Hows it all connected?
I’m using a node but its all ethernet connected so no wireless issues.
I had a good wireless network before I started with Roon. Otherwise, I could have been disappointed with the trial and given up on it.
This is not recommended but I had to start the trial with Roon on my PC and a wireless connection to the router 60 feet away. That was the only option I had. It actually worked very well most of the time but I did have an occasional dropout. I used my PC, Samsung Note 9 and my wife’s IPAD for control.
I liked it enough to build a NUC/Rock music server with an Ethernet connection to my router and a HDMI connection to my receiver for the living room zone. The kitchen and bedroom zones are wireless and they all group with the living room zone for music throughout the house. I got an IPAD Pro 12.9 for Christmas and that is my dedicated control device now.
I think most of the issues folks run into are related to their Network or are using endpoints that don’t play nice with Roon. Could be all wrong but it seems that way to me.
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The reason I started using Roon was to get Tidal and Qobuz music from my Dell laptop to my Bose sound system without having to plug my computer directly into the Bose. I just happened to stumble across the fact that my Oppo 203 DVD was Roon ready.
I do have wireless but I rarely have issues with the bandwidth. The iPad was 5 feet away and the Node was about 15 feet. Unless it’s just a wireless vs LAN thing that I don’t think signal is the issue. I may run a cable just to see what happens but wired is kinda out of the question. I’m really thinking it’s a Roon/Node issue but it’s a really popular streamer so I’d think they’d work well together.
It’s all wireless. If that’s an issue then it’s a Roon issue, no problems running Tidal through my wireless.
Roon works best with ethernet connections. Wireless can be problematic.
Does that apply just to the core or to the streamer too? I could connect the core but the streamer won’t work in my setup.
Mostly the core, but my setup improved when I paid someone to pull an ethernet cable to my Oppo 203 Roon end-point. I guess that would depend on the strength and quality of your WIFI and any possible interference.
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It comes down to the question: Do you want to own music or rent it.
Should you want to own music, then Roon is great, otherwise Tidal etc is good. Same question can be asked for books and Kindle. The answer may depend on age and parental status …
Just my opinion, but I do think core to router with Ethernet is the most important.
I have the core/server connected to the router with Ethernet but 2 zones are wireless because that is the only option I have. It usually works fine for my setup. I had an issue with the Elac discovery Z3 in the kitchen zone. It quit working one day while the other zones remained on, wasn’t showing up in Roon at all. Thought the Z3 had to be the problem because all other wireless connections were still working. Tried resitting the device to factory condition and redoing the firmware upgrades but it still did not work. My router has 2 - 5g bands and 1 - 2g band. Turns out the 2g band had quit working while the 5G bands were fine. I power cycled the router and all was well.
Doesn’t mean that has anything to do with what you’re experiencing but it was in my case. That is the first thing I will check now. Just FYI.
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I may try moving the core today and see how that works. It’s not really convenient to wire the 2 Nodes without major construction lol.
It makes sense that the core being wired would be more important. I’ve been listening wirelessly through Tidal yesterday and today and haven’t had an issue. It’s possible Roon operates differently as far as wireless compared to wired. I’m more curious now than ever.
Well, first if your core was wireless, then you were doubling the WiFi stream to the Core having both incoming/outgoing streams. And, second, after the Tidal stream hits the Roon core it is turned into PCM and then sent to the endpoint, and PCM is a larger stream than flac.
Having the Core wired, means the WiFi is only handling the outbound stream from the Core to the endpoint.
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So having the core wired but still having the Node wireless may cure my issue? In my setup it would be really difficult to wire everything. And that doesn’t even go into my upstairs stereo. If there’s a chance I’ll try moving my core computer but if I can’t get by with just having the core it’s not going to be worth it.
Best to wire the core and give it a try.
If you have good wireless coverage in your house and the core wired to the router it should work well. All wired connections would be the best solution but I can’t do that and mine works fine with core wired to the router and multiple wireless zones. As @Rugby identified above you’re halving the wireless activity.
It’s important to wire the core, as others have said. Roon puts very heavy demands on data transmission in ways most other programs (like Tidal) don’t. All the great UI goodies that make Roon special come at the cost of heavy duty bandwidth demands. At least once a week people asking for help from Support use the reasoning “I can stream to my 4K TV just fine, so Roon shouldn’t be a problem either”. Wrong.
For your end points, you can also consider an access point. That is, wireless from Router to access point and ethernet out. Data transmission demands are much lower with Roon simply streaming audio to an endpoint. Each endpoint will be somewhat device and environment specific.
Or a mesh network
Not very audiophile but you could try a set of Ethernet over power adapters and see if you gain a stable system.
I have a large local library of PCM and DSD (4000 albums), I use Tidal some, and I strongly prefer HQPlayer as the sound engine. For me, Roon is invaluable as it seamlessly integrates all of this, nothing else on the market comes close. Even if I only used Tidal, I’d still use Roon in order to have access to HQPlayer. But if I didn’t care about HQPlayer, and didn’t have a local library but instead only streamed Tidal, then I would not pay for Roon.
This works for me.
Depends on your definition of audiophile whether this is audiophile or not. IT logic says: if it works in a dependable way with good results, it’s a good solution.
Add snake oil to your liking 
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