Android app: please support WiiM static IP address

[robca]

I have a very complex network with multiple SSIDs and devices isolated on subnetworks. All my dedicated devices, including the WiiM have static IP addresses. The WiiM device supports static IP addresses, but for reasons I don't understand, the Android app doesn't allow to set a static address to find the WiiM, and uses mDNS to find the device. My router properly redirects mDNS, and usually everything works just fine.

From time to time, though, it takes more than a minute to find the WiiM on the network. Then, once found, it all works. Given that my WiiM has a static IP, having to wait for mDNS to find the device each time is pretty annoying. Since I can set a static (manual) address for the device, I would expect the Android app to also let me hardcode the IP address. It seems like a relatively simple change, even if I realize that my case is not very common.

For what is worth, the third party WiiM Watcher Chrome extension works perfectly fine with the hardcoded IP address, and it's much more reliable in finding the WiiM on my network than the Android WiiM app.

 

[ratty]

"Not very common" sums it up succinctly IMHO. Are you trying to discover your WiiM from another subnet?

 

[robca]

"Not very common" sums it up succinctly IMHO. Are you trying to discover your WiiM from another subnet?

Yes, and discovery across subnets (even if mDNS redirector) is flaky at best. The app finds the device, tells me it's on a different network, then after a minute or so gives me access to the device.

The device allows for a static IP. The code clearly uses an IP address after discovery because once discovered, it works reliably. So adding an option to bypass discovery and use the address is likely a low risk code change (I don't mean to minimize other people work. I alwys use to joke that "the less you understand a problem, the easier the solution").

It might not be common, but if you look online, there are quite a few threads from people using their IoT devices on separate subnets for security purposes. Why punish people who want to be more secure? "Not very common" but hardly unique.

I love my WiiM. Being able to access it more reliably would be even better

 

[rjw]

I have the exact same problem but everything is on the same subnet. I have three wiim in a group and when I open the app if they are in standby mode it takes up to a minute for the whole group to appear.

However they are all connected and working since if I play something in Spotify connect it immediately plays correctly on all three devices

So it's the app that is having trouble. Sometimes it tells me that one of the devices is on another network but then within a minute it does show up properly.

Catching the last known IP of each device would solve this, particularly if we make those static.

 

[robca]

This has gotten much worse lately. The WiiM is on the same network, I can see it using a mDNS/Bonjour browser, but the WiiM Android app cannot find the WiiM Pro. I can control the WiiM using the Chrome WiiM Watcher extension.

This is really frustrating and could be solved so easily by allowing the app to use a static IP address.

 

[simbun]

This has gotten much worse lately. The WiiM is on the same network, I can see it using a mDNS/Bonjour browser, but the WiiM Android app cannot find the WiiM Pro. I can control the WiiM using the Chrome WiiM Watcher extension.

Have you submitted feedback through the app as I've had mine on a different subnet for a couple of months now and it's been fine.
Do other apps on your phone detect it e.g. Spotify, YouTube e.t.c.

 

[robca]

No, I haven't (yet) submitted feedback thru the app, will do.

And, yes, all other apps on the same phone can see that device, cast to it, etc. It's just the WiiM app that doesn't work. To be precise, every other device on the network with every other app works (including the WiiM Watcher Chrome extension).

Problem is: only the WiiM app can select a station on Amazon Music and play it from the streamer. I don't want to have my phone casting audio, I want the WiiM to play independently

 

[simbun]

Problem is: only the WiiM app can select a station on Amazon Music and play it from the streamer. I don't want to have my phone casting audio, I want the WiiM to play independently

I've never used it, but can't you use the Amazon app? Surely that's not tunnelled through the phone. Isn't it just AirPlay that does that (and Bluetooth obviously)?

 

[robca]

Problem is, none of those is bit perfect, and all of those use the Amazon Music app on the phone to send data to the WiiM. If you try casting from the Amazon Music app and turn off the Android WiFi, the WiiM player stops playing (once the currently buffered song ends). It's not that I don't want my phone to have wifi, it's just that I don't want my phone to use battery to play music, when I have a networked device (the WiiM) perfectly capable of doing it. Or my music to stop when my phone is on a different wifi network.

Also, when casting thru the phone, I can't control music from the WiiM Watcher chrome extension, because it's not playing on the WiiM, just streaming from the phone.

