Connecting a streamer via an Ethernet cable


Is there a noticeable difference connecting a streamer directly to an External cable as opposed to WiFi? The reason I ask, is that doing so with my situation would require a fair amount of effort. But if it’s worth it, I’m willing to do it. Thanks.
z32kerber

Showing 2 responses by martinb0820

z32kerber: Why guess? If your streamer supports it, see if packets are being dropped or retried on the WiFi interface, and then plan your strategy based on the data. (for example, if your router is running Linux under the hood, you may need to log in via ssh.)

If necessary, try to improve the performance of your WiFi setup before investing in a  mesh router or running Ethernet cable. The simplest first step is to download a phone or PC app such as "WiFi Analyzer" and use it to find a channel with a low access point count.

Also, make sure your WiFi router is correctly configured. For example, mine had a "smart" feature that was supposed to automatically direct devices to 2.4 or 5 GHz. I turned it off; it wasn't that smart, and would switch bands fairly randomly, causing my streamer to disconnect.

As far as jitter, etc. over WiFi, suffice it to say that people download software (including O/S updates), back up laptops to NAS, edit documents on network storage, etc. via WiFi all the time.

I have no problem reliably streaming Hi-Res Qobuz via WiFi.

Qobuz streaming sounded as good as some good CDs.
I find that Qobuz Hi-Res sounds much better than CDs.