I hope someone can help with a rather rambling question.
I am currently at the planning stage of setting up a digital music library. Currently I’m leaning towards getting a Roon Nucleus and feeding the output to a Mytek Brooklyn Bridge.
I don’t yet have an ethernet network but I do have the hardware sitting in a box when I’m ready to build.
My query is with regard to internet access, which is not with a conventional router. My internet is via wifi from an Osprey II mobile wifi hotspot. The only connection port is a single usb and on my setup this is only used to power the device.
Currently, I have no intention of streaming content from internet providers such as Tidal, Qubuz et al. But I do want to play digital files on an SDD via usb (connected to the Nucleus and/or it’s internal storage) or via ethernet network.
I’m aware that the Nucleus does not have wifi and that it’s not recommended for streaming.
Would the Nucleus recognise an internet connection if the Osprey was connected directly via usb (my iMac will connect to the internet if I have the Osprey on usb and wifi is turned off)? Or would it be better to setup an ethernet network and have the Osprey usb connected to an ethernet network via a usb/ethernet adaptor.
I’m really only concerned with enabling the Nucleus to have an internet connection for software purposes. The digital content would be to the Mytek dac either directly via usb or through the ethernet network.
One likely possible solution you can do is to purchase a WiFi router that can operate as Media Bridge (Asus) or WiFi client mode (TP-Link), i.e. they connect to your WiFi hot spot then distribute to multiple Ethernet ports.
Note that not all routers support this mode. They must not create a subnet, they must not block multicast packets, they must not setup a firewall, they must not distribute IP address by DHCP, they must make the Ethernet devices on the same subnet as the WiFi.
Alternatively, to make things simpler, since you’ve already got the iMac internet working via USB, just install Roon to the iMac and use it as Roon Core.
I checked the manual of this device, but it’s not clear to me it’ll work. It has a WiFi repeater mode that creates a subnet and a firewall - it’s not clear to me it can run in bridge mode. It has a USB tether mode, but I’m not sure how compatible that is to the OP’s device USB port, and whether it’ll create another subnet.
Thanks to everyone that replied so quickly. I’ll investigate all these options.
To wklie
My iMac internet connection is via wifi but you’re suggestion for installing on the iMac would certainly be a good fallback if all else fails. My main aim though was to setup a dedicated music server either using Nucleus (my preference) or a NUC running ROCK arrangement. (btw. if the NUC has wifi capability can ROCK software access it?)
I’ve also sent a request for help from the suppliers of the wifi device if they have any insights.
One other thought that came to mind was a Wireless Access Point. The D-Link DSR-250N has wireless and multiple ethernet ports, but wouldn’t have a clue how to set it up :0(
Thanks again.
ROCK does not support built-in WiFi of NUC8 and NUC10. If you use a compatible USB WiFi dongle, it may work but you’re better off using Windows or other distributions of Linux that takes advantage of the built-in WiFi.
A wireless access point may work. The model you gave is a router that offers an access point mode, similar to the routers I mentioned above.
Then don’t use them.
Unless support gives you a way for using Nucleus in your setup or advise the use of a USB WiFi dongle, I suggest installing Windows or Linux on the NUC to support its built-in WiFi, then install Roon, not ROCK. This way you don’t need to select, install, and configure an additional piece of network equipment.
Unless you stated you need a bridge, or their answers involve a bridge, based on the assumption not everyone knows the technical requirements of Roon, I cannot trust the general answers given for general WiFi usage non specific to Roon.
I’m a bit late in on this but I think the premise fails at your starting point, the Mobile WiFi hotspot. Once you have purchased any of the bits required to enable a functional wired network your costs will have escalated to the point where you could just have purchased a conventional 4G or 5G mobile router and simply gone with that. I have a TP Link TL-MR6400 4G router which does everything you need. Ethernet, essential for your core and wireless for less critical endpoints and control via phone, tablet or laptop. If you have to jump through so many hoops (and spend) to make your present stuff work you may as well wipe the slate clean and start again.
I should have put that I was not suggesting buying that exact model assuming you can still get one, but that it was the sort of thing he could be aiming at.
Many thanks everyone.
To wklie and Henry_McLeod
Over the last day or so I had come to the same conclusion.
With further digging I came across the TP-Link MR6400 and the Huawei B535.
But it looks like the MR600 has a better spec i.e. 4G+, external antenna capable etc.
And I have enough Amazon gift vouchers to get it for free (I’m a happy bunny)
If you’re the “hacker type” you can get almost any device that supports DD-WRT or openwrt or Tomato and flash it. These are open source firmware that are community supported. They often go far beyond the capabilities of the vendor firmware. For setting up a completely transparent bridge wired<->wireless I much prefer the flexibility of a generic “wireless router” running one of these firmwares.
Additionally, if you want to replace your “puck” with something far more robust and feature rich look into Cradlepoint. They are pretty much top tier wireless backhaul routers and have been for a long time. Expensive though (compared to your puck).
Some of the “business class” wireless Internet services from the wireless carriers use Cradlepoint or something similar. This gives you ethernet ports off the back of a “real router”. Again, more money, but far more robust as these devices also support external antenna and the service has higher priority on the network than the consumer customers.
