Ethernet connection for Airport Express and Tidal

Hutton, what is you main router, an Apple Extreme ?  Any reason you are not using a switch from the router? Does the express have the latest Firmware are you able to connect through the Airport Utility ?

Is the first generation express the one with just one network port ?  Depending on the configuration of the AE i.e. client mode, it might have disabled the network port.

These links might help point you in the right direction though https://support.apple.com/en-gu/HT202192 and https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201577

Why not add a switch at the HDX?

Get a switch, put it near (but not too near) your hifi, and connect it to all your network devices including the router. Then restart everything. 

Reading your description, I am trying to workout what you are doing... Am I correct you are streaming AirPlay from your iPhone into your airport express and you ate getting dropouts?

in which case your iPhone is the streaming source, and the dropouts will be probably because of congested or poor wifi signal. If you want AirPlay in this way.. Try moving your airport express closer to your iPhone, changing your wifi channel if congested, get a newer airport express That supports 802.11ac (better wifi for streaming) or stream from an other apple device such as AppleTV controllable by your iPhone.

Regarding Ethernet 'splitters' they sound a bit suspect. You need to use a powered switch for duplex connections or a powered hub for half duplex connections... That latter are quite rare now, and I can imagine discovery having issues with half duplex connections. You could force a hub  half duplex connection by creating a 'Y' half duplex (2 twisted pair) Ethernet patch lead... but I am not sure it would physically meet the right specs, and also would have a lower data throughput than a regular full duplex connection and possibly impact multicast discovery through half duplex frame collisions.

Simon

Many thanks for all your replies which are hugely appreciated.  I am using a BT SSID home hub which came with the Infinity 1 package I upgraded to about a year ago.  Has worked fine apart from when BT decide to very occasionally interrupt the signal!  My Airport Express is the first or second version with a single ethernet port.  It has never been 100% reliable.  My Muso and all other wifi devices works fine though via the BT hub.  I am intrigued over the use of a switch and would be grateful for any suggested make/model etc?  Simon, I am using the Tidal app on my Iphone to stream to the Airport Express

Hi Hutton,   I have BT HH5 & Infinity,  but have no AE or other wireless extenders, the HH5 works all over the house & almost to the end of the 30m garden on 2.4GHz.        

The latest BT Hubs are OK at switching duties I am led to believe,  but I've had disasters with a HH3 & since then will only be happy with a pucka switch.     A switch manages data stream transmit & receive duties & sends data only to the MAC address that its intended for, & they all do this simultaneously.  ISP hubs may or may not do this;  problem is we (the average user) have no way to be sure what they do,  hence why I would always use a switch.      My switch is a simple unmanaged device,  this means it "learns" its local network MAC addresses & does not require the user to program the network details.     I have a NetGear GS105  - this is a 5 port unit,  but if you need more, 8 & more port variants are available.  Look around the www stores,  some have fancy cases for desktop decore,  others are utilitarian hide away boxes.   

Thanks Mike-B. I am investigating the idea of a switch which looks as though it could be the solution I am looking for (as long as it is straight forward to set up! .  I assume I can also connect a NAS to it for backing up my HDX?

Mike-B posted:

Hi Hutton,   I have BT HH5 & Infinity,  but have no AE or other wireless extenders, the HH5 works all over the house & almost to the end of the 30m garden on 2.4GHz.        

The latest BT Hubs are OK at switching duties I am led to believe,  but I've had disasters with a HH3 & since then will only be happy with a pucka switch.     A switch manages data stream transmit & receive duties & sends data only to the MAC address that its intended for, & they all do this simultaneously.  ISP hubs may or may not do this;  problem is we (the average user) have no way to be sure what they do,  hence why I would always use a switch.      My switch is a simple unmanaged device,  this means it "learns" its local network MAC addresses & does not require the user to program the network details.     I have a NetGear GS105  - this is a 5 port unit,  but if you need more, 8 & more port variants are available.  Look around the www stores,  some have fancy cases for desktop decore,  others are utilitarian hide away boxes.   

Wow Mike-B, I'm impressed you manage to get such coverage from your BT HH5. I have the same & infinity but lose the 2.4GHz as I move through my house.  I use a spare HH4 as a wifi extender to get to my Muso Qb in the kitchen.  Are you lucky to have your hub in the middle of your house?