Really, this is a poor app design. The device is on the network, reachable from everything but the WiiM app. The WiiM app even says that the device is online, just can't control it. So, clearly, the WiiM app knows that there is a player. I sent feedback from the app, let's see what the fine WiiM support people say.

 

[Mr Ee]

Problem is, none of those is bit perfect, and all of those use the Amazon Music app on the phone to send data to the WiiM. If you try casting from the Amazon Music app and turn off the Android WiFi, the WiiM player stops playing (once the currently buffered song ends). It's not that I don't want my phone to have wifi, it's just that I don't want my phone to use battery to play music, when I have a networked device (the WiiM) perfectly capable of doing it. Or my music to stop when my phone is on a different wifi network.

Also, when casting thru the phone, I can't control music from the WiiM Watcher chrome extension, because it's not playing on the WiiM, just streaming from the phone.

Really, this is a poor app design. The device is on the network, reachable from everything but the WiiM app. The WiiM app even says that the device is online, just can't control it. So, clearly, the WiiM app knows that there is a player. I sent feedback from the app, let's see what the fine WiiM support people say.

The wiim supports alexacast, similar to spotify connect and tidal connect.
Seems you either haven't set that up, or maybe it's not available where you live.

See the Amazon entry at the end of the Music Services list in the wiim app.
Register your amazon account there.

 

[Brantome]

The wiim supports alexacast, similar to spotify connect and tidal connect.
Seems you either haven't set that up, or maybe it's not available where you live.

See the Amazon entry at the end of the Music Services list in the wiim app.
Register your amazon account there.

Yeah, the Amazon Alexa entry should be linked to allow AlexaCast. I wonder what’s being used to cast as even ChromeCast in the Amazon music app should go directly to the WiiM and not thru the phone, surely it’s not just Bluetooth??

 

[spacegrass]

Yeah, the Amazon Alexa entry should be linked to allow AlexaCast. I wonder what’s being used to cast as even ChromeCast in the Amazon music app should go directly to the WiiM and not thru the phone, surely it’s not just Bluetooth??

To address @Brantome 's query, I opened the Amazon app today to set up the Alexa cast on Android phone with the Wiim Pro, and I didn't need it - under the settings wheel in Amazon app home screen, it offers "connect to a device" and the Pro was listed, and plays hi-res from the Amazon app - Topping DAC shows "192". All Alexa and chromecast settings are turned off in WHA. Turning off the phone did not stop the Amazon stream. With phone off, i could continue to control the stream from the WHA app open on an IOS device.

Yeah, the Amazon Alexa entry should be linked to allow AlexaCast. I wonder what’s being used to cast as even ChromeCast in the Amazon music app should go directly to the WiiM and not thru the phone, surely it’s not just Bluetooth??

I have Amazon Unlimited again after a hiatus, and i can play from the Amazon app on Android phone to the Wiim pro using just a "connect to a device" setting in Amazon app - it sees the Pro - yet Alexa and Chromecast settings are turned off in WHA, afaik. Stream is hi-res - Topping DAC shows "192".
Edit: I was in fact "signed in" to Alexa in the WHA, even though it was "off" in the manage services menu - so above was just Alexa cast. I thought there used to be a need for an Alexa app on the phone? I don't have that.

 

[robca]

Edit: I was in fact "signed in" to Alexa in the WHA, even though it was "off" in the manage services menu - so above was just Alexa cast. I thought there used to be a need for an Alexa app on the phone? I don't have that.

Yep. And there's no way I will sign up to Alexa . I have no use for Alexa anywhere else, and I don't want to sign up to anything that will listen all the time.

So, yes, one potential workaround is to use Alexa Cast, but that requires enabling Alexa and signing on their (lack-of-)privacy policy. So it's not a workaround for me. And that still won't cover all the other sources, just Amazon Music

Without Alexa Cast (or a subscription to Tidal, which I don't have) every other option is to use the phone as a streamer, and in most cases live with non-bit-perfect streaming.

And none of this would be needed if the app worked properly... Or, at a minimum, went back to the original behavior, which worked most of the times. Something changed lately that completely broke the app (for my use case)

 

[Mr Ee]

Yep. And there's no way I will sign up to Alexa . I have no use for Alexa anywhere else, and I don't want to sign up to anything that will listen all the time.

