Roon ARC - Cannot Connect via Netgear AXE500 | AXE11000 Router

[MarkTarone]

Roon Server Machine

sonicTransporter i5 server
Roon Server Software Version 2.8

I have an older version of the following device:
sonicTransporter i5 (Gen 3) – Small Green Computer?

Networking Gear & Setup Details

Fiber Internet

AT&T Modem

Ethernet Cat8 Cable
Netgear RAXE500 Tri-Band WiFi Router (seems to be Model AXE11000)
Ethernet Cat5 Cable
sonicTransporter i5

Data is distributed in the house via ethernet cables, WiFi, WiFi repeaters and data over powerline adapters.

1. Who is your internet service provider?
   AT&T

2. Please list the make and model of your modem and router?
   Modem Manufacturer: AT&T

Modem Model: Arris BGW210

BGW210 details here: Get Started With Your BGW210 - AT&T Internet Customer Support

Netgear RAXE500 Tri-Band WiFi Router (seems to be Model AXE11000)

Photo of the router box: https://photos.app.goo.gl/h4EryqkZn715duMv6

3. Do you have any additional network hardware, like additional routers or managed switches?
   See above.
   No

4. Does your network have any VPNs, proxy servers, or enterprise-grade security?
   No

Connected Audio Devices

Netgear Router

Ethernet Cat6 Cable
Network Switch
Ethernet Cat6 Cable
Node #1 Roon Endpoint

Netgear Router

Audioquest Ethernet Cable
Netgear data over IP converter Transmitter
Ethernet Cable
Node #2 Roon Endpoint

Description of Issue -

What is the exact port forwarding error message you see in the Roon Settings → ARC tab?

{
“ipv4_connectivity”: {“status”:“NetworkError”,“status_code”:504,“error”:“error: Error: ETIMEDOUT, response code: undefined, body: undefined connected? undefined”},
“external_ip”: {“actual_external_ip”:“99.aaa.bbb.ccc”,“actual_external_ipv6”:“null”,“router_external_ip”:“null”},
“natpmp_autoconfig”: {“status”:“NotFound”},
“upnp_autoconfig”: {“status”:“NotFound”}
}

TROUBLESHOOTING ACTION #1 - UPnP ON
Per the recommendation of the Roon “ARC Port Forwarding” guide, I took the following action.

I checked the Netgear router’s UPnP status.

It was turned “On.”

I turned the UPnP to Off.

I logged back into the Router admin web page and confirmed the UPnP was turned Off.

I then turned the UPnP On.

I logged back into the Router admin web page and confirmed the UPnP was turned on.

See confirmation screenshot: https://photos.app.goo.gl/3F5VuMA1oqouVn1aA

I opened the Roon Remote app and went to Settings > Roon ARC. Unfortunately, Roon ARC was still unable to configure the router and could not connect.

TROUBLESHOOTING ACTION #1 - MANUAL PORT FORWARDING
I tried to establish a static IP address, but I seemed to fail to do so.

I followed Netgear’s manual and setup a static IP address for the sonicTransporter Roon server. I used the IP address that was already assigned to the sonicTransporter: 10.0.0.5

Screenshot of IP address assigned to the Roon server: https://photos.app.goo.gl/RSyqHpw8MUzWnoLy8

The Netgear manual states: “The reserved address is not assigned until the next time the computer contacts the router’s DHCP server. Reboot the device, or access its IP configuration and force a DHCP
release and renew.”

So, I rebooted the sonicTransporter Roon server.

After the sonicTransporter rebooted, the server went to a different IP address than the one I assigned via the Netgear router. The sonicTransporter wen to the following IP Address: 10.0.0.4. On the router, I had assigned 10.0.0.5.

Screenshot of the IP address of the sonicTransporter after taking the above steps: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Sjf1aALkn8Eanngn6

I then had trouble connecting to the Roon server via the Roon Remote app. Sometimes, the sonicTransporter’s admin page stated “Non-IP” in the field where the IP address was supposed to be located.

So, I deleted the assigned IP address from the Netgear route and rebooted the sonicTransporter Roon server.

I still had difficulty connecting to Roon via the Roon Remote app.

So, I rebooted the Netgear router. Thereafter, I was able to connect to the Roon server using the Roon Remote app.

Netgear’s manual states that I need to setup a static IP address for the Roon server in order to manually configure Port forwarding. I was unable to setup a static IP address. Therefore, I cannot manually configure port forwarding.

