I use an external SSD with all my music files plugged into my Uniti Star with the USB. I use Roon, so the Roon core is on my PC. I access my stored music files from the SSD with a network / wi-fi connection, using the iP address of my Uniti Star. It works great and is stable. However, in keeping with Roon’s recommendation to use a wired ethernet connection, when I connect the Star to my modem/router, I cannot access the music from my SSD. I think I need to add a “network share” to my Roon storage folder - but I cannot figure out the pathway. Has anyone else run into this problem?
So your star normally uses WiFi, but as soon as it goes wired, roon can’t access the files anymore? (The files being on a usb drive plugged into the star).
Sounds like a wired vs WiFi network issue.
What happens if you plug the usb drive into your pc? I assume you keep the drive plugged into the star so you can rip from cd?
Roon can’t see files attached to a Naim streamer USB port. Connect it, or a copy of it, to your Roon Core.
To reply to both robert_h and ChrisSU (Thank you, BTW):
I can connect the external SSD w/ usb drive to my PC and Roon will also play the files from that location. But, the optimal location for my SSD is connected to the Uniti Star because the pathway is more direct, as my speakers are connected to the Star. Also, Roon does see the files attached to the Naim streamer port - as long as the Star is connected via wi-fi. That’s how I now use it… It’s when I use an ethernet cable to connect the Star to my Arris router that breaks the pathway for Roon to see it. I should be able to still access the music files through the wired network connection (since I can with the wireless connection). But, alas, I cannot… It seems like it should be a simple fix…
The path is more direct if you attach the drive to the Roon Core. It pulls the files and processes them before sending them to the streamer. If they were read from the Star they would be making a round trip.
Is the Star getting a different ip address on the wired network? Is it on the same subnet?
(Different subnet is often an issue for anyone trying to use a separate WiFi box or mesh system… )
Agree with @ChrisSU here. I used to have both a Star and Roon. You want to host the files on the Roon core. Nothing stops you from duplicating files on the Roon Core and keeping them on the USB drive. In that way you can even listen to music if you internet or local network is down as you have a backup.
But trying to source the files over the network from the Star to process them and push the bitstream right back is not efficient at all. You will also almost double the amount of network traffic required to stream one song.
Thank you Kryptos and @ChrisSU. I understand this better now. But, hosting the files on my Roon core isn’t ideal either, since my core is on my PC, right? Anyway, if I host the files on my Roon core, then I should have a wired connection from my PC to my Uniti Star for playback, right? What would I use for this, just a USB or something more robust? Hope this makes sense…
No Roon will stream via the network to your Star. What Roon does is decode the audio file and then stream the bitstream to your Star. Because it is Roon Ready it will stream lossless audio that way. Roon will automatically detect any Roon Ready devices on the same network the Core is connected to.
What the Roon docs talk about being wired is Roon recommends using an ethernet cable to connect the Roon Core to your network instead of Wifi. It may work over Wifi but due many have run into issues that way. Best is to connect the Roon Core to your router (or the main router module of a mesh hifi system) with an ethernet cable.
These are some of the reasons why it is better to host the files on the Roon Core (or something directly connected to the Roon Core) as Roon becomes the decoder of the audio files sending the bit stream to the Star and bypassing the Star’s streaming/decoding parts and straight to the DAC of the Star.
I run Roon on a MacBook and it works fine over WiFi, although I have an Ethernet cable at the ready if I can be bothered to plug it in. Internal or USB storage is fine, although I use a separate NAS for local storage.
It’s most likely getting a different IP; it’s 2 different interfaces with different MAC addresses. So - in default settings - the router will hand out a separate IP via DHCP.
Different subnets should only happen, when something special has been setup or a guest network is involved. Most users would be aware, if something special had been setup.
- I know. That’s why I asked…
- Maybe you’d be surprised how many times someone plugs a super-duper wireless extender into their router and wonders why Roon doesn’t work…
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