I use the Microsoft Surface docking station as my core for Roon. What is happening all of the time is if I change the volume on my Mojo 2, my core doesn’t recognize the Mojo 2, and I have to reboot my computer for it to work. Sometimes, all I have to do is touch the table the Mojo 2 is on for it to have the problem identifying the Mojo 2.
I think I must get a desktop computer or Roon Nucleus to use for my core.
Roon server can run on a desktop, laptop, NUC, Nucleus, Mac Mini or many 3rd party devices. I run a Roon server on a Roon Nucleus, Mac Mini (late 2014), and Dell XPS 15 laptop (Windows 11).
The Surface is so optimized for power conservation and standard tablet-like use that it probably doesn’t make the best core for Roon. Some executives at the company I work for use Surfaces of all vintages, and they aren’t even as entirely stable for regular use as a standard-issue laptop, FWIW.
It has worked for a year but is now a constant problem.
Thanks for your reply letting me know that is the reason I am having the problem.
Roon probably works best on a headless computer that you can set and forget and let it run 24/7, such as Nucleus, NUC, or Mac Mini, etc. And, it should be connected directly to your router or a non-managed switch by ethernet.
You should be able to change power settings to optimize for performance. That’s not a concern if always plugged in.
You should, but Microsoft does more Apple-like things with Surfaces than most people might want to deal with, and it can be a challenge. I am an Apple fan, so please don’t take this as a negative thing. It’s just trickier than it ought to be for a Microsoft product, which would otherwise be considered supportive of tweaking.
Check all of your cables.
AJ
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I agree, the first thing @Don_Gilbert should check and replace is the Mojo’s USB cable. The symptoms point to this as a likely cause.
Unlike iPad, Surface comes with “full” Windows, i.e. the same OS laptops and desktops come with, so whether the Surface is good as a server is just a matter of hardware.
Yes it does but the OS knows what it is running on, and Microsoft “optimizes” accordingly, with prejudice in the case of Surface.
I had a lot of problems with power management affecting roon on a lenovo surface clone. It would randomly stop, lose all endpoints, become unreachable from remotes, and other weird behavior. It seemed related to windows modern standby and no amout of power management tweaking would fix it for me.
Moved roon server to an old windows desktop and haven’t had any more problems like that.