Also, I’m concerned that if I do setup a static IP address I may have problems getting a basic connection between the Roon Remote app and the Roon server.

I manage three Roon network’s: i) my house in Hawai’i, ii) my parents’ house in Florida and iii) my brother’s house in Florida.

Roon ARC works properly on my Roon network and my parents’ Roon network.

I’m currently visiting Florida. I need to get Roon Arc working on my brother’s Roon network by Monday afternoon as I fly back to Hawai’i shortly thereafter.

Thanks for your attention and help!

-Mark

[connor]

Hi @MarkTarone,

Thank you for your detailed post. The diagnostic message points only to a timeout, so the culprits could include security features, VPNs, or traffic management settings in a smart switch; the most likely situation, however, is a second router somewhere on the network imposing additional network address translation.

I’m assuming you’re using the Netgear router as your primary router. Is this SonicOrbiter hardwired to that router?

The most likely culprit here is that you still have a router active in the gateway (AT&T modem/router unit).
This gateway device has a router component, usually called “Default Server” mode or similar. You’ll need to Bridge this device by disabling the router component. In their nomenclature, this setting is called “IP Passthrough.” Here’s a guide I found that might help.

[MarkTarone]

Thank you Connor. Seems like a 95% chance that this potential issue you raised is the culprit. Two routers currently in my brother’s system, and Roon has the ability to configure only one of them.

I will attempt to setup the AT&T modem in passthrough mode, and thereby have it no long function as a router. As long as I can get into the admin web page of the AT&T device, it seems like I should be able to work through this and get Roon ARC connected.

I’ll follow-up after I’ve tried to do the above.

[connor]

Hi @MarkTarone,

I wanted to ping this thread to keep it from auto-closing - did you find success Bridging the modem/router combo?

[MarkTarone]

Thanks for the follow-up Connor. I changed the AT&T Arris BGW210 settings to IP Passthrough. Unfortunately, this did not resolve the issue. Here are details.

I did not follow the instructions on the page below (the link you sent me):
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ubiquiti/comments/b1x5l6/how_to_properly_configure_the_arris_bgw210_for/

The above web page was focused on getting IP Passthrough to function. I was able to do so without manually configuring Subnets. Due to my limited IT bandwith and the fact that I was able to get IP Passthrough activated, I decided to not manually configure subnets.

Here are the IP Passthrough settings on my brother’s network:

The Passthrough Fixed MAC Address is the address of my brother’s Netgear wireless modem - which is connected to his sonicTransporter Roon server.

Here is a screenshot confirming that IP Passthrough is setup on the AT&T Arris BGW210. I took this screenshot after setting up IP Passthrough and rebooting the Arris.

After confirming that IP Passthrough was activated on the Arris, I opened Roon Remote, went to Settings > Arc and waited to see if Roon would be able to configure ARC. Unfortunately, Roon was unable to do so. I closed the Remote app and tried again several times without success.

My guess is that the Firewall settings of the Arris are causing a problem - but just a guess.

I am no longer in Florida. So, the only way I can access the network and equipment is to schedule a Zoom with my brother - which is not easy.

That said, I very much want to get Roon ARC working on his music server. I’ve invested a lot of time and money into getting my brother re-engaged with new music. Roon ARC would be a big help in my ongoing efforts to do so as it would make it easy for me to share music with my brother by giving me remote access to his Roon server (playlists, tags, saved albums, etc.).

Thank you for your follow-up and help.

-Mark

[connor]

Hi @MarkTarone,

Thank you for your patience. We’ve taken another pass through this case and you don’t appear to have misconfigured any of the Bridge mode settings for the router.

The problem here is very likely that you’re behind AT&T CG-NAT, which is unfortunately common for residential-tier accounts in the geographic area you’ve mentioned. At this point, I recommend reaching out to them directly to inquire if there are options for disabling or bypassing their carrier-grade network address translation.

Alternatively, you can take a look at some of the alternative methods users have tried to bypass CG-NAT in this setup: Tailscale implementation with ARC to circumnavigate ISP CGNAT

[Andy_Jones]

Conor, you can’t seriously recommend me the thread that I started!

I would have to have a business account with my provider to have a static public IP. Not worth it for ARC but Plex still works just fine behind CGNAT so I’ll stick to that. Plexamp is a great piece of software.