Roon ARC unable to connect after router reset and reconfiguring UPnP (ref#TOB04P)

What is the operating system of your Roon Server host machine?

· MacOS

What kind of device are you using to perform the login?

· Mac

Where are you trying to login?

· I can't log into Roon ARC

Please try to restart your Roon Server by closing the Roon Server app in the taskbar (MacOS), task manager (Windows) or rebooting your Roon Server machine.

· No, the issue remains the same

Different device

· I am able to switch to the diffrent device

Are you still facing the issue on the different device

· No, the issue remains the same

Record the timestamp

· I used to be able to use RoonArc using the my current TP-Link Router. I was forced to do a hard rest following a firmware update and therefore had to reconfigure the Port Forwarding and UPnP settings/rules... Now I cannot use RoonARC on my iPhone.

The following diagnostic data is showing following running the RoonARC test ... After running this test it returns "Not Ready" etc with the following

{
"ipv4_connectivity": {"status":"NetworkError","status_code":504,"error":"error code: 504
"},
"external_ip": {"actual_external_ip":"109.aaa.bbb.ccc","actual_external_ipv6":"null","router_external_ip":"null"},
"status": "status": MultipleNatFound
,
"natpmp_autoconfig": {"status":"NotFound"},
"upnp_autoconfig": {"server_ip":"192.168.1.1","found_upnp":true},
"multinat_autoconfig": {"status":"Failed","error":"Unknown Error code"}
}

As you might guess I have been at this for hours... on the Router Setup :

Port Forwarding - the Device Address is the same as the MacOS Roon Server 192.168.1.5 & the Int/Ext Port is 55002 with the protocol =TCP

UPnP - a "client" list is available... showing
Client : RoonMobile_broker/c57caa32-de26-43a9-b515-02541de7e7cd
Client IP Address : 192.168.1.5
Int/Ext Port : 55002
Protocol : TCP

All help would be gratefully received...

Describe the issue

I have followed all the instructions and RoonARC is still unable to connect to the Roon instance running on my Mac studio.

I have setup UPnP on the router and the router "says" it can see the a UPnP Client called "Roon Auto Port Mapping" using the TCP protocol with int/ext Ports 55002.

Last night I updated the firmware on my router after which I had wifi connection issues with some Apple devices. Router support suggested a "hard reset"... which I did. This sorted out the device connection issues...

Unfortunately this meant I had to re setup the UPnP settings etc... but now I am unable to connect with RoonARC... here are the diagnostics data showing for Roon Support when I go to the Settings, RoonARC page and try to run the test....

After running the connection test it says "Not Ready" and

{"ipv4_connectivity": {"status":"NetworkError","status_code":504,"error":"error code: 504
"},
"external_ip": {"actual_external_ip":"109.aaa.bbb.ccc","actual_external_ipv6":"null","router_external_ip":"null"},
"natpmp_autoconfig": {"status":"NotFound"},
"upnp_autoconfig": {"status":"NotFound"},
"multinat_autoconfig": {"status":"Success","error":"No Error","routers":1,"routers_mapped":1}
}

Describe your network setup

ISP : Wightfibre in the UK on the Isle of Wight
URL: https://www.wightfibre.com

Router : Tp-Link BE400 v1.20
Switches : Netgear G53035 / G530BE

Roon running on a Mac Studio M4 Max 92GB RAM
All connected to the router via Ethernet

RoonARC was working prior to the router firmware update & router reset ...on exactly the same network. This router firmware update is not downgradable (though this may not be the issue)

I attempted to add Tailscale as an option as I had used it in the past with my Synology server ...this proved to be beyond my technical abilities.

I have a Plexamp Lifetime membership and can use the Plexamp App on my phone via mobile data. I can see it on the same UPnP Client list in the Router. I have just tested it to ensure it is working outside of the WiFi network. It also uses the TCP protocol.

The Plex Server instance runs on the Synology, The Roon instance is running on my Mac Studio as I was concerned with all the comments regarding the overhead when running the Instance on the Synology.

Hi @maccopolouk,

Thank you for reaching out and for providing such detailed information and diagnostic logs! I know how frustrating it can be when things stop working after a forced hardware reset.

Since you are reconfiguring your router from scratch, I highly recommend reviewing our comprehensive guide on setting up manual port forwarding for ARC, which you can find here: Roon ARC - Port Forwarding Guide

Looking closely at your setup description, I noticed one detail that is likely causing this issue: you currently have both a Manual Port Forwarding rule and UPnP active for the same port (55002).

When a router tries to manage a port via UPnP while a manual forwarding rule also exists for that exact same port and IP, it often creates a conflict that results in the MultipleNatFound or 504 errors you are seeing in the diagnostics.

