Streaming from computer to Preamp/Streamer getting numerous breakups/blackouts.

[highfigh]

I checked and it's got updated firmware. The NAD firmware and the BluOS Controller software both updated within 15 days ago.

My post just above I now have Excellent signal and I don't really know what I did to get that.

Maybe with the updated firmware from a few days ago I needed to be reset. I don't know. (I'm always afraid of firmware updates and what will be fixed and what will be broken)

But, can a device on a 5Ghz connection to the router (my Notebook) talk to a device on the 2.4Ghz if I try putting the NAD on the 2.4?

WiFi is possible because the router has an access point built into it. It doesn't matter which frequency you use as long as the equipment has a reliable and stable connection. You don't need to use the 5 GHz band if you don't have stable performance Once the data reaches the router, the WiFi frequencies don't matter. Lower frequency RF is usable over longer distances and in fact, industrial facilities often use lower frequency transmission because of the long distances between the antennae but some of those use a small dish to focus the energy and increase range.

The reason I asked about cellular is because 5G refers to the most recent system updates where they install cell sites much closer together and that name isn't about frequency, it means '5th Generation'- referring to WiFi as '5 gig' is common, I don't know anyone in the industry that calls it 5G.

 

[highfigh]

To me, it's more about the redundant amount of hardware needed these days for. . .convenience? A lot of boxes just to save from as much physical inconvenience as possible, not to mention the amount of troubleshooting minions it takes to keep it all running smoothly. While my methods are certainly antiquated, I enjoy the part of needing very little in way of tech support.

I have an echo dot. For all it's convenience, it is a buggy fk. It glitches occasionally, to the point where I just leave it alone for days until it occurs to me to try it again to see if it fixed itself. It, and the wifi both lie about who/what the culprit is. Phone shows wifi signal as excellent, yet Alexa says I need to check the network, and further troubleshooting directs me to physically going into settings and deleting cache, and all other kind of semi-hopeful cures that rarely work, at least without some other new, albeit erroneous quirk to deal with from there on out. And for what, an endless supply of constant spontaneous, or instantaneous entertainment?

Anymore, the least amount of puter/tech nerds or "experts" the better. Fortunately for me, minimalistic approaches are still valid, albeit it not too popular for those who need malfunctioning networks and hardware to make a living from it.

Thinking that fewer boxes will work in a place where the materials block the signal and the router is inundated with device activity is arguing with Physics- IIRC, you can see the signal strength in the DOT app- I would definitely recommend doing that if it's buggy. The phone signal and DOT signal can be very different because they're not in the sale location. Put the phone on top of the DOT and see if the signal strength is high- if it isn't, you'll need to move the DOT.

Networking and RF (WiFi and other radio signals) are established science- if you hear varying comments, it's because people don't understand it in the same way. Look at all radio signals as energy- that's the only way it can be fully understood. Low frequency signals can be useful over longer distances, but they have limits on the speed of data transmission and high frequencies can provide higher speed data but the signal isn't useful over the long distances and it can be blocked more easily by dense materials. In either case, metal & thick masonry between the router and any access points/devices using WiFi WILL cause problems. If you walk through the house and watch the signal strength meter, you'll see it vary. An area where phones have trouble is where the signal from multiple antennae coincide- the phone won't always transfer seamlessly, regardless of what the manufacturer says and Apple is one of the worst. The iPhone will hang onto a signal long after it has become useless, even if it's closer to an access point that's much closer and it providing strong signal. I and many others refer to this as 'separation anxiety', similar to handing off a baby to another person- it usually wants to go back to mommy. The general recommendation is to use the same SSID (name) as the router for all access points to make roaming easier, but that doesn't always work well- I added -1 to the access point in my garage because I had a hard time getting my floodlight camera to connect to the network and it was an easy way for it to discriminate. I use the access point when I'm working in my garage or yard because the signal strength is better but I can control everything using any of the SSIDs. I worked at a house with the Apple computer on the second floor and since it was wired, it worked well unless someone turned on its WiFi, which I had turned off because it wasn't needed. I moved it to the third floor when they began to remodel parts of the main and second floors and it was less than 20' from the access point on that floor, but it constantly reconnected to the Apple AirPort Extreme router that I had moved to the basement. It wasn't practical or easy to run one ethernet cable to the third floor because nothing below it had been opened for construction. Apple was no help, either.

 

[highfigh]

To me, it's more about the redundant amount of hardware needed these days for. . .convenience? A lot of boxes just to save from as much physical inconvenience as possible, not to mention the amount of troubleshooting minions it takes to keep it all running smoothly. While my methods are certainly antiquated, I enjoy the part of needing very little in way of tech support.

I referred to a house as 'The Place where WiFi goes to die'- I needed to use four Apple AirPort Express devices as access points, an AirPort Extreme as the router and another access point in the basement because using a lot of Apple devices in the same network caused a lot of problems, even though lots of anecdotal comments from installers/dealers showed that it could be done. This is a larger home with the metal screen lath used for the plaster and the roof has slate shingles,which made using WiFi difficult in some areas. The signal dropped drastically when moving from one room to to the adjacent one and going farther made it even worse. It was during one of my calls to AppleCare that someone finally told me that Apple officially didn't recommend, nor support, using more than two Apple network devices in the same system. This was about a week after they announced they were ending development and manufacture of network hardware (AirPort Express and Extreme). I asked why it took them more than ten years of trouble calls by networking professionals to finally mention the two device limit. They should have understood that their stuff was made for apartments, not full-blown networks in large homes.

The next home these people moved to has an EERO router in the basement under the Kitchen and an EERO Beacon at the landing to the second floor for the house and an access point at the West wall of the garage for the adjacent room, the area to the South, the Poolhouse and the pool. These three devices are covering close to 15,000 square feet and I have had no trouble calls since I installed everything in 2018.