How do I switch from Wi-Fi to Ethernet cables?


My Bluesound Node currently receives Wi-Fi, but I'd like to switch to a direct link. I assume that would be with an ethernet cable from the modem to the Bluesound - with possibly a better switch between the two.

The problem is that my modem is in the basement and the Bluesound is on a different floor. There is not a clear path for running cable. 

Is there a piece of equipment or technology that I could help in this situation?

128x128imaninatural

@balooo2 , with respect to your "daisy chain" description, not quite. To daisy chain something means that you configuring whatever to be in series with one another. However a *mesh* system is not "in series". Here's a good explanation:

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/what-is-mesh-wifi-router,news-24580.html

"With a mesh Wi-Fi router, one access point acts as the router or base station and connects to one of the best cable modems to get internet access. Meanwhile, the other nodes act as satellites, receiving internet from the base station and then rebroadcasting it to nearby devices.

All of these units share data back and forth and provide multiple sources of Wi-Fi. One of the best things about a mesh system is that unlike with Wi-Fi range extenders, they all share the same network, so you won’t have to switch to a new network as you move throughout your house."

I used to use simple extenders but keeping everything straight was a PITA. Not to mention all the SSDs to deal with. Messy. With mesh, you're not moving from one network to another. The handoff from one node to another is seamless.

Happy listening.

@cleeds Why leave the most pertinet compnet of my comment out...

I stated "I've encountered some folk who are under the impression wireless Wifi and a mesh system are two different things they are not, mesh is simply daisy chaining a wireless signal."    Which is a fact, Omitting parts of the entire sentence is dishonest.

Mesh is not a daisy-chaining, as has been explained to you. You sound a little confused.

@musicfan2349 You are 100% correct in the deeper clarification but most are not that curious. Daisy chain is something most can understand and your breakdown is technically correct. But I'll stick with Daisy chain when explaining our Mesh Ai systems :)

@cleeds I’m still comfortable with explaining the Ai Mesh system as daisy chaining in simple terms, and your comment is still no less dishonest. I may be confused as you say but I still I am smart enough to own the best wifi system availible in the view of many in this discussions opinion.

That’s ok. Some people are comfortable being wrong.

... your comment is still no less dishonest ..

You’re being silly. If you truly think I’m lying and being dishonest, take your complaints to the moderators. The behavior you cite isn’t tolerated here.

@cleeds unbunch them for Pete’s sake... You intentionally omit parts of comments all the time. If you meant no foul my bad. Can you admit the the same and move on? Often this is what a thread here becomes just nasty uncalled for spewing of childish "gotcha" bale, I stated earlier lets be civil in our communication I had people like you in mind.

balooo2

unbunch them for Pete’s sake

I have no idea what you are talking about.

I stated earlier lets be civil in our communication I had people like you in mind.

I suggest you take whatever complaint you have about me to the moderators. I have no idea what your issue is.

Inexpensive but good sounding solution for me was short ethernet cable from router to fiber media converter box to fiberoptic cable to another FMC box and short Ethernet cable into my Dac streamer

@musicfan2349 I remembered seeing "daisy chain topogrphy" as an explanation in Asus’s set up guide see page 10 of the link.

https://images-eu.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/A1kBHyTa5TL.pdf

If you look at Asus’s expalnation in advertisments etc they refer to the technology as "daisy chaining routers". Google it. Your explanation is more complete but for most this is an easy wrap around.

@cleeds Yes, the streaming protocol has a name - it's called TCP/IP and it ensures 100% packet delivery in order thanks to the use of caches, buffers, CRC error detection and retransmission. If your streaming efforts aren't time-sensitive, TCP can be advantageous for enabling the full bandwidth of a network and ensuring enhanced reliability. Amazon Prime, Qobuz, and Netflix use TCP as the transport layer protocol. YouTube on the other hand use both UDP and TCP protocols.

