Roon in off-line mode

Core Machine (Operating system/System info/Roon build number)

Windows 10 Pro version 1909, Roon version 1.7

Network Details (Including networking gear model/manufacturer and if on WiFi/Ethernet)

Sky modem, Netgear router, wireless transmission of files from NAS to system

Audio Devices (Specify what device you’re using and its connection type - USB/HDMI/etc.)

DCS Network Bridge

Description Of Issue

Every now and then the issue of an off-line mode seems to pop up over at least the last five years and never has a final solution. My network is currently unstable due to the fact that a lot more people are staying at home and working/streaming during the day or at night because of Covid. Contention of the DSL signal means that my rate can dip under 10 Mbit, or cut off completely. This has serious repercussions and dropouts due to the fact that Roon can’t always stay connected to the network.
Normally my network connection is stable and there are no dropouts day or night. This is something I’m encountering only really in the last couple of weeks.
Is there any update with regards to the availability of an off-line mode?

Hello @Henning_Kielhorn, this is a great question and I believe we can work something out here for a more “offline” experience.

You should be able to run local files on your core machine and play to your system output or USB DAC without requiring a constant connection. Things get tricky when you’re having network issues, though. To help with that I wanted to ask a few questions about what you’re seeing:

  1. Does this happen for all endpoints?
  2. Is it happening with local or streamed content, both?

While we can’t resolve issues with the connection from your ISP, let’s take a a look at any contributing factors on your local network.

That is actually a very interesting question. I have two Sonos speakers in the setup and they stream okay. However the Sonos Bridge is connected via CAT5 cable to a core, so the wireless bit is Sonos to Sonos. On the Roon core itself via speakers also works without a problem.
Where I am struggling is with the setup in my music room. I am using Netgear Wi-Fi range extenders to get the signal into the room. The extender in the room is connected via CAT5 to my DCS Network Bridge. Running a CAT5 cable directly from my NAS would only be possible with some major cable runs and that is why I chose the wireless way. The signal throughput is 10/100 if I remember correctly. I have also considered using extenders that piggyback onto the electricity wires and that you just plug in to the socket. However I didn’t want to introduce additional noise into the signal. Unfortunately, I have a bit of a hi end thing going and would like to keep my signal as clean as possible. To get to the point you raised so it is possible that the wireless transfer is causing the issues.
I didn’t see this problem before though and what confuses me is that it is popping up now. Could the fact that my library extends to more than a thousand albums by now be contributing?
The core itself is on a reasonably high end PC with i7 CPU.
Sorry for the long reply.

I’d look at getting a mesh wireless network rather than range extenders which can be a bit rubbish. The mesh would probably have a lot more bandwidth and be more reliable.
The Sonos kit has it’s own internal mesh WiFi which is why it often works when other things don’t.

Hello @Henning_Kielhorn, in our networking best practices guide we do not recommend range extenders as they can have an effect on the performance of your system, especially with cases where you’re experiencing network issues. On that note, he’d is spot on with the recommendation for the mesh wireless network.

A good test for this would be to connect the core and Sonos directly to the router via Ethernet and see if things start working as expected. Give it a try and let me know!

@ged_hickman1 and @nuwriy, thanks for the recommendations. I have never researched mesh networks before but will get onto that now. Indeed it sounds like the perfect cure.

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