Inquiry on Using Roon ARC for Offline Album Copies Without Network Access (ref#2HV838)

[Andy_H]

Network Setup

· I use multiple routers, none of which are provided by my ISP

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'm stuck. I'd like to create a post to ask Roon Community for help.

Describe the issue

Seeking to use Roon ARC for offline use only

Hi,

I would like to use Roon ARC to have offline copies on my phone of albums for times in low bandwidth data networks, and also for albums which aren't available on streaming services. I do not wish to open up ports on my network, nor do I want to be accessing my home network when I'm out and about.

Is there any way to use Roon ARC (_without_ port forwarding/upnp) to save copies of my music to my device whilst I can reach my server on my home wifi, so that they're available offline later?

This is what I thought Roon ARC was intended to solve when I first learned about it so I'm a bit puzzled that (as far as I can tell) it does seem to be possible.

Cheers,
Andy

Describe your network setup

n/a - see description

[Suedkiez (Just a fellow user like you)]

@Andy_H

Is there any way to use Roon ARC (without port forwarding/upnp) to save copies of my music to my device whilst I can reach my server on my home wifi, so that they’re available offline later?

Yes, just download them in ARC. Note: You can ONLY download files you have locally on your server, not streaming service tracks.

@Andy_H

This is what I thought Roon ARC was intended to solve when I first learned about it so I’m a bit puzzled that (as far as I can tell) it does seem to be possible.

I am confused by what you are puzzled about. Did you forget a “not” before “seem”? If so, why do you think it does not work? Does it fail for you and in which way?

Note that your phone needs to be online occasionally, for various checks with Roon Lab’s cloud server, but I believe this means just online time to reach the cloud, not a need to reach your own server.

Unable to use Roon Arc overseas while downloaded music gets deleted (ref#TQWG3K)

Hi @Garry_Hawker, ARC’s framework inherently limits the duration of time the app can remain in Offline Mode. There’s not a hard-limit, since authorization, intermittent availability of cellular service, and phone OS all play a factor. These limitations are partially for anti-piracy considerations, but there are also mechanical and curatorial considerations for database curation. Offline Mode allows for certain processes within ARC’s copy of the Roon database to continue to function autonomousl…

[CrystalGipsy (Resisting the flow!)]

If you intend to use it fully offline I can see you ending up frustrated with it as it’s a poor experience offline for any sustained use and prone to locking you out of your downloads. Offline you get no search, no metadata, and low quality artwork. Navigating to find material if you have a lot is also limited.

[Rugby (aka Daniel or Big Dan)]

ARC can be used that way but there are some issues. If ARC has an issue and needs to be reinstalled that will wipe any music you’ve downloaded. After the third time Inhad to re-download, I stopped using ARC with music local tonthe phone and use other apps namely UAPP instead.

[Matthew_Bowden1 (Matthew Bowden)]

Which is crazy!! I really hope this is something they fix in 2025. Downloaded music on Arc while offline should work perfectly.