Hello,
[Now that Roon Server can run without an internet connection (for an extended period of time)…]
If Roon is offline will ARC work or would be useless?
No - offline working in the home where your Roon Server is, is a completely different use case for Roon ARC, which is designed to give you access to your Roon Library when you are outside of your home…
8 Likes
Yes Indeed.
I always wondering why the remote app was not working outside home? It could be work with only local device audio available, isn’it?
Roon remote connects to your Roon server by RAAT. That requires local ethernet or WIFI connection. Roon ARC connects to your Roon server by ethernet, WIFI, or cellular. But, the main intended use is by cellular away from home.
That said, you can run a Roon server on a laptop and take that with you as I am doing now for 3 weeks.
3 Likes
Roon remote connects to server by RAAT and not by Wifi!? Really?
RAAT is not the audio transport from server to Roon ready devices?
You might be right. The point is, Roon remote connects to your local server over ethernet or WIFI. Roon ARC uses ethernet, WIFI, and cellular. The intended purpose of Roon ARC is away from home and can’t be dropped unless you want to haul a server around with you.
RAAT is meant for high-throughput low-latency local networks, so that it can accomplish things like synced playback to different zones on different hardware.
This is a completely different design goal than ARC’s goals for unreliable, variable-latency mobile networks that require much buffering.
1 Like
Yes i know but there is no reason why Roon remote cannot connect to server from outside home (wifi/cellular).
I cannot understand the choice to develop a specific app (ARC) for this purpose while the existing app could do the job.
Connect yes, play reliably less so.
Because it can’t with RAAT as it is. Look at the problems people post about on the forum just because they have not-perfect wifi. Now imagine 4G.
You don’t know that.
Who cares the different zones outside home? Like ARC, there is only one device available. Current app could do same job.
And, it does. It’s called Roon ARC. This horse left the barn long ago. 
The whole protocol design depends on the goals. RAAT has barely any buffering designed in. This doesn’t change just because you don’t utilize zones.
I suggest we leave the design of audio streaming protocols to the experts who do this for a living.
7 Likes
RAAT is not used with non Roon ready devices.
If i play on my android mobile phone, what is the protocol used?
RAAT is used because Roon runs on the phone, making it Roon Ready. And if I walk out on the terrace where wifi coverage gets poorer, it starts dropping out quickly. Because it’s not designed for that.
4 Likes
It would be interesting (for me) if an instance of ARC was seen as a kind of “zone” within Roon remote so that I can (on returning home) transfer what I’m currently listening to to one of my at home zones.
There’s a feature suggestion thread for that, add your vote