To resolve this, we recommend relying solely on the manual rule. Please try the following steps:

  1. Disable UPnP in your TP-Link router settings (or, if you need UPnP for Plex, simply ensure any automatically generated UPnP client rules for Roon/55002 are deleted).
  2. Verify your Manual Port Forwarding rule is still active (Device Address: 192.168.1.5, Port: 55002, Protocol: TCP).
  3. Reboot both your TP-Link router and your Mac Studio.
  4. Head back into Roon Settings > Roon ARC and test the connection again.
Please let us know how it goes after trying these steps!

Thank you for your quick response!

I played around with Tailscale again yesterday and seemed to have some success though I have taken out the phone for 2x walks and on both occasions the ARC connection would fail after a few hundred yards.

I have followed your suggestions …

I logged into the router to check the Nat Forwarding rules. UPnP was enabled with the UPnP Ports Forwarded list heavily populated with “Tailscale opened” ports.

I rebooted the Mac Studio and then turned off UPnP, which cleared the auto generated Tailscale forwarding rules and re-enabled UPnP.

I rebooted both the router and the Mac Studio. On the router I went back to the Nat Forwarding Section.

  • In the Port Forwarding Section I had only the 55002 port manually forwarded.

  • In the UPnP section There are now 2x Entries

    • Plex Media Server (automatically generated by Plex / Plexamp)
    • RoonMobile_broker/c57caa32-de26-43a9-b515-02541de7e7cd

When I restarted Roon on the Mac Studio and went to… “Settings / Roon ARC”… it immediately started “Testing”… and then came up with “Not Ready”…

I have attached the screenshot.

The Story does not end here…

When I went to Roon ARC on the phone… on the “Settings” screen it was still looking for the Server… it probably took about 10 mins before I could see that it was having some success… but it kept dropping the connection… just when it had just looked like it was establishing a firm handshake… after about 20 mins it was stable enough to play a file.

±45 mins later, I have now been listening via Roon ARC for the last 15 minutes with no breaks :+1:

After a number of “connecting” cycles on the phone I have a settled connection - see screenshot

HOWEVER… when I looked at Roon on the Mac Studio and run the Roon ARC test, I got a “Not Ready” return…

…a further 30mins later… the diagnostic has changed…

I have just been out for a walk and yet again, after a few hundred yards it loses the connection and then struggles to reconnect.

It again took about 15-20mins to reconnect while I have been writing this reply at my computer… Roon ARC has again been playing for the last 15-20mins - still in Offline mode with the wifi on my phone switched off.

Do these further diagnostic screenshots help? I am not sure that this connection is stable. I will try to use it again when I go out for a morning walk… see if it continues to lose the connection a few hundred yards from the house.

Thanks for all your assistance so far! :smiley:

To keep matters simple, disable Tailscale, turn off UPnP, and delete the UPnP rules. Then, make sure you have just one manual port forwarding rule for Roon.

Once this is done, please post a screenshot of Settings → Roon ARC including any diagnostic message.

Ok… ! Thanks for helping.

I switched off UPnP and only left the Port Forwarding rule for Roon. See Screenshots

this was the Roon diagnostic “response”… on the Mac Studio…

and on the phone…

Some additional information… I called my ISP and asked them if the supplied modern was in “Bridge” mode… which they confirmed … they also mentioned that at the service provider level they were supplying the internet via CG-NAT (Carrier Grade Network).

The diagnostic messages point to a double NAT issue, which is caused by CGNAT. Port forwarding will not work for you. Consequently, your best option is to use Tailscale (unless your ISP can provide you with a fixed IPv6 address.)

Hi @maccopolouk,

Just to summarize what’s happening here:

Network Address Translation (NAT) layers will block Roon Server’s connection to ARC. Your router imposes one automatically, which is why either port forwarding or Tailscale are necessary in the first place.

UPnP/NAT-PMP are open-source service preinstalled in the router that can autonegotiate a port forwarding rule so you don’t need to set a manual one. A manual rule is an alternative to UPnP.

Neither UPnP nor manual port forwarding rules will work if your router has imposed Network Address Translation at the carrier level, known as Carrier-Grade NAT (CG-NAT).

In those cases, you’ll need to rely on Tailscale as a mesh-proxy VPN to skirt around the ISP’s translation layer.

Lots of terms, but the solution here is simple: install Tailscale on both your Roon Server machine and your phone. Roon Server and ARC will see one another through the Tailscale connection (a proxy-mesh network).

Plex doesn’t require this because they have a built-in NAT-traversal fallback when port forwarding fails and CG-NAT is imposed. Roon and ARC use port forwarding, but require Tailscale when that’s not available.

We’re happy to help further and we’ll watch for your reply. Thank you!

Thanks… at least the possible solution is known.

I have Tailscale on both devices (I have had to re-discover how I had originally set it up).

I have enabled it on both devices … a quick test on the mobile network with the phone unplugged from the Mac Studio and all seems to be working fine… fingers crossed!

Thanks for everyone’s help! Much appreciated…