Bluos has wrecked my life.
Answered
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Official comment
Sounds awful however not my experience at all. I have several BluOS units, one of them a C368 with the BluOS 2 via the MDC module. Upgrades a bit of a pain via the USB but never a problem. Mine is hard wired and never drops a note. In general I find the controller good but I understand that it may not appear that way to others, they do keep tweaking it and over the years it has improved.
Bluesound do stand behind their products with good support, I suggest you log a support request to get to the bottom of your problem
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Sorry to hear that John.
I'm running BluOS very successfully on a new NAD M33, controlled via Android Pixel 4a and a Samsung S4 tablet. The M33 is on Ethernet, the androids on wi fi 5G. I agree with the first comment, plus, have contacted NAD yet?
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Absolutely concur. Blue sound has ruined my life.
please fix your stupid software and get it so that it can actually play music for more than a few consecutive minutes.
it’s an embarrassment to Canada.
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Nope, I’ve been told that many times over the years. Blue sound should issue a strong and clear warning that you need to not only buy their gear but clearly invest time and money in upgrading your router and wifi.
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I readily concur with Alain here - the complexity and variety in tech life now often demands that we be proactive and choose to take control as much as we can - it is only going to get more complex as time goes by, so, time to 'rewire' our brains I think. Everything new has a learning curve and responsibility goes with that. If you wish to use something you really do need to figure it all out....spend time and study things, you will definitely reap the benefits.
Owen, my own experience with BluOS didn't require me to upgrade my router or wifi config at all, worked perfectly 'out of the box', still does. My NAD amp is ethernet wired but I use the control apps on my android devices via 5G wi fi - all good mostly, a few minor glitches at times but no more than i get from my Win 10 laptop or iMac.
John, I do not have the C368, I have the M33 but I understand the modules are the same for this aspect. Uprades occurr very easily via ethernet and are always automatic. When first turned on, if there is an upgrade the NAD screen says it cannot find the USB stick to perform the upgrade, and then about 3 seconds later it says it is now performing it via ethernet - all good.
Wi fi in totality can be a deep beast to tame, regardless of the app trying to use it and all homes differ, having their unique problems.
Now, what I would like is a few 'wished for' functionalities on the app itself, that may be a different subject - I'm hoping for various changes and upgrades to the app over the years but can get by happily at present.
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My hobby is audio and listening to music my hobby is music and listening to music. Not troubleshooting Wi-Fi and networks. Even at work I leave that to IT. In fact, I would say troubleshooting IT issues is one of my least favourite things to do in my life and especially with my limited free time.
Bluespund has effectively turned my hobby into one of my least favourite things. Dealing with computer issues.
thanks!
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One more one more thing, the issue is not what people might think. Sure I can see how streaming high res music over wifi could create issues. But that isn’t the problem. My players will play music until the cows come home with no issues. Occasionally it drops out but nothing major. No the issue is the stupid controller software. My iPhone and iPad lose the ability to control the node. That has nothing to do with streaming. It’s just a basic control over wifi. Something my Apple TV for instance seems to handle with aplomb.
imagine the stink if 50% of the time you went to accsss your apple tv with your remote or iPad and you were completely unable to access it. And apple just kept saying, oh it’s your fault because of your stupid wifi. How quickly do you think it would take for their stock to crater?
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What I think is there is a connectivity issue of some kind. What it is in your case, I don't know.
I have *none* of the issues you describe in a set up with 8 Bluesound devices using iPad, iPhone and MacOS controllers. I've had Bluesond players for more than 5 years and the only connectivity issues I've had related to poor wifi. Some of my Bluesound devices are wired and some are not. My AppleTV is also rock solid.
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My controller is so unreliable that my guests have a running joke about it. They arrive and ask, “When is the music going to quit? I can’t wait until we get to watch you try and resolve your IT issues and go into a rage.”
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@ John P & Owen:
I understand your frustration and 'rage', just saying I don't have these issues.
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Ok you don’t, but I do. I’ve got several nodes and a vault. I’ve invested a lot of money in this. Also, I’ve moved during this time, New house, all new router, wifi network, etc.. exact same problem. I seriously got to the point where I was just going to pull out the cds again. It’s a pain but at least I know it will work.
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OK. I don't deny you are having these issues, nor am I criticizing you for complaining about it. I'm a consumer like you using the products and hope you can resolve the problem. I'm just sharing my experience as are you.
Have you tried hard wiring the units that are problematic? As I mentioned wifi connectivity was at the root of any player/controller issues I've had. The C368 i have is connected via powerline ethernet as is my Node 2i. The Flex's and Pulses are wireless with the exception of one. My home is approximately 2000 sq ft with an outbuilding/studio where the powerline ethernet is installed for the C368 since it's too far from the wifi to receive a reliable connection. I have a wifi mesh network consisting of a router and 3 mesh/repeaters. I've noted the wifi channels populated by my neighbours and have set mine to a least used channel.
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Hard wire? Is that a joke?
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If we wanted to go “hard wire” our junk, we would have employes this bs bluesound garbage!
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John, I described my setup to see whether that might provide any clues or solutions to the problems you're having with the equipment. I have no affiliation with Bluesound or their employees. I post here as a Bluesound equipment owner and user.
I get that you're angry since your experience has been frustrating. I do think, that barring a fault with your equipment, it's a wifi connectivity issue. If the equipment is faulty then send it in for warranty repair.
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I’ve actually got a perfect solution. To solve the Wi-Fi issues give me some sort of box with all of the controls on it, I’ll attached it through a cable to the node. Or better yet, maybe a huge computer on the node with a screen that I can use. The possibilities are endless. Or, you could just fix your stupid app and make it more stable. The bluos app is THE ONLY program I have any problems with.
