

First, two checks. Please do these before anything else and send us the answers.

  1. Open a browser and go to http://192.168.1.224. Does a Roon page load? If it does, what does it say next to Roon Server Software? Nucleus Web Administration Interface
  2. In Roon, go to Settings, then Setup, and press Find next to Find Roon OS. Does the Nucleus appear in the list?

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Until the Nucleus answers, change nothing else. Do not press Disconnect on your current server, or you will have neither.

Then, once it answers, here is the whole move in order.

Step 1. Back up on the PC, to a USB drive or a network location, not to the Nucleus. Setting Up a Backup In Roon, Roon Backup Locations and How to Add Them

Step 2. Switch the app to the Nucleus. Settings, then General, press Disconnect, then connect to the Nucleus. Migrating to Nucleus

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Step 3. Restore the backup onto the Nucleus. This is the step people skip. Without it the Nucleus starts empty and it looks as though your collection is gone. When you first connect, choose Restore A Backup in the lower left instead of logging in. Restoring from a Backup

Step 4. Point the Nucleus at your music. A backup restores your library, not your audio files. Your 3,565 local tracks are on the PC’s disk, so they either get copied to the Nucleus or stay on the PC and are added as a network folder. Until then those albums show as unavailable, which is expected and not a loss. Enabling SMB Guest Access for Roon Nucleus / ROCK on Windows

If any step does not go as described, stop there, write here, and attach a screenshot of what you are seeing. Do not carry on to the next step. That way we fix the one thing that went wrong instead of unpicking four.

We do not offer phone support but we would be more than happy to assist you right here on the Community website.

When we resolve issues on Community, it ensures that our entire team has access to the discussion and can weigh in as needed. This means that not only can our support team contribute, but so can our QA team, developers, and senior staff.

10

We’re very eager to help work through this issue, but we’ve not seen a response to this thread. Roon doesn’t offer direct phone support but we personally respond to each and every issue in the Support category here on Roon Community, escalating to development as necessary. If you want to continue the conversation, you can reactivate the topic thread here. Thank you.

11

Network Setup

· I use my ISP's router alongside a personal router.

ARC Status

· ARC is *Not Ready*

Roon Error Code

· None of these are listed. It simply says "TIMEDOUT" or similar.

System or third-party *firewalls *or *antivirus software* can sometimes block RoonServer from reaching ARC.

·
Try adding RoonServer and its associated processes to the whitelist of any firewalls or antivirus software you have installed, including the Windows system firewall, if applicable.
[You can learn more about firewall exceptions with Roon here.](https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/firewall)

Has the status in Roon -> Settings -> ARC changed after adding exceptions in your firewalls and antivirus software for Roon?
ARC is still *Not Ready*

Don't give up yet.

· I'd like to try out Tailscale instead of port forwarding.

Please visit the link below for instructions to set up Tailscale.

· I'm having trouble with Tailscale and need to ask a few more questions.

Describe the issue

PITA. Sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn’t. ANYTHING will cause it to stop working, momentary internet outage, power off, anything and it stops working. Constantly have to screw with it, sometimes deleting/reinstalling app works. Sick of it but I have too much $$$ invested in this crap app to give up. Troubleshooting ■■ didn’t work. I will get my internet guy to come screw with this disaster, more $$$ to make this thing work…maybe. Hate it! Why can’t it just WORK???

Describe your network setup

Spectrum

21

Hi @Paul_Schulten

I’ve moved your new support request onto your existing support topic so all the history is together.

Roon @suppprt will respond here, but due to weekend and Monday’s US holiday this may not be till Tuesday next week.

22

Hi @Paul_Schulten,

Thanks for hanging in there. Your fresh logs came through, and we owe you a straight answer: the problem isn’t your router, your firewall, or port forwarding.

What’s likely wrong: Your account licenses one Roon Server at a time, and you have two running, the Nucleus One and your Windows PC. They’ve been fighting over that one slot. Since August 13, every license check from the PC has come back the same way:

{"status":"NeedsBump","bumps":[{"machinename":"Nucleus One", ...}]}

93 checks in a row, 23 days, no successes. The PC is asking to be your Roon Server and being told the Nucleus already holds that spot.

Everything else follows from that. ARC never even attempts its port test while the server is unauthorized, the log says not testing port opening because the broker is not loaded and ready. machine status: NeedsBump. Same cause behind the TIMEDOUT errors, 118 failed Qobuz syncs, and 659 refused remote connections. It also explains why it’s been so inconsistent: whichever server won the slot last is the one that works.

The good news: On August 11, when the PC briefly did hold the license, your network passed everything cleanly, UPnP mapped ARC’s port automatically, one router doing NAT (no double-NAT issue), external check Success, ARC Ready. Your Spectrum router and firewall are fine, and ARC should come back on its own once the conflict clears.

Two things that make this easier than it looks: your library is 100% Qobuz with no local watched folders, so there are no music files to move anywhere. And your Nucleus One is healthy, your PC connected to it yesterday.

What to do: Make the Nucleus One your only Roon Server. It’s built for this, and your PC won’t need to be awake for music to play.

  1. Back up. On the PC: Settings → Backups → Back Up Now, to a USB stick or folder. Saves playlists, favorites, history.
  2. Quit Roon Server from the PC. This is the step that ends the tug-of-war. Keep the regular Roon app if you want to control from the PC, it won’t compete for the license.
  3. Connect to the Nucleus. Roon → Settings → General → Disconnect → Select your Nucleus One from your available servers, then sign in.
  4. Restore your backup. Your Qobuz login comes back with it.
  5. Check ARC. Settings → Roon ARC. Give it a minute; it should read Ready.

If you’d rather keep the PC as your server, do the mirror image: power the Nucleus down and confirm the switch when Roon prompts you.

We’re here to help you through any issues you have! That said, our Technical Support team will unfortunately be away for the long weekend. Let us know how the above goes and we’ll be back next week to assist further. :folded_hands:

23

Ok great, this sounds like something I can do. What worries me is how my PC became a server, I’m sure it was because Roon quit working and I was monkeying with it! Will follow your steps, thanks!

24

Hello @Paul_Schulten

Thank you for the update.

Could you please clarify how things are going and whether you were able to follow the steps described here:

25

Ok so followed the instructions, deleted the server on my PC and things started working. Yay! So I go on a trip, go to the gym, let’s get some rocking tunes on ARC! Nope! Lots of watching it try to connect, etc., so no ARC for my whole trip. Groan. Come home, out of ideas, enthusiasm and hope for Roon. Well what the heck, I turn off/on the server, and ARC works again. What the ???. So far it has worked 2 days in a row, got another trip, we will see. Thought I could get this working and it would KEEP working, guess that’s too much to ask.

26

Hi @Paul_Schulten,

Thanks for the update and I’m glad to hear a sever reboot helped.

If you run into issues with Arc again, take note of the date and time and share that info here. We’ll take a closer look at diagnostics to try and pin down what might be going on. :+1: