I was going to mark this post as “solution” since I think I reached a stable configuration that I am happy with - but it seems this is not possible? If it is maybe an admin can do it?
So just to summarize:
Using the Compal router provided by my ISP I had several issues with Roon:
- most of the times music would stream fine over wifi but the iOS remotes would not connect
- sometimes, some of my wifi endpoints would have issues streaming
So I started to look for a solution. The long thread on wifi setups WiFi Router Recommendations? has various product recommendations but the one name that comes on top is Ubiquity. So I started to research the brand and the products.
Ubiquity is an enterprise networking company that has consumer prices (my own definition) They have several product lines, from enterprise to consumer dedicated mesh wifi.
I choose the Unify line and I have the following setup:
one USG router and three wifi Access Points. Two of them are wired to the USG, the third one is a mesh AP which is uplinked wirelessly to one of the wired AP’s and provides good wifi coverage in a corner of the house where I had no coverage before.
I have tried an Edgemax router as well, just to keep the cost lower - some routers in the Edge family are cheaper than the USG. But I think I had a bad copy because I had these network failures that required restarts. Also with an Edge router you lose the ability to control the router from the unifi controller. Not a problem really, more of a convenience matter - the Edge routers have their own user interface, which allows any settings you need, you only lose the ability to get some statistics on your network.
The Unifi controller - this is the user interface for Unifi networks and it can run on a computer or on a dedicated piece of hardware called a network key. You DO NOT NEED the controller to set up and manage a simple Unifi network - there are iOS and Android apps that do that. But again, you lose some functionality and convenience.
I run my controller on a windows PC that is always on (and which also runs Roon Core). So far I encountered no problems. The controller doesn’t have to be on for the network to function. If the controller is not running it will not collect the data for the dashboards and of course if you need to make changes you need to use the mobile apps which do not offer access to the full settings.
One comment on PoE - I spent some hours agonizing over this confusing technology. I ended up not using any PoE router or switch. PoE is just for convenience; a PoE router or switch is not required to run a Unifi network. Without PoE you need more power outlets and you will have more cables around. So all my devices are powered by PoE injectors, not by PoE capable networking devices.
The costs were similar with a consumer high-end all-in-one router - around 300EUR. The advantage is much better coverage since I have 3 AP’s that I can move around instead of just one - but please note that I did not try an all-in-one so I cannot really compare. One theoretical disadvantage is complexity, having more devices, but these were really extremely simple to set up. The Unifi controller is an incredibly smart thing, it recognizes devices and sets them up without any sweat. When I brought in the USG to replace the Edge router I just plugged everything in and 2 minutes later the controller saw the device and had an “adopt” button for me to click. 5 more minutes later the network was up and running. A firmware update went on without even a network interruption.
I am really very happy with the investment and recommend it highly.
I also want to say a big thank you to all the folks who helped along the way by posting helpful comments in this thread.
If you’re trying something similar come back here with questions, I am sure you will get the help you need.