Roon core is not connecting to Bluesound Vault 2 & Node 2

Support
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@support Hi there. I am a new user, just started yesterday. I downloaded ROON for Windows 10, 64 bit flavor and it runs just fine on my PC. So, here is the question - I have a BlueSound Vault 2 and two Node 2’s one for each of my two stereo systems. My PC is a back up of all the WAV files and I usually play the music via the WAV files on the Vault 2. What I want to do is 1. be able to play music through either Node from my PC and 2. control the music that is played via my Android phone outside of the PC. I did download ROON bridge and I installed ROON on my phone but Android ROON can’t find my PC or the BlueSound devices and the PC ROON can’t find anything BlueSound. Everything is on the network as Blue OS can play either Node via my PC. Please help! Thanks, Robert

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Hello @Robert_De_Mattei,

Thanks for contacting support and I apologize about the delay in responding to your post here. Can you please provide more information regarding your network setup? Please list the make/manufacturer of your Router, any switches you may have, range extenders, ect. How are the Bluesound devices connected to your network, over WiFi or a direct Ethernet connection?

I would focus first on getting Roon to recognize your Bluesound devices in Roon Settings -> Audio and focus afterwards on control from your Android device. Can you confirm that all of your Blusound devices are on the same Network and not a guest network of sorts? Are you by any chance using any Routers that need special setup settings to properly work? You can find a list of those routers with special settings here. Can you please try rebooting your Core and all relevant networking equipment to see if that has any change in the discovery of the Bluesound devices? I look forward to your reply when possible.

Thanks,
Noris

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@SUPPORT
Hi Noris,
Thanks for getting back to me.
Router – This is the router that AT&T installed a few months ago, it is part of the DSL rental package: AT&T U-VERSE Model 5268Ac FXN. I don’t have any switches, just that router. The Modem / Router has a hard wire connection to the PC and BlueSound Vault 2, it is wireless to the two NODE 2’s in the two systems. There is only one Vault 2 and one Node is on all the time, while the other Node is off most of the time.
Everything in on one network, no guest networks or anything like that.
Setup settings – I don’t believe so. BlueSound fired right up and found everything right away. Even if I turn on the Node that is usually off, it finds it almost immediately. Actually, I was pretty impressed at how quickly BlueSound found everything on the network. It is just unfortunate that the BLUE OS is brain dead when it comes to managing music!
I did a complete reboot of everything: PC, router, Vault 2, Node, and my phone. Nothing is different, the Vault is not to be found.
Thanks,
Robert

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Hello @Robert_De_Mattei,

Thanks for confirming that information for me.
Since the Vault is not showing up and it is connected via Ethernet, I am now suspecting that there is a firewall blocking communications between Roon and the Blusound devices.

Can you please try temporarily disabling your computer’s Firewall and seeing if that has any change? Sometimes when Windows performs an update the firewall settings get reset and you have to allow Roon to communicate with other devices on the network again. I would check to make sure the Antivirus’ firewall is temporarily disabled and create an exception for Roon in the Windows firewall. You can add Roon as an exception to the Windows firewall by following these instructions.

Please let me know if temporarily disabling the firewall has any change on the ability to connect to the Blusound devices.

Thanks,
Noris

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@SUPPORT
The problem is more than the firewall. I did see that Roon had internet access but not access to my local network, so I added that. The apps I allowed access are RAATSERVER.EXE, which appeared twice. I also allowed access for ROON.EXE - these apps now have access to my local network and the Public network.

Disabling the antivirus, which is AVAST, didn’t make any difference.

Robert

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Hello @Robert_De_Mattei,

Thanks for confirming that Roon and RAATServer are listed as exceptions. I have been discussing your case with my colleagues and they have mentioned seeing issues such as yours in the past due to the network setup.

My next troubleshooting suggestion is that you try temporarily replacing the cable company router you have with a consumer router to verify if the issues still persist. We have a recommendations for several routers on our networking best practices guide (https://kb.roonlabs.com/Networking_Best_Practices) and in that guide itself we talk about the downfalls of using cable company provided equipment.

