Node 2i stuttering on wifi Roon
Answered
I was having trouble getting Node 2i connected on wifi when it just dropped off of the Roon device menu. Ultimately had to do factory reset.
It's back, connected to Roon via wifi, but it stutters. Every 3 to 5 seconds, a split second cutout. I have experimented with a number of other things to diagnose. Here's what I get.
Switched Roon zones to a 5-speaker Sonos system in the same room, connected to the same subnet working off the same Google mesh point. No stutter. Switched the Roon zone to an iPad, no stutter. Airplayed from the iPad to the Node which feeds into a Cambridge Audio integrated amp. No stutter. Airplay direct to the Cambridge integrated amp. No stutter.
Stutter isolated system wide to the Node.
The wifi mesh device that is closest to the Node is--no exaggeration--2 inches from the Node.
Wifi system is routed as follows: Arris SB8200 modem. Does not have its own wifi router. Arris ethernet out to the WAN port on a Google mesh H2D. Two other Google mesh devices (that do NOT have RS45 ports) in home. H2D LAN out to unmanaged 8 port switch. Intel NUC (where the Roon Core resides) hardwired to the switch. Thus, I believe the NUC and the Node 2i are on the same subnet.
I've been told on the Roon forum that the Node's wifi capabilities are not very good, known problem, etc. I am being told to buy another Google mesh device with RS45 ports, or a Raspberry Pi, then hardwiring the Node to that. (For various reasons I can't hardwire the router to the Node. Too far away. Gotta run outside, and snow prevents ladder use right now.)
Before I spend another $125-$200 to buy a workaround for a problem with the Node, which, for $500, should have perfectly good wifi ability, I thought I'd check here first.
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Official comment
HI David
ROON sends pure PCM and will take up to 5Mbps throughput to each player - you mentioned you are connected wirelessly. You will need a minimum of good signal strength (3 green bars in Help Diagnostics) in order to play raw PCM files with 0 buffering.
Please see www.bluesound.com/network101 for best practices.
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1. I have no clue what “pure PCM” means.
2. My average signal strength yesterday was 488 MBPS. Is that enough?
3. Average signal strength to the mesh device that services the Node as I write this is 98 MBPS. Is that enough? It seems to be adequate for the Sanyo 55” smart TV sitting right next to it, the 5 component SONOS system in the same room, the iPad and iMac that are used in the same room. And when I airplay Roon from my iPad to the Node, that’s fine too. It is only when the Node is relaying a signal thru its onboard wifi circuitry that the stutter occurs. Pretty sure it’s the Node.
4. As I write this, I am in a place with two entire floors of a house in between me and where the Node and its mesh access point are. The BluOS Help Diagnostics shows 5 blue bars and describes that as “excellent.” Signal strength is showing as -42dBm.5. There are 36 devices connected to wifi, including TV’s, desktops, laptops, game devices, SONOS, iPads, iPhones, tons of smart home devices (mostly light bulbs and plugs) two APPLE TV’s. Obviously they don’t all run at the same time. The ONLY one that has any problems is the Node 2i.
6. The Google mesh device (one of three in the 2600 sf home) is presently about 6 feet away from the Node with completely unobstructed line-of-sight between them. In attempting to diagnose this problem I have moved it around so that is as close as 2 inches and higher in elevation above the wifi point, and as far as 10 feet, and several incremental distances in between those extremes. Same result.
I tell you all of this as a preemptive measure, anticipating questions that are likely to be asked, and most of which I have already answered. Coming to this forum here was the last stop in a week long odyssey in Roon help forums in which quite a few ppl have generously helped me to source this problem. The consensus there from start to finish was “the Bluesound Node 2i is notoriously bad with wifi.”This device was put into service new on October 26, 2020. It behaved well from then until last week when this stutter started. I am still in the return window with the vendor, and that is my likely next step if I can’t obtain relief here, after which I will replace it with a Raspberry Pi or something else. It has been suggested that I get a Google mesh point with RS45 outputs so as to just bypass the Node’s poor wifi circuitry, but it seems to be a waste of money to buy a $175 device as a workaround to a $500 product that doesn’t do what its manufacturer promised it would do. Most folks on the Roon forum agree. So that’s why returning the Node and getting a much less expensive Rpi is suggested.
So the next question I expect you to ask: “So what changed last week?” As far as I know, nothing. It’s the same wifi system, same house, same Roon setup. No furniture, rugs, walls, floors, flower vases were moved. No new or different electronic devices were added. My son did go off to college and one our dogs had a litter of puppies but I’m pretty sure those events aren’t relevant.
I am not the first person on this forum that has had problems with this product and see that in nearly all cases, the problem is escalated. That’s probably a good idea.
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All looks good David
You will need to contact ROON Labs to find out what is happening at their software end.0 -
Ok. Thanks Tony. They blame the Node, and then tell me—again—that Roon hates wifi.
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I am sorry to hear that but I will tell you based on our experience it is much more likely the latter. To review the former, try playing your content using the BluOS App.
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Good idea. I will try that as part of my troubleshooting workflow. But even if that works, I don’t think I can then direct the Roon signal thru BluOS can I? I have 760gb of local library files on a SSD attached to the Roon Core. Is it possible to configure BkueOS as an independent Roon endpoint?
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Hi David
Consider moving your drive to a more easily accessible location for your whole network to see and create a Local Library. Here's how; https://support.bluos.net/hc/en-us/articles/360000469948
For further questions or follow up, please select Help, Send Support Request in the BluOS App and our Support Crew will be happy to assist.
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Okay Tony. So I tried that. I am COMPLETELY BAFFLED NOW.
I see Roon is an option in the BluOS sidebar. Never noticed that b4 cuz I never use the BluOS. Go over to Roon. Pick an album that I know to be in the local library on the SSD (Allman Bros. Fillmore East just to provide a reference) and not on Qobuz. Leave the Roon zone wherever it was already. Switch to BluOS and choose Roon in the sidebar and lo and behold, Allman Bros comes out of the amp WITH NO STUTTER.
WTH is going on? What is managing the signal? Roon? BluOS? Both? Beezlebub?0 -
For further questions or follow up, please select Help, Send Support Request in the BluOS App and our Support Crew will be happy to assist.
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