Thank you for your post and we’re sorry to hear you’ve been having trouble configuring out-of-home use with ARC.
Initial Troubleshooting
First off, if possible, try connecting your Roon Server directly to your upstream modem/router instead of the second router to which it’s currently connected. Check if auto-configuration of Port Forwarding in ARC is successful. If so, please let us know - the issue will be resolvable in the web administration of your second router.
If you’re unable to physically connect your Roon Server to the upstream router, then try changing the port assignment in Roon → Settings → ARC from 55000 to another similar number. I recommend augmenting in intervals of about 200 (55200, 55400, etc.). Your service provider may have ports reserved on your network that it is using for other services, and 55000 might be among them. Similarly, other software on your network may also be blocking ports.
Verify that Roon is not being blocked by a network firewall on one of your routers. This should be visible in the security settings of the web administration.
If none of the above work, proceed to Manual Port Forwarding below.
Alternative 1: Manual Port Forwarding
Navigate to Roon → ARC → Settings again to view the static IPv4 address and port assignment of the Roon Server.
In your router web administration, navigate to a tab labelled “port forwarding” or similar. There should be an interface for adding manual TCP port forwarding rules, with prompts for a static IP address and port assignment.
Copy/paste the static IP and port assignment from Roon → Settings → ARC into a new port forwarding rule.
Repeat steps 2-3 in the web administration for any additional routers in your setup. Make sure the port forwarding rules are identical.
If you are still having trouble, please try changing the port assignment to a different number in Roon → Settings → ARC and in both respective port forwarding rules.
If you continue to experience port forwarding failures, please delete the port forwarding rules you’ve tried and proceed to the next troubleshooting path below, IPv6
Alternative 2: IPv6
This method does not require UPnP or port forwarding, instead relying on IPv6-format addresses.
Note if your Core has an IPv6 address in Roon → Settings → ARC. If so, check in the network settings of your Roon Server whether the device is actively using this address on your network (usually, you can see whether IPv4 or IPv6 addresses are prioritized).
Try toggling on any settings in your upstream mode/router web administration related to Prefix Delegation. These will likely be under a tab related to IPv6.
If there are IPv6 settings related to “IPv6 firewall” or “IPv6 pinholing,” try pasting the static IPv6 address of your Roon Server from step 1) as a firewall exception/pinhole.
If this isn’t successful, please share a screenshot of any IPv6 settings changes you’ve made, as well as the most recent diagnostics in Roon → Settings → ARC.
We’ll keep an eye out for your response and follow up from there. Thank you
Hi @Nick_Young,
Sorry that you’re still having trouble with port forwarding. Can you show us the port forwarding rules you put into place on your router?
As another option you might want to consider using Tailscale instead of port forwarding. Many of our users find that easier. This article will help you with that.
Glad to hear that the Tailscale solution is working great for you!
You can do how you wish, I do suggest always leaving the server on so that you can connect to it at any point from the device with ARC installed as needed. Happy listening!
Cheers, I didn’t phrase my query very well, I meant to ask if i should keep the tailscale app running on my iphone all the time or just switch it on when i need to use ARC remotely? Thanks