TIDAL uses TCP/IP to send encapsulated PCM data (as FLAC) from it's servers on the Internet to your PC/Mac. There is no concept of "jitter" while audio data is in this domain - the packets are received and reliably assembled into a PCM stream, buffered by your PC, and then sent to your DAC via the OS-specific audio layers (e.g. Core Audio for a Mac). While packets are sequenced, TCP/IP does NOT contain any temporal information, in that the packets are not associated with a time of arrival and associated re-transmit - it's completely asynchronous.

Until it's being sent to the DAC, timing simply does not  matter. And, since just about all DACs receive PCM data via an asynchronous USB input, timing from the PC does not come into play either (i.e. there is no "jitter" here, either).

If you're live streaming - a Zoom call - UDP is considered the preferred protocol. UDP does not guarantee packet he other protocol used for streaming is delivery, but offers slightly greater throughput. User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is specifically chosen for time-sensitive applications like gaming, playing videos, or Domain Name System (DNS) lookups. It is not used for streaming music.

panzrwagn

@cleeds Yes, the streaming protocol has a name - it’s called TCP/IP ...

Of course. That’s exactly what I said:

... streaming really is streaming, it’s not something else. Qobuz, Tidal, Spotify all use streaming protocols ...

@balooo2 mesh is NOT daisy chaining... Here is a better explanation, please see "Star topology versus daisy-chain topology":

https://www.asus.com/us/support/FAQ/1045875/#point3

The two really are fundamentally different. OTOH if you're comfortable with your simplification, though inaccurate, far be it from me to convince you otherwise. After 40+ years as a software professional, I've learned when to stop arguing.

Happy listening.

@musicfan2349 I did not disagree with you nor your explaination I stated you are 100% correct and clearly stated. "You are 100% correct in the deeper clarification but most are not that curious. Daisy chain is something most can understand and your breakdown is technically correct. But I’ll stick with Daisy chain when explaining our Mesh Ai systems :) No aurgument here you are on point. I am not a 40 year software veteran and I learned a long time ago KISS.

All the best!

 

Not everyone has a DAC that relies solely on usb.  Timing does matter.  I have had at least three streamers, at varying price points, where the Ethernet connection was audibly superior to the WiFi.  I urge the OP, if he isn’t convinced, to run a long Ethernet connection as an experiment, even if the cables are temporarily in inconvenient areas, and compare to his WiFi,.  For the purposes of this experiment the cheapest CAT-5 will do.  If he doesn’t perceive a difference, then just optimize the WiFi.  If he prefers wired, then make the one time expenditure to get his house wired.  A competent installer shouldn’t require more than an hour, and doesn’t have to be a music business specialist.

I would feed the ethernet cable through the walls and put a jack on the wall. Makes life so much easier.

 

Seems your modem is part router, otherwise not sure you’d have Wi-Fi.

Once you have an ethernet Jack on the wall, you’ll have a better connection to feed a network switch that can provide digital Signal more conveniently to a lot of different destinations

 

Don't complicate your life with all this extender stuff. It's not rocket science.

FYI, I also use. Node 2 using wifi. I use a RME dac with it and I had a lot of dropouts and constantly had to reboot the Node and my phone. I moved  the Dac and the Node apart from each other and my dropouts stopped. There is now an 8 inch separation where before they were butting up next to each other. A simple solution 

I mentioned at the beginning of this thread that you can buy a router that accepts a SIM card which means you don't need hard wired internet and still get 5G.

So MESH etc. is not required.

Seems like the ethernet over powerline adapters (~$40) to an optical segment and back just before the streamer would proved the most flexibility.  The optical portion, with a nice short shielded ethernet cable to the streamer, can be had for under $100.(newegg)

My node2i always had signal issue with wifi, 2.4 or 5, with no walls between wifi router and it. It isn’t the wifi spec, it is the interference and the specific streamer device’s capabilities, and internet service, that are the issues I have had with audio wifi.  Innuos pulse mini now, no wifi on it.. with an optical section… much happier now.