· Do you have a mesh network? (Google Mesh, Eeros, Ubiquiti, etc.)
· ARC is *Ready*
When I am in my car, trying to play music, Arc says there is a bad connection, the music, icons, et al. Comes up but times out, bad connection
I have an xfinity modem, eero router and satellites (mesh network), latest update from Roon
Hi @Robert_Salz,
Thanks for the report. Does Roon ARC work as expected at home? Please provide a specific example of the issue, including the exact local date and time, as well as the track involved. We also need to know whether your Roon Server is connected to the primary router or to a satellite.
Hi, when I try to listen in car, it says there is no connection. Arc works at home. But I have to be inside near one of my eero pods. Nucleus Server is connected to Eero base, I have an xfinity modem which is bridged to Eero. Bad connection occurs intermittently, lately all the time in the car. Today is Friday, April 3, 2026..6pm pst
I also would get this problem often
Hi, have you figured a solution for this random outage in the car? I have a fairly modern car with internet hot spot. So, I don’t understand why the outages.
Hello @Robert_Salz,
We checked the diagnostics report from your Roon ARC app and found that the issue on April 3 was caused by poor network bandwidth.
As a cross-check, could you please test Roon ARC playback on a different network than your home network, and not on the network you used in your car? For example, your friend’s home network, or somewhere with strong LTE or 5G coverage.
Let us know please about the results.
Thanks.
Hi, I went across the street to my neighbor’s house, and joined her network, and ARC worked quite well. I have a feeling that my BMW’s network from ATT is not very good; I get only so much data per month as I understand. When I run out of data, I get a weaker signal. At that point I don’t know what to do, as I need the network on, in order to use CarPlay. I am curious if you have people like me, using CarPlay with ATT wireless in a car. Thanks, Robert
Normally this would just be to give all folks in the car a WiFi connection.
Your actual iPhone will have a data connection too, maybe try using your phones data instead of the WiFi in the car.
Hey @Robert_Salz,
Thanks for the additional information! Based on this, I believe @MusicD is spot on with the above thought - see if using your normal mobile data provides a smoother experience.
We’ll be monitoring for your reply, thanks Robert! 
Hi all:
Continuing to be frustrated with lack of performance. When Arc first was released it worked in ,my car, using CarPlay. Now it doesn’t. I’ve been told by ATT, that CarPlay uses up all the memory, thus there is no room for ARC to work. I see a lot of finger pointing here, that no one knows what to do to fix my problem. I am savvy with computers, so I know I am doing everything I can on my end. I can only turn to you, Roon Service and Community. Let’s fix this!!
Ok @Robert_Salz let’s see if we can fix this!!
Let’s start by reviewing the problem…
Continuing to be frustrated with lack of performance. When Arc first was released it worked in ,my car, using CarPlay. Now it doesn’t.
Bad connection occurs intermittently, lately all the time in the car.
When I am in my car, trying to play music, Arc says there is a bad connection, the music, icons, et al. Comes up but times out, bad connection
You’re telling us that streaming music with ARC is unstable and the connection to your Roon Nucleus times out from time to time under the following conditions:
Assuming that’s correct, consider the next sections to narrow down the cause of the problem.
I’ve been told by ATT, that CarPlay uses up all the memory, thus there is no room for ARC to work.
It’s unlikely that the BMW’s head unit is constrained by physical memory/RAM.
The more common cause of ARC streaming issues are network related, so let’s set aside the memory topic for now.
The FAQ at the bottom of the ConnectedDrive program page mentions these 2 gems:
Roon’s ARC FAQ states that there are “many factors that might affect ARC’s bandwidth usage.”
Files: Lossy files will be transmitted to ARC in original format. Lossless files will be transcoded to 256kbps Opus
TIDAL: We will request “High Quality” from TIDAL, typically this means 320kbit AAC
Qobuz: We will request “Standard Quality” from Qobuz, typically this means 320kbit MP3
Do you observe any issues with this type of connection?