So, yes, one potential workaround is to use Alexa Cast, but that requires enabling Alexa and signing on their (lack-of-)privacy policy. So it's not a workaround for me. And that still won't cover all the other sources, just Amazon Music

Without Alexa Cast (or a subscription to Tidal, which I don't have) every other option is to use the phone as a streamer, and in most cases live with non-bit-perfect streaming.

And none of this would be needed if the app worked properly... Or, at a minimum, went back to the original behavior, which worked most of the times. Something changed lately that completely broke the app (for my use case)

This isn't signing up for Alexa.
You are simply registering your wiim with your Amazon account.
You do not need to enable Alexa on your phone, and the wiim itself does not listen to you, as confirmed by wiim on this forum.

 

[robca]

You mean, "not signing to Alexa" like this?

If you never signed up for Alexa, when you click on the Alexa icon in the Amazon Music app, that's what you get

And in any case, even if I wanted to sign in to Alexa, that still doesn't let me manage the rest of the WiiM functions

 

[Mr Ee]

You mean, "not signing to Alexa" like this?

If you never signed up for Alexa, when you click on the Alexa icon in the Amazon Music app, that's what you get

And in any case, even if I wanted to sign in to Alexa, that still doesn't let me manage the rest of the WiiM functions

Don't click alexa in the amazon app.
Go to the music services section in the wiim app and then the amazon alexa entry in there.
Once registered, your wiim will appear in the cast to section in the amazon app.

It's perhaps a little unfortunate that this protocol is called alexacast, with the negative connotations that comes with the word alexa.

 

[simbun]

And none of this would be needed if the app worked properly... Or, at a minimum, went back to the original behavior, which worked most of the times. Something changed lately that completely broke the app (for my use case)

If you connect your phone to the same network as the WiiM do you still have discovery problems?

 

[Brantome]

Yep. And there's no way I will sign up to Alexa . I have no use for Alexa anywhere else, and I don't want to sign up to anything that will listen all the time.

Linking the WiiM Home app to your Amazon account via the Amazon Alexa entry in the WiiM Home app to enable AlexaCast emphatically doesn’t enable anything to “listen all the time” - I’m afraid that’s classic tabloid clickbait misinformation

So, yes, one potential workaround is to use Alexa Cast, but that requires enabling Alexa and signing on their (lack-of-)privacy policy. So it's not a workaround for me. And that still won't cover all the other sources, just Amazon Music

AlexaCast isn’t a workaround if you want to cast bit perfect up to 24/192 from the Amazon Music app.

 

[Brantome]

Edit: I was in fact "signed in" to Alexa in the WHA, even though it was "off" in the manage services menu - so above was just Alexa cast. I thought there used to be a need for an Alexa app on the phone? I don't have that.

The Alexa app has never been needed other than if you want to set your WiiM device as preferred speaker, or to group your WiiM with Echo devices should you have any

 

[robca]

Linking the WiiM Home app to your Amazon account via the Amazon Alexa entry in the WiiM Home app to enable AlexaCast emphatically doesn’t enable anything to “listen all the time” - I’m afraid that’s classic tabloid clickbait misinformation

You are right: Alexa Cast doesn't listen. Alexa does.

My problem was that I was logged into the Amazon Music app, and also needed to be logged into the Amazon Alexa app. The WiiM app lists all services in alphabetical order, starting with Amazon Music. But, for reasons I can't fathom, Amazon Alexa is the last entry, and requires scrolling thru 18 other services, until you finally see Amazon Alexa as the last entry after vTuner. Had Amazon Alexa been in the correct alphabetical order before Amazon Music, discoverability would not have been such an issue. It's also puzzling having to log in twice to the same account on the same device, but I understand enough about cloud services and authentication to see how that's not a WiiM problem (the ordering is, though)

So, yes, once you log in again to your Amazon account in the Amazon Alexa service, then you can see the WiiM as an Alexa Cast option in the phone Amazon Music app, in addition to the WiiM Chromecast option. If you are not logged into Alexa Cast, all you can use is Chromecast, and that is not bit perfect.

Thanks for pointing this out, appreciate the help.

Still, that only solves one problem: how to easily stream from the Amazon service. If you want to switch to a podcast or to Pandora, you need to use the WiiM app. The most frustrating issue is that my Android phone can see the WiiM device as a Chromecast device or an Alexa Cast device, but the WiiM app cannot find the device that is happily playing along. So if I want to switch service or change the device settings (input, for example), I can't. It would all be so much better if I could simply tell the app to stop searching for the WiiM every time, and use a stored IP address.