Android + Chromecast = connection nightmare

[WoodsGuy]

I'm having severe problems with Adroid and Chromecast maintaining a connection.

Phone: Pixel 7, using Google Fi with the latest update. No carrier or manufacturer bloat, just pure Android.
Music source: YT Music, sent to the Wiim Pro via Chromecast
Wiim: Pro, with the latest software update as of July 2.

I also have similar issues with a MacBook Air, running Chrome and Chromecasting YT Music.

Symptoms: When I choose the Wiim in the CC menu in TY Music, sometimes it connects and sometimes it fails repeatedly. I assume that both devises are on the same network, because the Wiim app on the phone can see the Wiim, but then has a connection failure. The Wiim only knows 1 network in my house - a 2.4/5.2 gHz SSID. This is the same network I use for my phone and laptop.

When I got the Wiim 2 weeks ago, it was *perfect* for several days, then completely stopped working for several days. After the Wiim update on JUly 1, it got better, but still has problems.

Odd things that happen: the YT Music app will stop casting, and the sound will return to the phone. The app will show a song that isn't playing, and will display a song that was playing 30 minutes previously - at this point I can't control (change songs, change playlists, pause, etc). Rebooting the Wiim or waiting several hours seems to be the only cure.

I use Bluetooth for music when I'm working in the garage/shop. Some days it seems t hat using BT makes the Wiim connection issue worse. I also put a new stereo with Android Auto in my truck about the time I started having connection issues. Seems unrelated, but the timing is suspicious.

Love the hardware, but if the performance is this bad I need to send it back. Please help me keep it.

 

[WoodsGuy]

OK - I was listening to music, and the stream stopped. Light on the front of the Wiim is red.

I tried to select the Wiim in the CC menu, but it wasn't on the list of CC items. I opened the Wiim app and did a "searching for devices" After a few minutes, the Wiim appeard on the screen and the LED turned white.

The Wiim app on my phone claims that the song is still playing, although there's no sound from the speakers.
On my phone there's a completely different song playing.

On the YT Music app, it now sees the Wiim, but I'm not connected. I pressed the connect button, and 30 seconds later the song displayed by YT Music is now playing on the speakers.

The Wiim app took 10-15 seconds to display the correct song that was playing.

 

[Mr Ee]

Solid red led => no network.
Wifi or ethernet connection?
Edit - I see you wrote wifi in the first post!

 

[Mr Ee]

Do you have a mesh network, or multiple access points?
There are a few options in the settings that might help, e.g. ipv6 on/off, dns server, and I think one to tie the pro to a particular access point.
As a test, maybe just try moving the pro close to the router for a while and casting to it to see if it still drops out.

 

[Wiimer]

> The Wiim only knows 1 network in my house - a 2.4/5.2 gHz SSID.

Try turning "Only 5GHz" on/off in Network Status in the WiiM app.

 

[WiiM Team]

@WoodsGuy Sorry to hear that. Please send us a ticket through the app > settings > feedback so we can take a look at the logs.

 

[WoodsGuy]

Thanks for the input.
@WiiM Team - I turned in a ticket over the weekend, and am assuming you all have at least one day off.

It could be a wifi issue, and that would make sense. However, there are other wifi users in that same area. Tablets, laptops and phones all work fine there but they also have larger antenna. I have a few smart devices (light switches, etc) that are going to (probably) have much smaller antenna, and I would expect the Wiim to work at least as well in that spot. However, a poor signal is a solvable problem.

When it works it's fantastic! It woul be nice to use YT Music like any of the other streaming services (run from the Wiim), but assuming that is a Google problem, not a Wiim problem.

 

[Wiimer]

Thanks for the input.
@WiiM Team - I turned in a ticket over the weekend, and am assuming you all have at least one day off.

It could be a wifi issue, and that would make sense. However, there are other wifi users in that same area. Tablets, laptops and phones all work fine there but they also have larger antenna. I have a few smart devices (light switches, etc) that are going to (probably) have much smaller antenna, and I would expect the Wiim to work at least as well in that spot. However, a poor signal is a solvable problem.

When it works it's fantastic! It woul be nice to use YT Music like any of the other streaming services (run from the Wiim), but assuming that is a Google problem, not a Wiim problem.

As far as I've verified, the WiiM Pro works reliably with YTM. Chromecast connected YTM and Pro in an instant, and in 2 hours of playback there was not a single stutter.

Because of this, there may be a problem with the network or the device may be faulty.

 

[WiiM Team]

Thanks for the input.
@WiiM Team - I turned in a ticket over the weekend, and am assuming you all have at least one day off.

It could be a wifi issue, and that would make sense. However, there are other wifi users in that same area. Tablets, laptops and phones all work fine there but they also have larger antenna. I have a few smart devices (light switches, etc) that are going to (probably) have much smaller antenna, and I would expect the Wiim to work at least as well in that spot. However, a poor signal is a solvable problem.

When it works it's fantastic! It woul be nice to use YT Music like any of the other streaming services (run from the Wiim), but assuming that is a Google problem, not a Wiim problem.

Can you share your ticket number?

 

[WoodsGuy]

I got a reply from customer service, and they say it's a weak wifi signal.

It's unfortunate that the antenna isn't as good as other wifi devices I have. Looks like it'll cost some money to solve the problem that I don't have with anything else.

An external antenna would be a great option.