You’ve told us that ARC works fine inside your house and your neighbor’s house when you join her network. I’ll take that to mean your phone is using wifi to reach the Internet and communicate with the Nucleus server.
Use just your phone’s cellular service and confirm that ARC works as expected.
How does this type of connection compare to using the BMW’s hotspot?
I see a lot of finger pointing here, that no one knows what to do to fix my problem.
I am savvy with computers, so I know I am doing everything I can on my end.
To paraphrase Tom Cruise from the movie Jerry Maquire, help us help you - by sharing the step-by-step process you’re taking to troubleshoot.
I have a feeling that my BMW’s network from ATT is not very good; I get only so much data per month as I understand. When I run out of data, I get a weaker signal. At that point I don’t know what to do, as I need the network on, in order to use CarPlay.
Once you confirm the problem is AT&T throttling cellular speeds with the BMW’s hotspot, then we can share opinions on your options.
Hello @Robert_Salz,
Our community member @Dadoo provided an excellent and very thorough breakdown of your situation.
Since you’ve mentioned you are savvy with computers, performing the Speed Test while connected to the car’s hotspot and comparing it to your phone’s direct cellular data (as suggested above) will be the awesome next step.
Do you have any questions regarding the troubleshooting steps @Dadoo outlined, or have you been able to run those speed tests yet?
We are standing by for your results so we can help you move forward!
I haven’t had a chance to run the speed test yet; But you should know, that anytime I try cellular data, Car Play will not work….When I do the speed test, I will also compare speeds, using the direct cable connection as well. I don’t understand why I have to go through all of this, as ARC worked when it first was established.
Does ARC work ok when just using your iPhone’s cell service?
I don’t understand why I have to go through all of this, as ARC worked when it first was established.
I’m not a Roon professional and don’t know your situation when ARC “first was established.” I presume @vadim would not know either, so we ask questions and rely on your answers to make clarifications or adjustments to the analysis. I’m just a regular Roon user but I’d like to see a fellow community member successfully using ARC.
@MusicD got to the heart of the matter straight away…
Your actual iPhone will have a data connection too, maybe try using your phones data instead of the WiFi in the car.
Your followup comment has been more symptoms of the problem and “a lot of finger pointing here, that no one knows what to do to fix my problem”. I’m trying to help unwind a big ball of twisted string by providing screenshots, detailed steps you can take to untangle things, and engage with the support team with specific questions and actions they can take to help.
If you know where the problem is, please share and maybe the Roon professionals can confirm or provide additional data/information you’re looking for.
…anytime I try cellular data, Car Play will not work
Your phone cannot simultaneously connect to your BMW’s wifi hotspot and use Apple CarPlay wirelessly.
Here’s why…
While your BMW’s wifi hotspot can connect multiple devices (e.g., family members with their own phones) to the internet using its own cellular modem, this functionality is separate from the wireless CarPlay connection. If you wish to use CarPlay wirelessly, you will need to disconnect from your car’s wifi hotspot.
Now that we’ve separated the issues into categories, we can focus on troubleshooting ARC’s playback problem.
Does music playback work as expected with your phone’s cell service (and not the BMW’s cell service) making the connection to the Nucleus server at home?
I tested the speed, and cellular is about 24-26 mps, and ATT wireless is about 7-9, which exposes the problem. But, like I said, why did ARC work when it first came out? I can get ARC to work through Bluetooth connection to BMW idrive, but can’t control what I play as well as CarPlay. Also, I must control the iPhone, not the BMW screen and/or dial to chose music.
@Robert_Salz I get the sense you’re not reading what I’ve shared above or you’re ignoring it. That’s fine either way. I’m bowing out so the Roon staff can provide the support you need. Best wishes.
I’m not sure what you mean. I tested my speed, I’ve checked the connection path, and all looks good. I have, made some tweaks in the settings to see if anything changes.
Works now, either from tweaking settings as you showed me or a stroke of luck. But I attempted copying your settings and it works. Thx.
