Which Router

[Ian Lyons]

Well after much to and froing I have finally set up a system which consists of a pair of secondhand Spendor 9,Prima Luna amp Auralic G1 streamer,Gieseler Kompact dac and  all of Mike Lenehans  best cables.Unfortunately the streamer is struggling because of what appears to be  a router that is to basic.I spoke to Gareth at Auralic and he has said that the standard Telstra router needs replacing.I know nothing about routers and JB Hi Fi have too many for me to make a choice.I do not wish to spend more than necessary .I would your love your help as the wonderful system is struggling to play.I am streaming completely on Wi Fi

[mjs]

Couple of questions first. Are you on NBN and is the  Telstra “router” actually a  Telstra Smart Modem? How far is the router from your music gear? I’m just wondering if you are going to get a decent wifi signal for your gear (Auralic Aries G1 or what?). 
 

Modem and router technology is rapidly changing and you can pay serious money for either high powered units or mesh systems that talk to each other and give you wide coverage. Assuming you’re not that far from your gear, one good solution that is not too expensive would be something like a Netgear R7000 which can be had for well under $200. It’s a solid proven unit and with good speed (AC1900). You can connect this straight to the Telstra modem and create a wifi network separate from the Telstra unit.

 

If your gear is further away or behind brick walls, than you might need a different solution.

 

 

Edited December 25, 2020 by mjs

[Ian Lyons]

Thanks mjs. I dont know if it is a smart modem.We bought this house 3 years ago and the nbn just went through this area.The modem/router is in the next room,very close.The streamer itself seems to  pick up the wi fi ok.It shows that it is connected on the front display of the unit.The connection problem is between a new apple i pad that I bought specifically to operate the Auralic G1.Apparently  ipad to G1 still has to be picked via the router according to Gareth who distributes Auralic in Australia.He also tells me it wont be  a problem because of a lack of signal,it is simply a crap router.I am 67 and only myself and wife live.Apart from the auralic there could be only one or to other devices using the router,so not a busy job for a router.

[Ray H]

@Ian Lyons I had an Auralic Aries G2.1 and had very similar problems to you.

 

I upgraded my Telstra smart modem by adding the Netgear AC1900 router; mentioned by @mjs above, as it is recommended by Auralic as a functional and cost effective pairing.

 

But TBH it never worked well via WiFi, it basically needs to be connected to the network via cable not wifi IME. This can be done by connecting from the Auralic to the Router by cable if it is close enough and physically viable. If it is not you can use an in line connector like this;

 

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/d-link-powerline-av500-mini-network-starter-kit

 

If you need more info pls don’t hesitate to send me a pm, they are pretty nice sounding units, but this  is definitely a functional issue that is only likely to be resolved via the physical connection to the network based on my experience.

[Pebbles]

Not sure if this is relevant but I still have the original Aries Femto and it’s very stable on wifi and Ethernet. It wasn’t always so, originally I always connected via wifi and my IPad would ‘lose’ the Aries and it would require a lot of turning off and on etc. to get it back. Bought a better Asus router on the recommendation of Auralic. Better sound but no more reliable.

 A mate suggested trying Ethernet and the problem went away completely. The issue was a faulty wifi module, a known issue on some of the forums. It was fixed under warranty and since then it has been very stable connected either way. 

Before lashing out on a new modem I would suggest a trying a cheap Ethernet cable and see if the connectivity issue goes away or move the router closer to the Aries to see if it is a signal strength issue. Try and work out whether it is an IPad to router or Aries to router  issue. I am surprised a new IPad has trouble connecting to even a bog standard router. 

Has it ever worked or are you still in the setting up Lightning device stage?

The Auralic online support is also worth a shot, they respond quickly and well. 

[mjs]

Hmmm, I am a bit perplexed as to why the iPad is not seeing the Auralic G1, they should be on the same wifi network. As @Pebbles said, it might be useful to see if you can connect via Ethernet (might require a long Ethernet cable). If it is a Smart Modem (white, approx 100mm x 100mm x 250mm high), I would be surprised that it doesn’t work. Have you got the right wifi network name. Anyway, the Netgear router that I suggested should work fine, there are others of course from other suppliers, 

 

I have an Auralic Aries G2.1 and a Vega G2.1. The Vega is ethernet only, but I have had the Aries on wifi as well as ethernet. Wifi is more convenient of course from lack of cabling required. These are excellent units and worth setting up correctly.

