Unpredictable re-initializing / refreshing the discovery part of the controll app

Hi all,
@support
I’m trying out Roon in the following set-up:
The core is installed on a Intel NUC i5-6260U with Windows 10 64 bit; with a wired connection to my home network.
My library is on a Synology NAS DS416, ca 24000 tracks.
I am trying 4 kinds of control apps:
(1) The Windows control app coming with the core installation
(2) An iPad-Pro, IOS 11.0.2.
(3) An iPhone 6C, IOS 11.0.2
(4) A Motorola Moto G on Android 5.1.
All mobile devices have a high quality wifi connection with my home network.

Control apps (1) and (4) work perfectly. But when using my Apple devices (2) and (3) I experience the following problem here:

The part above the play bar keeps being re-initialized. The play bar itself however keeps running smoothly; the music is never interrupted, and the display is always up-to-date with the music.

This continuously initializing the upper part of the screen is very annoying; especially because you want to use Roon to explore your collection and discover new music. E.g. when browsing through the albums, and drilling down to related albums you are set back to the beginning of your exploration. Without any trace to get back to where you were.
I hope there is a solution for this behavior,
Kind regards, Erik

Hi @Erik_van_den_Bergh ----- Thank you for the report and sharing your feedback us! Very appreciated!

Moving forward, can you please provide me with the following information:

  • Please describe your network configuration/topology, as well as providing insight into any networking hardware you are currently implementing. I want to have a clear understanding of how your devices are communicating and what tools are being utilized to make those connections possible.

  • Since noticing this behavior have you tried reinstalling the application on the iPad and iPhone?

  • Does restarting your Roon core improve this behavior, even if it is temporary?

-Eric

Hi Eric,

My answers to your questions:

(1) My network configuration is very straightforward:
A Fritz!Box 5490 Router with Gigabit switch. Connected to internet delivered by optical fiber.
My DS 416 NAS is connected directly to the Fritz!box with 2 wires.
Also a Zyxel GS 1900-24 Gigabit switch connected to the Fritz!box.
The Windows computer running Roon Core is connected to this Zyxel.
The mobile devices are connected to wifi provided by the Fritz!box.

(2) I always had this behavior - right from the start.
I just reinstalled the Roon app on my iPad. The behavior is not changed.

(3) Restarting the Roon core does not improve the behavior.

If it helps I can make a movie of this behavior. But it is a big file to send.

Erik

An extra observation: the control app seems to stabilize somewhat after a period of continuously running. So, not every 30-60 seconds but several minutes or longer.

Hi @Erik_van_den_Bergh ---- Thank you for touching base with me and providing the requested feedback. Both are very appreciated!

Moving forward, If I am not mistaken the Zyxel GS 1900-24 is a managed switch and we have seen a few issues crop up with these devices in the past ( Example: #1, #2, #3 #4). I would recommend enabling flow control on the switch, as we have seen it help other users in the past.

-Eric

Hi Eric,
First I enabled flow control on all ports of the Zyxel switch. That did not do the trick. I disabled this feature because my TV receiver didn’t like it.
But, coincidently, while testing I was moving an old Netgear router that I use as an extra access point (sorry – I forgot to mention it in the previous post) to another place in my house.
In between I tested the behavior of iPad and iPhone and was very happy to see that these devices now were working very stable. But after a while the instable behavior returned. It took me a while to relate it to the re-connection of the Netgear unit. After disconnecting it, everything seems to work fine now!
Just curious: I mentioned before that I never encounter these problems on my Android device, running on the very same network. So, are IOS devices more sensitive for connected devices?
And, can you advise me how to extend my wifi without introducing these problems again?
I also have an Apple airport running, connected to my amplifier, enabling airplay. This device does not seem to influence the IOS behavior.
Erik

Hi @Erik_van_den_Bergh ---- Thank you for the follow up and my apologies for the slow response.

Moving forward, it seems that you have identified the culprit here (i.e the additional Netgear router) :thumbsup: In regard to Android versus IOS, and which of the two are more “sensitive”. We do not have reason to believe that one is more stable than the other, the strength of a device really comes down to the network in which it is communicating with.

Furthermore, while I am not certain how you have configured the additional Netgear router to extend your network, the best advice I can give you is that we recommend making use of a mesh network setup. Companies like Erro or Orbi, seem to be very reliable. Our CTO Brian, goes into further detail here in regard to the advantages offered by a good quality AC router or “mesh setup”.

-Eric