Router impact

[Hollywood]

I have many smart switches and lights. My previous router (TP-Link AX) missed turning something on or off every so often, often enough to make me want to address it. I since switched to an Asus RT-AX88u and rarely have an issue.

My question is how does streaming one or more video services and or music service impact the router's ability to process it's other tasks like web browsing or activating smart lights and switches?

Without getting too technical, for example, is it reasonable for household members to stream Netflix, Peacock, and 2 WiiM devices all at one time, or is that pushing the router's limit?

At first I had very glitchy performance with my WiiM, but now I am thinking it was due to the router server doing it's initial indexing. Regardless, I used a second router dedicated as the music server. It is not ideal. Have most of you had great results with one router and multiple streamers at the same time?

Thanks

 

[onlyoneme]

There are routers and routers. Their overall performance will differ including pure routing performance. Business routers are focused on routing but home devices do switching, work as wireless access point, can serve as media servers, NASes etc. So it depends on the particular device, its setup, number of the devices in the network and usage scenarios, how the performance would be affected. Despite of all I don't think that audio streaming itself is a serious challenge.

 

[simbun]

Good god man with that router you'll be absolutely fine!

I've had a £50 Ubiquiti router (ER-X), a £90 Unifi access point (AC Lite) and a £120 24 port switch (JGS524Ev2) for about 8 years and they've been absolutely faultless.

Most people can get away with relatively cheap routers as long as they're not going to be running ALL the services on them too.
Let the router do the routing and get a Pi to do everything else.

 

[onlyoneme]

Good god man with that router you'll be absolutely fine!

I've had a £50 Ubiquiti router (ER-X), a £90 Unifi access point (AC Lite) and a £120 24 port switch (JGS524Ev2) for about 8 years and they've been absolutely faultless.

Most people can get away with relatively cheap routers as long as they're not going to be running ALL the services on them too.
Let the router do the routing and get a Pi to do everything else.

I had ERLite-3 for 12 years, but yeah, it's not a consumer device although cheap.

 

[Hollywood]

Let the router do the routing and get a Pi to do everything else.

Thanks. You seem correct. I was OK with the router and WiiM, and I then graduated to LMS on a Raspberry Pi and Material Skin. It was great for the first week or so, but now I am getting stuttering and when you hit Next track it jumps several songs before it locks on a track.

I think I eliminated the router and Material Skin, and think it is either the Raspberry Pi or LMS install settings. I have a post in the LMS forum and someone is actively helping me troubleshoot the problem.

Thanks for replying!

 

[onlyoneme]

Thanks. You seem correct. I was OK with the router and WiiM, and I then graduated to LMS on a Raspberry Pi and Material Skin. It was great for the first week or so, but now I am getting stuttering and when you hit Next track it jumps several songs before it locks on a track.

I think I eliminated the router and Material Skin, and think it is either the Raspberry Pi or LMS install settings. I have a post in the LMS forum and someone is actively helping me troubleshoot the problem.

Thanks for replying!

How do you stream from LMS to the WiiM?

 

[Hollywood]

How do you stream from LMS to the WiiM?

I tried Material Skin and my PC's web browser with 192.168.3.69:9000 which brings up the player.

for testing I unplugged the SSD from the LMS Raspberry Pi and plugged it directly into the router. It the took about 5-10 minutes to scan the library, but it played fine on the WiiM app during the scan and after it.

 

[onlyoneme]

I tried Material Skin and my PC's web browser with 192.168.3.69:9000 which brings up the player.

Which protocol do you use? Squeezelite beta, upnp, chromecast, airplay, etc ?

 

[simbun]

I had ERLite-3 for 12 years, but yeah, it's not a consumer device although cheap.

It's not, but it was really just to demonstrate that you don't need to chase the latest technologies/fastest speeds/greatest throughout to handle your typical workload.

I believe TP Link sell an equivalent setup in the consumer space.

 

[simbun]

Thanks. You seem correct. I was OK with the router and WiiM, and I then graduated to LMS on a Raspberry Pi and Material Skin. It was great for the first week or so, but now I am getting stuttering and when you hit Next track it jumps several songs before it locks on a track.

I assume you're using the UPnP Bridge? The skipping is common with LMS over UPnP, squeezelite will fix that.

 

[d6jg]

It’s quite easy to overload domestic grade WiFi. If you can wire things do so it will be vastly more stable.

 

[d6jg]

I assume you're using the UPnP Bridge? The skipping is common with LMS over UPnP, squeezelite will fix that.

I totally agree and that’s what I posted to @Hollywood in LMS forum. WiiM have said 31/8 as their target for public release.

 

[onlyoneme]

It's not, but it was really just to demonstrate that you don't need to chase the latest technologies/fastest speeds/greatest throughout to handle your typical workload.

I believe TP Link sell an equivalent setup in the consumer space.

Depends what typical workload means. Even smallest EdgeRouters are still powerful enough to work effectively at home despite of weak hardware, but they were considered as really fast devices since the release considering the price. And constant FW updates over these 12 years. You won't find anything similar among consumer TP Links I'm afraid.

 

[d6jg]

Depends what typical workload means. Even smallest EdgeRouters are still powerful enough to work effectively at home despite of weak hardware, but they were considered as really fast devices since the release considering the price. And constant FW updates over these 12 years. You won't find anything similar among consumer TP Links I'm afraid.

Agree.
I run Draytek routers and WAPs here and at most of our customers’. They just work as they should.
Anything you get free from an ISP should go straight in the bin IMHO.

 

[onlyoneme]

Agree.
I run Draytek routers and WAPs here and at most of our customers’. They just work as they should.
Anything you get free from an ISP should go straight in the bin IMHO.

Except the device you are simply forced to use, like cable modems.

 

[d6jg]

Except the device you are simply forced to use, like cable modems.

I haven’t seen a cable modem for years !

 

[onlyoneme]

I haven’t seen a cable modem for years !

Every day I see my Hitron from UPC.

 

[Hollywood]

I assume you're using the UPnP Bridge? The skipping is common with LMS over UPnP, squeezelite will fix that.

for testing, assuming I have my Raspberry Pi server with LMS up, what Android or PC app can I use that doesn't use UPnP Bridge? @d6jg says Wiim with LMS support should/will be available on August 31. Will that allow me to bypass the UPnP Bridge? Do you think that will solve the track skipping?
Thanks.

 

[onlyoneme]

for testing, assuming I have my Raspberry Pi server with LMS up, what Android or PC app can I use that doesn't use UPnP Bridge? @d6jg says Wiim with LMS support should/will be available on August 31. Will that allow me to bypass the UPnP Bridge? Do you think that will solve the track skipping?
Thanks.

UPnP bridge will no longer be needed to cast to WiiMs. If this track skipping is due to the bridge, then native squeezelite client will solve it.

 

[simbun]

If you want to use LMS then you can't avoid UPnP Bridge, unless you want to use the Chromecast interface on the WiiM.

It looks like squeezelite testing has gone very well so full confidence it'll fix the issues for the Pro (mini release date still to be confirmed).