[Ian Lyons]

Well Christmas over and I have time now to fix my wi fi problems.I  about to buy the Ac 1900 router,but before I did I decided to look into the Telstra router that I have .It is a Gen 1 modem so they are now sending me a new Smart modem.Apparrantly after a little research there are two different smar.t modems the Technicolor and the Arcadyan.The technicolor  is supposedely the better of the two.Dont know which one I will get.At this stage I would like to stick to wi fi.Wi fi is to me an interesting topic and one that creates debate.From what can gather both have pros and cons .So for now I will wait for the new smart modem and will post my results.Cheers

[Guest rmpfyf]

@Ian Lyons

 

If your iPad works fine for everythig else (e.g. web surfing etc) then the problem isn't there. Would recommend checking. Head to https://www.speedtest.net/, let it run on the iPad and send on the results. 

 

Getting devices mounted close to walls (like hifi gear) to work on WiFi is always inherently more of a technical challenge. Performance will vary on a number of factors that can be improved with a 'better' (many dimensions to that) wireless solution, though for the sake of clarity here - can you run (or have run) an Ethernet cable? If you can and are serious about audio, I would do so - and then never worry again.

[Pebbles]

Even if the OP connects the Aries via Ethernet he will still need to the IPad to control it using the Auralic app over wifi. Auralic recommend wifi as the best connection, or they did for the first Aries but YMMV. 

I am surprised the IPad can’t find the Aries, this seems like a total fail rather than intermittent weak signal, is this the case?

 This may be a stupid and hopefully not offensive question but you have downloaded The Lightning DS app to your IPad and gone through the set up process? Hope you get it working.

[JB82]

Sounds like all the same issues I'd experienced with Bluesound for the first few years, once I invested in a Google mesh router network all those problems disappeared.

 

Whatever Wifi equipment your provider gives you will be the absolute minimum in quality & performance to get you going, invest in a quality setup and forget about those problems.

 

You can also run two ethernet cables out from each Google mesh router, I have one router where the modem is, another in the hi-fi/tv rack so I can hardwire the streamer & tv.

 

https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B072BZ62QS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_rQZ6Fb7EHY5GF?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

https://www.jbhifi.com.au/products/d-link-covr-1103-ac1200-dual-band-mesh-wi-fi-system-3-pack?ab_version=A&gclid=CjwKCAiAxKv_BRBdEiwAyd40N_pcPBKPOVgBrBlDYP-TeRKfbeUJxvYjpCsOvhqhEaRIVB2-ZAhWiBoCq7oQAvD_BwE

 

 

[flamjam]

I totally agree with the above statement about provider routers being basic. Buying a quality router is a good investment. Mesh systems work well if you have double brick construction or a lot of walls for the signal to get through. We didn’t  need a mesh system so

I bought  a Netgear AX12 and it covers our whole house (about 500m2) without drama. 
We had a Netgear R7000 before the AX 12 and it was also a very reliable router with strong coverage but the AX 12 is better with a lot of connections and it’s range is better.

Edited December 29, 2020 by flamjam

[Grant Slack]

Hi @flamjam 

 

what would be the current model equivalent to yours? https://www.netgear.com.au/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/

 

Cheers

Grant

[Demondes]

As already suggested by other,  I would first try to run a long Ethernet cable (eg 10m ) to the auralic from the current Telstra router and see if issue goes away.   
 

Then if you are not able to use a permanent Ethernet connection due to the house setup, I would then use a mesh router which has Ethernet ports in the back and place a satellite router near the auralic so you can run a short Ethernet cable and the wifi is then offloaded to the capable mesh router.

[Guest rmpfyf]

3 hours ago, Demondes said:

As already suggested by other,  I would first try to run a long Ethernet cable (eg 10m ) to the auralic from the current Telstra router and see if issue goes away.   
 

Then if you are not able to use a permanent Ethernet connection due to the house setup, I would then use a mesh router which has Ethernet ports in the back and place a satellite router near the auralic so you can run a short Ethernet cable and the wifi is then offloaded to the capable mesh router.

 

@Ian Lyons what this guy said and a little extra. 

 

Don't try run the streamer wireless. Yes it can do it though you really don't want wireless activated at all on it from an SQ perspective. 

