Roon Nucleus - two homes

I will admit this is a first-world problem.

About to acquire a Nucleus Rev B from an audio friend. One reason is to use in both the main home as well as the summer shack - plan to pack up the Nucleus (with internal music library storage) and plug it into the Shack network when the time comes.

(both systems are Macs - Mac Mini; will use hardwired connections direct to router)

What will go wrong? :slight_smile:

For several reasons, both systems are firewalled and not remotely accessible, in fact the main system is completely shut down and unplugged over the summer.

Thanks!

Using Roon ARC in the summer shack is not an option? You’d have to make the home network remotely accessible using ‘port forwarding’ (not always easy). But you would have just 1 core running Roon which will keep track of your plays, additions to your library etc.etc. It works for me, when I am in my summer shack.

The only real way to do this is to have a solid site-to-site VPN (if you’re using Unifi in both locations that can take care of the problem) and then to use udp-proxy-2020 on your router in both locations to pass all the mDNS packets that are by default discarded at VLAN borders. This is complex stuff.

If you do not wish to do that, either:

  1. use ARC in your summer shack (totally feasible if you just have 1-2 endpoints, if you’re willing to dedicate an iPad, if you’re willing to sacrifice some things) OR
  2. do what I do, and have a second core set up in your summer shack, and every time you get to a new home, unauthorize the core in the other home. This means ARC only works when you’re at your primary home (or you have to download everything every time you go back and forth). If you’re frequently getting new content / ripping new CDs, you’ll need to have a way of getting your library moved back and forth. I use rsync, but used to use a Synology mirrored folder. No synchronization of playlists, counts, etc, unless you want to add a step where you backup and restore. I tried that once, never again.
  3. Do what @Jim_F does and have multiple licenses, one for each home. Again, no synchronized playlists or anything (except your Qobuz & Tidal playlists follow you).

Good luck, feel free to ask any questions. It’s a 1% problem, but you’re not alone.

This should work fine, provided the “shack” has a local area network setup.

To avoid IP subnet issues, I’d recommend having the Nucleus configured for DHCP IP address assignment (which is the default setting) rather than using a static address.

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Oh sorry, I misunderstood entirely… Yes, this will work perfectly. If you don’t mind transporting hardware, this is the simplest and easiest one. I go back and forth between my summer shack and my primary home way way too often to make this work for me… I’d forget!

Thank you all.
Previously, I did option 2 as per Johnny Oops post above - two cores, deauthorize one and authorize the other, then reverse at end of summer. Worked well enough - brought along a copy of the music library and let the second core create a new database. Tidal playlists were accessible from both locations. If I added music over the summer, some housekeeping upon return. Again, personal preference, I shut down the main system when leaving.

These first world problems can be challenging!

But packing up the Nucleus with on-board storage of the library looks like a good option.

I am guessing you live in a place where you open your summer cottage in the summer and shut it down. I have a summer place, but I spend weekends there in the winter, and am back at my primary home a day or two most weeks in the summer. It’s complicated, but as you say, very first world problems!

I do wish Roon would help me solve this and auto-sync cores (or “pass the baton”), but I think even in this very first world crew we are a tiny minority.

I don’t think we are that few actually. And the functionality to synchronize cores is basically the same as allowing Roon to share playlists, music reccys and similar with Roon-friends. It’s just two security domains to manage, one private and one public.
So there are a lot of feature requests that would be satisified with this development.

That is correct Johnny-Oops - our two places are far enough apart that weekend visits are not easy. But we do go for the occasional long weekend. We suffer with just Tidal through Sonos in those cases. Horrible, I know.

I am always hesitant to allow remote access into either system. I don’t use Roon ARC for that reason; maybe I am overly paranoid.