Constant Tidal dropouts on Uniti Star

I have a Uniti Star connected via wifi (cabled connection is not possible).
Router and ISP are Virgin Media.
Star is approx 10 metres from router. Wifi strength is generally at least 2 black bands out of 3, and often 3 out of 3.
When just using the Star’s remote (ie not via the Naim app) for internet radio, it generally keeps connected with no dropout.
However, when using Tidal via Naim app, everything works fine for up to around 40 minutes, then inevitably I get the “cannot find your room” message. No Tidal, no internet radio, and impossible to get it reconnected.
However, after a full Star power down and power up again, the Star can again be found by the Naim App and all works well again until the next dropout.
I’m on the latest Star firmware.
It is incredibly frustrating.
I can’t work out whether the problem lies with The Star, The Naim App, Tidal or Wifi.
Dropouts have been an intermittent issue since I got the Star, but it seems much more frequent now.
I would be grateful for any ideas or suggestions.
Many thanks.

If you wire the star, even just temporarily run a cable across the floor, does it all work perfectly?

Virgin routers are known for having poor Wi-Fi, especially as they get older. Buy a MESH Wi-Fi system and switch the Virgin router into modem mode.

As already pointed out you could run a temporary ethernet cable from the Star to the Virgin router to confirm it is a Wi-Fi issue.

I approve of this message.

Thank you for the replies. I don’t have a cable anywhere near long enough unfortunately, and in any event a permanent cabled solution isn’t feasible so I am reliant on sorting out the wifi. However, bringing the Star near to the router temporarily and speakerless may help me to see what’s happening. I’m away for a few days from today, so any experimentation will have to wait.
I appreciate that Virgin wifi has a poor reputation, but as I said, the signal is generally 2 or 3 bars where the Star is situated.
It just seems odd to me that the Naim app always finds the Star straight away on opening, but can never find it again after the first “dropout”, and always finds it straight away again after a Star re-power.
Anyway, thanks again for your replies. Any more ideas very welcome and I’ll pick them up on my return.

10 meters of network cable cost just a few pounds and lets you verify if the issue is with the wifi at all before you invest time and money into a mesh wifi

3 Likes

A friend had issues with his Virgin Wi-Fi. Although all his devices showed good signal strength they often had speed or dropout issues. I brought along a spare router I had and hey presto, all the problems were gone! Switched back and all the problems returned. he went out and bought a new router the same day.

This advice from another thread may help:

Hi @SteveD

I have Virgin media here and used to have the same issue - had to use an external wifi router to make bonjour and upnp discovery work reliably. It’s not just Naim kit but anything that uses multicast udp to discover things on the network.

However…. Virgin Media have just brought out the Hub v5 and it’s actually good (shock!). Running a Cisco software stack and the hardware in it seems good quality as well (wifi6, 2.5gbit ports, good throughput, thermally under control) Have been using it with various Naim kit and zero issues. Might be worth ringing up Virgin, give them ear ache over their junk routers and get a Hub5 upgrade. Mine was offered for free and zero regrets taking up the offer.

Best regards

Steve Harris
Software Director
Naim Audio Ltd.

4 Likes

Thanks everyone and particularly Steve Harris; I had seen reports of Hub v5 and wondered if that was my best bet. I’ll give it a try in the new year.

Just for information, I spoke at length to Virgin about the Hub v5, but they are saying it’s still on beta test and not yet available to people outside those who Virgin have chosen (lucky you Steve Harris!). They aren’t able to give me a rollout date either.
So, given that I don’t want to put up with a poor streaming experience any longer, I guess I’ll have to invest in an external router.
Given that I’m not particularly tech-savy, I would really appreciate some help with:

  • Which routers are recommended.

  • Step by step guide in installing it.

Many thanks in anticipation.

This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.