[Ian Lyons]

Well the Telstra Smart modem has arrived and hooked up and its a new ball game ,everything is now working perfectly. What a difference ,the upload speed prior was 35 and now 55.Interestingly up until about 10 days ago I was getting upload speeds of 90 and still fighting to stream music This smart modem has certainly helped  the upload speed but I dont believe the speed has anything to do with my problem .I believe that it is to do with the technology of the router .I had a 3YO old technology  router with  brand new streamer of new technology .Standards change from what I gather thats why these modems keep being upgraded.                                                                                                                                   Now regarding ethernet I was told by Auralic that it sounds better on wi fi maybe due to noise /cable situation I dont know.Equally I have learnt from what I have read on this forum of loss of bandwidth from wi fi so  maybe at some strange I will go to the trouble of running a decent ethernet cable judge for my self the real difference. From what I have read quality of  the cable matters so I will research. I thank everyone for their help.Cheers

[Guest rmpfyf]

1 hour ago, Ian Lyons said:

Well the Telstra Smart modem has arrived and hooked up and its a new ball game ,everything is now working perfectly. What a difference ,the upload speed prior was 35 and now 55.Interestingly up until about 10 days ago I was getting upload speeds of 90 and still fighting to stream music This smart modem has certainly helped  the upload speed but I dont believe the speed has anything to do with my problem .I believe that it is to do with the technology of the router .I had a 3YO old technology  router with  brand new streamer of new technology .Standards change from what I gather thats why these modems keep being upgraded.                                                                                                                                   Now regarding ethernet I was told by Auralic that it sounds better on wi fi maybe due to noise /cable situation I dont know.Equally I have learnt from what I have read on this forum of loss of bandwidth from wi fi so  maybe at some strange I will go to the trouble of running a decent ethernet cable judge for my self the real difference. From what I have read quality of  the cable matters so I will research. I thank everyone for their help.Cheers

 

The tech likely hasn't improved, the top end Telstra gateways are simply more fully-featured and offer more bandwidth over wireless and a bit more signal strength. Infinite signal strength on your gateway does not automatically equal better performance; what's on your devces (including your streamer) doesn't change in strength - two people at talking volume 100m away won't be able to converse if only one of them is screaming.

 

It'll be as good as the number of devices using the available bandwidth, and the bandwidth is as good as what's available for neighbouring wireless networks and the like. Your performance may be useable but ultimately transient. A cable solves all and is a worthy, cost-effective upgrade. 

[Grant Slack]

I’m no expert, but I am much more inclined to think it’s the streaming software and settings, rather than the wifi transmission bandwidth or speed.

 

I say this because I have even had apparent speed restrictions when streaming on 1G Ethernet from NAS to Oppo, when it simply couldn’t be the transmission technology being the bottleneck.

 

Diagnosing, it, however, is beyond me.

 

cheers

Grant

[Ian Lyons]

I think what  I got out of that is that I should run a cable.What cost effective cable should I get ,if run about 15 m.

[Grant Slack]

Standard CAT 5 Ethernet cable

[Guest rmpfyf]

2 hours ago, Grant Slack said:

Standard CAT 5 Ethernet cable

 

What he said 

[Rosco8]

2 hours ago, Grant Slack said:

Standard CAT 5 Ethernet cable

CAT 5 is obsolete .. 5E is still available but CAT 6/6a is the go and pretty cheap ... and yes there is a CAT 7 

 

https://planetechusa.com/demystifying-ethernet-types-difference-between-cat5e-cat-6-and-cat7/

Edited December 31, 2020 by Rosco8

[Guest rmpfyf]

2 minutes ago, Rosco8 said:

CAT 5 is obsolete .. 5E is still available but CAT 6 is the go and pretty cheap ... 

 

https://www.firefold.com/blogs/news/cat5-vs-cat6-cables-what-are-the-differences

 

Anyone suggesting 'standard CAT5' likely means 5E. Cut the dude some slack... it's NYE

 

Not least in all likelihood for audio CAT5 will work just fine.

[ThirdDrawerDown]

I'm here just to support what @rmpfyf said. Happy New Year!

[avensis]

Hello, thanks to y'all for your suggestions, I think that I know which rooter to take now.

[Neo]

18 hours ago, Ian Lyons said:

I think what  I got out of that is that I should run a cable.What cost effective cable should I get ,if run about 15 m.

Would recommend this place and this cable 

https://www.4cabling.com.au/15m-cat-6a-s-ftp-lszh-ethernet-network-cable-black.html

Neo