ZeroTier with Roon or RoonARC

Tinkering
1

@Chalky could you expand on how to use ZeroTier with Roon or RoonARC? I work in an office and already use a VPN for the work that I do. Wondering if I could still set something up with ZeroTier.

2

Obviously this is not what we want. The virtual LAN with a different shell cannot meet the requirements. Roon ARC has already implemented the corresponding interface on the server side. At present, we only need to make 3 clients with different operating systems to complete the ARC docking. This is the most voted suggestion I have seen in the feature suggestion area, but it is still not on the roadmap so far. It doesn’t feel like they are listening to customer suggestions, which is really infuriating.

3

Hi Nathan,

I confirm Roon works with ZeroTier reliably. I have installed it on two of my Windows 11 PCs and on my Windows Server 2016 running the Roon Server. It also works on two of my Android phones with the Roon (Remote) App - no need to use Roon Arc which has limited features compared to the full Roon App. The free edition of ZeroTier works with up to 10 devices. I am using it with all settings at default, you basically just install it, create one network and add the other devices. When connected, restart the Roon app and re-add the local USB devices, because those are presented to the Roon server via broadcast. And this is the main difference of ZeroTier compared to Tailscale:

ZeroTier

  • Broadcast Support: ZeroTier supports broadcast and multicast traffic natively. This makes it compatible with the discovery protocol of Roon.
  • Ease of Use: Since ZeroTier handles broadcast traffic out of the box, it is easier to set up and use for scenarios where broadcast traffic is essential.

Tailscale

  • Broadcast Support: Tailscale does not natively support broadcast traffic. This is because Tailscale is built on the WireGuard protocol, which is designed for point-to-point connections and does not handle broadcast or multicast traffic well.
  • Workarounds: To achieve similar functionality, users often need to set up additional configurations or use other tools to simulate broadcast traffic, which can be complex and may not work seamlessly in all scenarios.

That said, I highly encourage everybody who wants to use a PC at work with a Roon Server at home to try ZeroTier.

I am not related to the comany at all, I am only very happy to have a reliably working solution after spending many hours to find out how.