Yesterday I decided to try the ‘direct connection’ method between my Mac Mini and microRendu by bypassing the router and bridging the network connection out of the Mini. Long & short i couldn’t get Roon to recognize microRendu so I decided to go back to my original setup that has been trouble free, which is to say wired ethernet from router to microRendu.
However, now Roon doesn’t recognize the Rendu as a zone. As far as i can tell, i went back to the same setting’s i was previously using. From the Mac I can get to the Rendu’s webpage no problem. Obviously i’ve rebooted the Rendu a couple of times, i’ve restarted Roon several times, i’ve rebooted the Mac Mini, still no luck.
I never tried this (and I also do not have a microrendu), but I could imagine, that you need to set static IPs then for the Rendu and your MacMini (or you need to setup a network bridge on the MacMini). Otherwise the Rendu probably won’t get an IP address as there is no DHCP server involved.
For a reason known only to a Sonore, they don’t allow you to set a static ip on the rendu. But from what I’ve read about the direct connection, the Mac does provide dhcp when it’s in bridged mode - which makes it a very convenient platform to try.
Steve, that’s true. However now i’m getting away from the direct connection method and going with back to the traditional router connection.
The DAC always has to be powered on (at least for me) for Roon to see the endpoint. One easy thing i have not tried yet though and read somewhere else, was to just switch inputs on the DAC back and forth as well as disconnecting / reconnecting the Rendu from the DAC’s USB input. Everything i’ve tried so far has been upstream from the Rendu.
I’ve essentially got back exactly as before I tried the ‘bridge’ method.
I’ve been using Roon pretty much from the beginning and as much as I really like it, I’ve learned that it is really finicky and feel they have a long way to go to make this program truly stable…like Sonos, which is rock solid, but of course lacking the sonic prowess of Roon
Oh I see, you’ve gone back to traditional setup.
What are the ip’s of the Mac and rendu?
I had a lot of trouble for a few months with my rendu. I think it was some dhcp thing going on. But it only affected the rendu, which was somehow getting confused and dropping off the network. I had to physically power it down, but it always came back ok. I dearly wish we could just set a static ip at the device level - which is an option on every piece of networked kit I have except the rendu.
Can’t comment on global stability really, but it’s a complex beast and in my setup runs pretty solidly. The rendu I think is the finicky one. My raspberry Pis have never dropped off the network, and they’re 35 quid.
Ironically it’s the same issue i had when i tried the direct/bridge method, I could access the Rendu’s webpage but Roon couldn’t find it. I also suspect it’s a DHCP issue, which may get resolved by more disconnecting / reconnecting components etc.