Spotify Connect and Naim: astonishing range

Posted by: Donkeyhaute on 21 September 2016

Hello all,

My brother came over for Sunday lunch last weekend. He took umbrage at Radio Paradise whilst I was cooking and connected to my SU using Spotify Connect from his iPhone to play a few songs whilst I incinerated an innocent potato.

Last night, I was watching a le Carre film via the SU when, suddenly, it switched input to Spotify. 'Odd', I thought.

I switched it back to the TV input using the remote.

20 seconds later, it went back to Spotify.

'Odd', I thought. 'Most ODD'. I manually set the SU to TV and then hid the remote, assuming its batteries were on the wane. 

With increasing (and alarming) frequency, the input select went from TV to Spotify. My hands at this point, were a BLUR. Each time the enemy hacker switched to Spotify, I swiftly flicked him back. To get into the theme of things, I was, by now, wearing a helmet and chain smoking in low-light.  My thoughts turned to my ex-wife, turned by Krapotkin. Eventually, the Spotify input was selected so swiftly that my thumbs began to ache and I retired to a safe spot under the dining table. 

At this point, a named dread stole over my soul. 'It's the Russians!' I thought, eyes bubbling with le Carre-induced terror. Scrambling manfully, I altered my router's password, thus keeping safe the secrets of the West. 

Still, it sprung back to Spotify. This time it was playing the Pink Panther theme tune at 70/100 on my SU's volume nob. Was this a code? I didn't care - it had caused a tweeter or two to ping off and bat around the ceiling like crane flies. I dabbed at tears with my Union Jack boxer shorts and considered matters.

In a fit of rationality, I disabled the Spotify input on the SU. Sanity returns. I win!

My phone beeps. It's my brother. 

"Hey. You've locked me out!", he says.

"I thought the Russians were coming!", I said (apologies to any Russian Naimites - the specific le Carre had me primed).

"I thought you'd think that", said my brother, delighting in his mysteriousness.

The problem is, he lives 5 miles away in South London, and I'm at a loss to explain how he can remote control my SU when on a different wifi network (My SU is hardwired via ethernet cables).

Are they coming for me?

 

Posted on: 21 September 2016 by Bart

I'll take a guess as to how the Spotify service integrates with your Naim player.  

I'm guessing that the "music" doesn't come from Spotify in the cloud, to your iPhone, and then from there to your player.  Rather, the Spotify App tells Spotify in the cloud what to send to the IP address of your Naim player.  Thus, there is no need to have them both on the same wifi network, at least not after the initial set-up.  You are merely controlling what Spotify sends to your player with your iPhone app.

Now, why does the input change on the SU?  That seems a little more subtle.   But something to do with the SU deciding that something that Spotify from the cloud has sent it means that the user wants to listen to Spotify.

Posted on: 21 September 2016 by nigelb

I have no idea what is causing the glitches (probably not the Russians to be fair) but your description of your trials and tribulations is pure Donkeyhaute. I so enjoy your musings on here.

Sorry - not very helpful I know.

Glad to have you back and I hope you get to the bottom of it.

Posted on: 21 September 2016 by J Saville

This is a common issue apparently. Spotify appears to cache all 'connect' devices, so as long as both the control device and 'connect' device are on the internet you can control them no matter what network you are on. You can try manually removing the device from the account, but I have heard of some users having to email Spotify to have the device removed from their devices list.

So basically don't let anyone else use their Spotify account on your streamers.

Posted on: 21 September 2016 by GaryISL

How does it get round things like firewalls?

Posted on: 22 September 2016 by Donkeyhaute

Thanks, everyone, for replying. So it's a known issue. I'm being monitored by the Klingons.

Frankly, were I a Klingon, I'd spy on me too.

 

 

 

Posted on: 22 September 2016 by Huge

It's not Klingons, it's Romulans in Klingon suits - the Klingons aren't that subtle, and the Romulans are devious.   

Posted on: 22 September 2016 by nigelb

Is it possible that Donkeyhaute has wrongly assumed that his out-of-control system has nothing to do with those pesky Gremlins? This doesn't look like the signature of Klingon spying activity to me and I suspect this is the work of those Romulan swines. Or could it possibly be Klingons in Romulan suits?

I have now totally confused myself.

Sorry Donkeyhaute I have raised several questions and have given very few answers or advice about how you might solve your issues. Again I appear to have provided little to move things towards any kind of resolution. 

Posted on: 23 September 2016 by sjbabbey

Perhaps the Vidians have infected it with the dreaded phage.