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

... get a newer airport express That supports 802.11ac (better wifi for streaming) ...

Simon

Best you can get with any Airport Express is 802.11n

Roger

Ahhh, could kick myself!  Brief research indicated an ethernet switch is a cheap and easy solution.  Might also invest in a new Airport as I suspect mine may be faulty.

noname posted:

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

... get a newer airport express That supports 802.11ac (better wifi for streaming) ...

Simon

Best you can get with any Airport Express is 802.11n

Roger

yes it would have been better to say use a newer airport device - such as the Airport Time Capsule  that supports 802.11ac wifi with my iPhone  and a wired connection from the Airport Time Capsule to the AirportExpress - it has worked well here - although I now use an AppleTV instead of Express for audio transport duties.

Hutton1969 - in this setup your iPhone is dog legging the wifi traffic to the Express so not an efficient way of using wifi bandwidth so needs a good signal with not much congestion. Try using 802.11ac if you can with a newer AirPort device if you wish to play lossless.

Simon 

Hutton1969 posted:

Thanks Mike-B. I am investigating the idea of a switch which looks as though it could be the solution I am looking for (as long as it is straight forward to set up! .  I assume I can also connect a NAS to it for backing up my HDX?

If it helps to understand,  this my set up diagram,  just change my NDX to your HDX & its connected 

•  

  Hutton1969 - in this setup your iPhone is dog legging the wifi traffic to the Express so not an efficient way of using wifi bandwidth so needs a good signal with not much congestion. Try using 802.11ac if you can with a newer AirPort device if you wish to play lossless.

  Simon 

  An AirPort Extreme if you do not need the storage. This also has three LAN ports so you would not need a separate switch.

  Roger

pixies posted:

Wow Mike-B, I'm impressed you manage to get such coverage from your BT HH5. I have the same & infinity but lose the 2.4GHz as I move through my house.  I use a spare HH4 as a wifi extender to get to my Muso Qb in the kitchen.  Are you lucky to have your hub in the middle of your house?

Just to be clear Pixies,  my hub coverage does not extend to some places around the house or all the garden areas.   2.4G reaches down the garden because the hub is line of sight & has only patio doors to restrict it.  I am fixed on the 5G band with laptop & iPad  & although 5G has less range, its still OK in the garden.       The hub is not in the middle of the house, its in a house outside wall corner of a largish lounge.  Prior to my moving the incoming BT box, the old hub was in the hall & more or less in the middle of the house & the coverage to some rooms & garden was not as good,  caused I believe because it was surrounded on all sides by brick & block internal walls.  

Hi Roger, as I understand it (wrong probably) an Airport Extreme would not replace my existing router?

Hutton1969 posted:

Hi Roger, as I understand it (wrong probably) an Airport Extreme would not replace my existing router?

Sorry for not following the full story. I just came in to the discussion when Simon suggested a new Airport Express. Just checked back to see that you are using the Airport Express AirPlay feature via its digital audio output. I did not get that from your set up diagram.

So the AirPort Extreme is not for you as it does not have the audio output you need. Your existing router LAN port should be connected directly to the switch and the Airport Express also connected to another port on the switch.

Like the Extreme, the current Express does have a WAN port for connection to something like a fibre modem for an Internet connection. But it can be configured not to use that. But I would hold off on that until you have tried the switch.

Happy listening

Roger

Just wanted to thank you all for your most helpful advice and assistance.  As a first step I have ordered a BT 5 port ethernet switch for £18 and will see how I get on.  If I still have problems, will consider purchasing the latest Airport Express.  Quite like Tidal so far although the sound quality falls a little short of the HDX.

Best regards

Hutton

Just to update, the BT ethernet switch is now in situ and appears to be working.  Initially my HDX went into "please wait" mode and I lost my wifi connections to the tv and Sky box.  I therefore changed the Airport Express settings from sharing my network to its own network which for the moment appears to have resolved the problem.  I can only assume that there was a conflict with the Airport Express sharing the network.

The only other issue I have concerns the Airport Express which gets very hot!