Core Machine (Operating system/System info/Roon build number)
Windows 10 18363.778 with WiFi
Network Details (Including networking gear model/manufacturer and if on WiFi/Ethernet)
Huawei 4G Modem B715. TP Link Deco M5
Audio Devices (Specify what device you’re using and its connection type - USB/HDMI/etc.)
Bluenode 2i with TOSlink
Description Of Issue
Mobile app cannot find Roon Server.
I have Huawei P 2019 Smart and Android 10-0-0-179 (Huawei Emui), Roon server finds Bluenode and works almost ok (every now and then Roon complaints that it does not find Tidal or network is slow.
If I change song from mobile (BlueOS controller) he server does not react/notice that song has changed.
Also using 4g and wireless to connect to the core is likely your issue. Roon is a busy server on the network. For streaming from tidal it is pulling source from internet into serve via WiFi then pushing it out via WiFi to your endpoint. This will take up more WiFi bandwidth and it’s limited to what you have available on WiFi as it’s spread across all devices and cannot send and receive exactly at same time WiFi send to one device at a time and you get this issue. It’s Likely your 4g modem is just not capable of keeping up to the demands. WiFi is not recommended for server applications such as Roon at best of times, it may work with a good stable WiFi network but a 4g modem router I would say your asking for trouble and this I am 99% certain is your issue.
I appreciate your prompt and quick response. However 4G and Wifi are the only options for me (waiting 5g to be offered soon but no promises) My operator is offering 300 Mbits connection where the minimum is 5 Mbits (ADLS/VDSL not an option). I could have an ethernet from Deco but that would very(too) unpractical. I assume there is much higher/steadier network requirement with Roon than Bluenode 2i, which works fine in the same WiFi. This is sad, because it means I need to cancel my Roon order:-(
Br. Seppo
ps. currently netspeed results give the results: PING 19 ms, downlink 66.90 and uplink 30.95. Of the situation is not this I very seldom get < 20 Mbits downlink?
Internet bandwidth is not the issue. Its wifi network bandwidth this constantly varies due to interference it can be fine one minute dire the next. Bluesound is not working like roon it just pulls the data its not pulling and pushing, Wifi is not good at doing this unless you have a solid infrastructure with very good wifi throughput. In my home I have two wifi access points that are hardwired to my router. These can outout 450mb/s each but that is shared between 16 wifi devices so you never get that much. I can use wifi if i want but I wont as its not consistent enough even with that throughput as I live in densly populated area with many other wifi competing.
All devices on a wifi network will eat the available wifi bandwidth your router has, if its using 2ghz thats not very much to start with, if 5ghz its better but I bet this router does not give you much throughput or can handle that many devices all at once and not have issues. It doesn’t matter how good your internet in is, if the router and wifi cant maintain a steady throughput this is what happens. Also every other wifi device from your neighbours and their wifi routers also eats away at your available bandwidth as they all fight for the same airtime…So when your playing from Roon to your bluesound its not the same as playing just from the Bluesound. Its pulling an internet stream from Tidal over wifi, sending it on to the Bluesound using the same wifi card is using double the bandwidth, the bluesound is also then using wifi. Wifi has latency also as it can only send from one device at a time so what you get in Roon is inconsistent behaviour if this rises too high.
You could look to add better wifi gear to your router, often the bundled wifi on routers is pretty rubbish and look at a mesh type system as many have had more success with wifi using these. But Roon themselves do not recommend putting the core server on wifi for the reasons I have mentioned.
Thanks again for your comprehensive response, looks like (unfortunately)I have to cancel my Roon subscription. I have quite a lot of other services (streaming video/music) which are not that much affected by my WiFI networks, Bluenode for ex. has no problem at all.
br. Seppo
As noted above, we definitely recommend using an Ethernet connection whenever possible, as noted in our Networking Guide. If you can connect directly to the 4G device via Ethernet, even as a brief test, do things improve?
Hi, thanks for you support. I worked better, however still some slowness for ex. when starting a new song. Unfortunately my home “setup” makes it quite complicated to have an ethernet cable from the router.
Having viewed your network guidance you recommended MESH network and that is extcatly what I have. My 4G modem is connected to TP Link Deco M5 with ethernet and the PC is max three meters from the Deco device. I have an other Deco some 10 meters from the the first Deco and few walls in between the WiFI works just fine there. Currently close to 50 Mbit/s but naturally this depends on the day and the time. For some(probably WiFi) my handset never found the Roon server(PC),
br. Seppo
You iPhone and other devices need to be on the same network segment. Some routers can make a different network for wifi that the LAN so Roon Remote might not be able to the server unless they are on the same network segments. also a wifi network that is setup as a guest network will block other devices from being each other.
Also make sure to turn off any firewalls as you say you running PC I assume Windows firewall could be on. I suggested this earlier but you didnt confirm doing so.
While I understand it wouldn’t be a good permanent setup, understanding if the behavior still occurs with Ethernet will help us better understand where this issue is stemming from (even if it’s just a temporary test).
You might also want to try using Google DNS or Cloudflare DNS as we’ve seen this help in the past.