WiFi to Ethernet -WOW!

Well I finally make the jump from WiFi to Ethernet with several of my Roon endpoints and I could not be happier. I never for a second believed that moving from WiFi to Ethernet would improve the sound quality, and it hasn’t but…

While the sound quality remains unchanged (and still great) my listening enjoyment has improved considerably. No more sudden drop outs, no more microwave oven interference, no more nasty messages from Roon about the file loading slowly, no more stoppages due to changes in format or source. In other words just music, rock solid music streaming.

By the way, this not a problem with Roon, it is a problem with music streaming via WiFi in general. I used LMS (aka Squeezeboxen) for over 10 years before I switched to Roon and with LMS WiFi was always somewhat unreliable and Ethernet rock solid. With Roon things improved slightly but the issues with Wi-Fi outlined above still persisted. Ethernet fixed all of it.

Money well spent and I could not be happier.

I guess that the Roon Knowledge Base is onto something when they recommend using Ethernet wherever possible. :grin:

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100%. Especially so if running groups. Money very well spent.

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OK, never mind.

Exactly. I paid $700 for tech come do ethernet inside wall where I want. Roon never bother me and I never bother Roon. :joy: :joy: :joy: :joy: :joy:

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I used RAAT from Nucleus+ via WiFi to my OPPO UDP-205 for years, and the stutters, hiccups, issues gradually increased. I got pretty adept at backtracking on a track to see if the stutter was part of the original rip or not. I started using a direct connection via USB and the issues went away. I lost some functionality because I can’t use the Oppo remote with USB, so I look forward to buying a passive Ethernet switch and wiring them that way as well.

My library on an HDD is still over WiFi, but that seems not to be the issue. The issue seems to be the Oppo’s WiFi connection and not the connection between Nucleus+ and iMac w/ HDD over Google Mesh.

+1 for Ethernet to DAC!

We should have this first post on a sticky :wink:

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I think 75 percent of the threads on this forum make it clear that ethernet should be used as connection method for your Roon core.

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I’m a wired network believer, but I’ve been using Roon at a 2nd location for the last 2 months with (mostly) WiFi. Roon Core (Zotac Ci662 nano Ubuntu Server) and router (UniFi Dream Machine) are wired. WiFi from Dream Machine to Naim Mu-so Qb 2, and to UniFi Flex HD, itself wired to a dumb switch with several Ethernet devices including a Pi 3B+Pi2AES Ropieee streamer connected to a Soekris DAC and a couple of headphone amps. No issues whatsoever. It may help that the 2nd location is quite far from other WiFi networks. But we have and use a microwave…

Several years ago, I spent several hundred dollars to have wired ethernet extended into my main listening room, replacing glitchy power-line adapters. Now the connection to my Core is rock solid. Best money I ever spent on my Roon-based system, second only to my lifetime subscription!

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I did it years ago but still have to use WiFi in the kitchen, I am glad someone mentioned microwaves it’s the bane of my life , WiFi and Bluetooth are necessary evils :face_with_monocle:

To get ethernet to the Roon endpoint in my kitchen, I invested in some outdoor-grade ethernet cabling, some feed-through bushings, and cable mounting clips. Drilling holes in the exterior walls of the house is a bit apprehension-inducing. But cable and telephone installers do it all the time (and, with some good-quality silicone caulk, I think I did a better job than those guys).

It was a 15m, run, took a few hours of my afternoon, but was well worth the trouble.

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I use a mixture of both, core is wired as is main and second setup , but all the rest are WiFi and rock solid. It really depends on how you set up your WiFi network. Use 5ghz as much as possible, use multiple access points and not extender, don’t use wireless backhaul to router for wireless access points, choose channels carefully so they have the best coverage, don’t ovrerlap with each other and offer a higher signal than your neighbours.

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Seems like I hit a nerve with this topic, but in a good way.

Since I always had several Roon endpoints that were using Ethernet, I always knew that Ethernet offered a more “solid” connection. What was lacking was the funds and willingness to bite the bullet and have the wiring installed. And as stated above, money well spent!

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Use wired Ethernet to your Roon server and endpoints, use Roon certified devices, don’t use a NAS for your server and have the server dedicated to Roon, and have your your music files in a ssd in your server or disk attached to your server and you’ll avoid 99% of the problems users have with Roon.

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Having Ethernet added in March 2020 was definitely a worthwhile expense for the musical enjoyment that Roon provides. I had double wiring/jacks added in the kitchen and Master Bedroom for the endpoints and computers with the media closet in the Living Room. No interruptions at all since then with music playing throughout the house all day.

Like a lot of others, my wife works from home full time since the virus lock-down started and will be until she retires next year. We had to setup her office space in the dinning room so we can run a cable across the floor from the wall jack in the kitchen. Wireless is not reliable enough for stable video conferences with her employees.

Wishing now that I’d looked at it as a home improvement and included Ethernet wiring to every room in the house.

Speaking of home improvement, my daughter and son in law recently bought an older house which they had partially renovated. Part of that renovation consisted of running Ethernet cabling to every room. My son in law is a die hard music and video streamer and computer and network wiz. He strongly feels that video streaming works best using Ethernet, especially if one plans to watch 4K video. Smart young man!

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Wireless can work for endpoints however. I flooded my house with multiple wireless mesh points and it works fine with all streams. As a side effect the garden is covered too :slight_smile:
I do have the server connected via cable.

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Do agree. However my switch from 2.4 to 5 GHz made A LOT of difference in my (kitchen/Ropiee) setup.

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I think it’s pretty much understood by most people that your Roon core needs an ethernet connection. Your end-points can use WIFI if you have a decent signal. I paid someone $200 to run ethernet from my router in the master bedroom to my Nucleus in the family room. I put a switch there also for my Oppo 203, Apple TV4K, and LG TV. I was able to run ethernet from my router to my RPi4 and Meridian Prime myself as it only involved drilling a hole through the wall.

Is the Eero mesh system as good as direct ethernet for Roon? I don’t have either, I use ethernet over wiring. Works ok for 16/44.1 but Tidal higher resolution files are spotty and Qobuz hardly worked at all.