If it is possible to borrow a router from work or from a friend and can connect all of your devices via ethernet to that new router, then we can confirm where the issue lies (which I think is the router itself). Please let me know if you can perform this action and your findings after doing so.

Thanks,
Noris

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I will give it a try and let you know. The link mentions a Netgear Nighthawk - is there a particular model you recommend?

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Hello @Robert_De_Mattei,

While all of the Nighthawk routers would be ok, the specific model you chose would be based on range and how much space you have to cover and which ones fit your budget. You can read a review of several models here:

I would also highly recommend ordering the router from Amazon so that if you end up not liking it or find the range is too small, then you can easily return it for another model.

Thanks,
Noris

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Good point on Amazon; I will keep that in mind. A guy at work has a spare Nighthawk router he will loan me tomorrow; it’s similar to the models you mentioned earlier. I will give it a try. BTW, how do I know whether a given router will work on the AT&T UVerse DSL internet service I have? Some routers specify UVerse and many don’t.

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Hello @Robert_De_Mattei,

You are not removing the AT&T Modem from the equation for now, you will still need it. You should connect one of the Ethernet out ports from the AT&T modem and possibly ask AT&T to put the modem in “Bridge Mode”. While in Bridge Mode, the Modem/Router combo becomes just a Modem, a modem is responsible for converting the Coax signal from the cable company into a usable Ethernet connection while the Router handles all of the Local Area Network connections across computers and devices and assigns IP addresses.

Thanks,
Noris

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Ah, that does answer that question. I was wondering about AT&T upgrades, how the router would handle that.

It would seem to me that I would have two wifi setups then? The AT&T one plus the new one from the NG router, correct? If they are on different frequencies, they shouldn’t interact?

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Hello @Robert_De_Mattei,

You can disable the AT&T Wifi in the Modem settings and I highly recommend you do so that your devices all share one IP address range and are accessible from the same Nighthawk router. Placing a modem in Bridge Mode usually disabled the Wifi but it could be worth the double check to make sure that it is actually disabled. If you end up using the AT&T Wifi you will probably run into the same issue with the Roon Core not connecting. Please let me know if you have had a chance to try the spare Nighthawk router from work and if it seems to have helped resolve the issue you are facing.

Thanks,
Noris

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@Support

Noris,
I have the modem now, I will give it a try today. It is Saturday so you are probably not in the office. I got an email from ROON stating my trial membership is to end on Monday. Since I have yet to get it operational, can you extend the trial period? I’d rather not have to pay for something that isn’t yet working.
Thanks,
Robert

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@noris
Roon on the PC found the Vault 2 but only as a networked attached drive and only after I shared it. When playing music, it still plays through the PC and ROON can’t find any other audio devices nor can if find any other device to play in the audio setup. I did confirm that Roon and the Vault 2 are on the new network. BTW, Vault 2 is plugged into the new router, it does not use a WiFi connection.

So I have some questions - it is correct to assume ROON is already loaded on the Vault2? If not, how do I load it? I downloaded Roon, which works on the PC and plays only through the PC, I have also downloaded Bridge and Roon Server to the PC and I went to Android Play Store and downloaded the Roon App. The App runs but simply searches for devices and cannot find anything, regardless of how long I let it search.

Interestingly, after setting this up on the new network, which is named Enterprise, BleuOS no longer works, even though it is plugged into the new network.

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Hello @Robert_De_Mattei,

The Vault 2 is not the Roon Core in this case so you would not need to install Roon on it, it should just show up in Roon under Audio -> Networked Devices. Hmm, since the Android is not finding the Core either with the new network, this makes me believe that there is some kind of firewall at play here preventing the connection. Is the Core PC also connected via Ethernet to the new Router?

Also, have you placed the AT&T modem into “Bridge Mode” as to not have two Routers on the same network and leave just the Nighthawk as the Router? I would search for the setting that says “Bridge Mode” or “Disable DHCP” on the AT&T Router just to make sure that there is no conflicting IP addresses being assigned by it vs what the Nighthawk assigns.

I know that you have previously added Roon exceptions to the firewall but can you please try temporarily disabling any firewalls you have on your Windows machine and seeing if that changes anything? Most antivirus’ have their own firewalls too so I would check there as well.