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Owen: it's not my app.
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That come that comment was aimed at Bluesound.
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Hi,
Yes there are issues or better there seem to be parts in the communication that are more complicated in the BluOS plattform than in other plattforms.
I made some experiences with some network system and there seems to be unknown multicast traffic neccessary at some parts of the communication. This seems to be mostly an issue on managed networks. In my experiences there are less issues if the network is dumb and unmanaged and all traffic is allowed.
Since I allow unknown multicast traffic on all ports of the switch and I setup my WiFi to handle multicast different than default it got stable for the app communication and mostly for the audiotraffic too.
For my WiFi there is still something missing, so there could be grouping issues for WiFi connected players, but I am shure I will get this solved too.
But, yes there seems something complicated within the BluOS traffic what makes it more difficult to setup and use in many network setups. Would be great if that could improve because if it comes to music/audio I love my Bluesound system …
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Owen
Your issue is being escalated to our Support Crew for investigation. We will be in touch via e-mail for specific details about your home network environment so we can provide some troubleshooting tips.
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I have some sympathy with OP. Setting up my Node 2i so it can read the Music library from (any of) my Macs is hard. I still haven't succeeded despite digging deep; like you, I detest fiddling around with network settings. One of my primary motives for buying the Node device was to bring a large library of MP3s into use. Reviewers have complimented Bluesound for its effective 'software ecosystem' and the promise of easily connecting to the iTunes Library. I am disappointed by how challenging it is.
That said, the sound produced from other sources, especially MQA streams, is impressive. But I want to have agency in choosing the music I play, rather than the algorithms at Paradise Radio inferring my tastes!
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John Price The hardwire suggestion is no joke... It could be a way to eliminate possible causes.
However, your problem may due to your wifi changing channels because of noise from other networks and maybe adding to that that you have not set a fixed IP-adress for your controller (phone) and for the NAD C368. You can assign a fixed address to the MAC-address of those devices, but if the drop-outs are because of the wifi channels changing you will have to set that to a fixed channel as well. Preferably the channel with the least average amount of noise.
I have no way of showing you how to do this irl as I do not know what type of router you use or what privileges you have been given on the device by your ISP, but I have solved your exact issue on two installations this way.
And it is not the fault of Bluesound, but a consequence of the implementations of workarounds to the issues inherent in the wifi-standards that Bluesound have zero control over. Apple on the other hand are large enough that even my local ISP support special settings for their devices.
Because my ISP does not allow me to set a stable configuration I have a complete Ubiquiti UniFi setup but still the main parts of my system is using a wired Gigabit network.
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I bought a new Powernode a few months ago and had some issues up front, so I thought Bluesound speakers would help. I added two Pulse Minis.
Indexing my iTunes/Apple music library on my Mac has been a nightmare and I've given up on it. I got it to work once, indexed my full library (about 4000 songs). It played a couple songs and promptly started the "Cannot Access File: Host is Down" error loop. Nothing had changed on my system.
So I've been trying to stream. The Powernode is about 10 feet from my router with nothing in between except air. All my other devices connect and remain connected, but the Powernode keeps disappearing. I've had to unplug it three times today and it's only just after lunchtime.
At this point, I wouldn't even know where to begin if I were to submit a support ticket. When I Google these errors I see them all over the internet going back several years.
I work from home and in the last week I've spent more time working on BluOS issues than my actual job. I'm a renter so I don't want to have to buy wifi extenders/other items. (edited for clarity and follow-up comments added downthread for resolution)
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Hi Rebecca
Unfortunately other than Our Support Crew helping with your PULSE MINI return, I see no other interaction with them. I am escalating your case to them for a closer look.
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Hi Tony,
It's OK, we can close this ticket. I apologize, I was very frustrated and I'm new to the hi-fi world. I recruited a friend with some experience who is going to take a look at my setup next weekend. I can open a new ticket afterwards if needed.
Best regards - Rebecca
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@Rebecca If your friend is unable to solve the issues reach out again, preferably in a specific thread and there will most likely be a couple of people capable of helping and if not Tony and the supporters are usually most helpful and can also guide you if a log-file is needed to help solve the issues.
Best of luck from a once mad but now very satisfied customer :-)
//Jens
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aw shucks Jens
I will pass your kind words along to the people in our Support Crew, the Quality Assurance Team and our Product Development Team who all make that happen behind the scenes.
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Thanks, @Jens! I will keep that in mind. I was really excited about these products, so I hope I can still make them work. If my friend can at least give me a sanity check this weekend to make sure I'm not doing anything that might be causing the errors, I'll feel better about bringing in the support crew.
I've been doing a lot of reading online about hi-fi components but as with most new ventures, it's different once you actually give it a try! Appreciate the feedback :)
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In an earlier post, 5 months ago, I noted my reservations about the difficulty of setting up the BlueSound Node. Those difficulties all went away when I attached the device to the router (FritzBox Mesh, a German product) using a cable. That naughty networking nonsense went away directly and all has been entirely reliable since.
Can anyone tell me (eg a mod) if the hardware purchase comprises a subscription to Radio Paradise and Qobuz? I have listened to both, a lot, but have yet to be invited to pay for a sub.
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FritzBoxes are no fun from our end...
Radio Paradise is free but Bill Goldsmith, the owner does accept public donations to keep this free service running. Check out www.radioparadise.com for details.
Qobuz is a paid-only service - unsure how you are getting it without a paid subscription. Though I have heard of cases where people bought the floor model and the dealer forgot to remove the stores' account... If you enjoy the service... check out www.qobuz.com for different options and tiers.
Adding more Players does not affect your subscription levels in any way...
(Mod note - I really need to change the name of this thread...)0
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