If this yields no change, would it be possible to temporarily install the Roon core on another computer and see if you are still running into the same issues when the Core is hosted on another machine? Please let me know your findings when possible.

Thanks,
Noris

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@noris
I didn’t disable the firewall the second time but I will try that again. I was thinking the exceptions were sufficient. The antivirus was operational although it is interesting that it would allow Blue OS to connect and not allow Roon. When I disable all the firewalls, I will also disconnect the DSL line. I assume ROON shouldn’t need internet access to operate.

The PC and the Vault 2 were connected to the new router via an Ethernet cable, there is no wireless connection at play. However, the Node 2 does use wireless to connect.

I didn’t see a conflict on the new network, but I will try again with the old router in bridge mode.

Unfortunately, the only other PC I have here is my laptop from work and we are not supposed to load non work related SW on it.

I didn’t get time tonight to try this but I will give it a try tomorrow afternoon.

Robert

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@noris
Well, I think I am making some progress. The Node 2 is on the new network. However, it still does not show up in Roon.
As for the Vault 2, I am in the same boat as before, Roon can play tell it to play but it won’t play through the Node 2. Interestingly, Roon can play it but Roon doesn’t see the wav files on the disk, Roon just sees the DAC.
I have not figured out how to put the AT&T modem in bridge mode but unplugging it is pretty effective for the time being.
In BlueSound, I have to link the Vault 2 and the Node 2 in order to make them work as a team. I don’t see how to do this in Roon. If they are not linked, I don’t see them working together. Are you certain that the Node 2 is Roon compatible?

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Hello @Robert_De_Mattei,

Glad to hear that some progress is being made on this issue!

  • As to respond to your question regarding Roon compatibility, both the Vault 2 and Node 2 are on our Partner Devices Matrix so they are indeed compatible, it’s just not clear yet why they aren’t showing up for you in Roon.

  • To place your AT&T Router into bridge mode, I have found this very useful Youtube video highlighting the steps that need to be taken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q0Q2alkzcY. I would suggest performing the steps listed and then reconnecting the setup to the internet after doing so.

  • I think our next step here would be to get the Node 2 to show up in Roon, can you please try connecting it via Ethernet cable after performing the above changes and let me know your results after doing so? You can switch the Node over to WiFi at a later time after confirming that it shows up when connected directly to Ethernet, I just want to make sure it works in that regard first.

  • For the Vault 2, you would have to add it as a Network Share in Roon Settings -> Storage -> Add Folder -> Add Network Share for it to show up. This article highlights the steps on how to configure the Vault as a Network Device, you would need to add the IP address or hostname of the Vault on this page:

    Adding%20Vault%20to%20Roon
    Adding Vault to Roon.png939×929 108 KB

    You can read more information regarding how to add network shares here

  • You can group devices in Roon that share the same streaming protocol, if you wish to play music to both the Node2 and the Vault2 at the same time, you can group them in the following way (in this case the devices would be listed as Node2 and Vault2, not the ones I have shown in the GIF):

    Group%20Devices
    Group Devices.gif1895×870 555 KB

I hope my reply helps here but if you have any questions or are having difficulties with any of the steps just let me know and I would be happy to clarify.

Thanks,
Noris

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Thanks for the reply. I will give it a try although I am leaving town tomorrow and not returning until Monday evening. If I don’t get a chance to try it tomorrow, I will get to it when I get back on Monday. Consequently, my next reply to you won’t be until Monday night.

1 Like
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@Noris,

I got the router in bridge mode successfully. The Vault 2 is on the new network - easy since it is hardwired. Both of the Node 2’s however, are not on the new wireless network. I am not sure why they didn’t follow the Vault 2, since they did the first time I hooked them up. Neither will Bluesound OSoperate the Nodes. I’ll have to look into this.
As for doing a hard wire connection to the Nodes from the new Router, I will have to buy a couple of 50 foot Ethernet cables. I don’t have any that long.
Vault 2 did show up in Roon again, so it appears that part of the problem seems fixed.
Robert