Streaming music from UPNP server through Naim Uniti app - PROBLEM!

This is most likely to a problem with your network, not the app.  Mine works each and every time I use it.

It might be helpful if you could describe your setup.

How do people expect to get answers when a problem is just dropped in, with no explanation whatsoever? Are Forum members supposed to have powers of ESP?

Absolutely Richard,  it's not the app,  its a network problem.  But until we all get better info (or ESP) I will just assume its the usual wireless problems again. 

BJarne,  how is the Uniti connected - wired or wireless or part wireless (a full description please) .   When you say streaming,  what do you mean by that, streaming from internet &/or your NAS.    What broadband hub (router) do you have & if you are trying to make it work over wireless, what is the distance to the Uniti & how many walls are between.   

Ok, contradicting theory: It's hardly ever a network problem. Even so, an app or application should be written to be as minimum dependent of network settings as possible. 

And this is where it goes wrong a lot in app development. 

But +1 for HH, impossible to say anything useful based on the info the OP provided.

Hello Bjarne - we need more info....
Wireless or wired network?
What streamer?
NAS or intenet streaming?

Bjarne posted:

The Naim app is unpredictably on and off, mostly off. When it works, it's brilliant. Sad it rarly happens.

Solutions, anyone?

If you really have an application that is unpredictably on and off, then someone has taken control of your OS and is fooling you. An application might not be responsive or even frozen but if it is on it is on and if it is off it is off. Until a user opens it. Then it is on. Until the app dies or a user closes it. Than it is off.

Thank you all for your replies. Forgive me for not being clear. 

I have ripped all my CDs and stored them on my PC . I would like to use the PC as a UPnP server. My problem is not the Naim app as such. My problem is that when use the Naim app on my smartphone and choose "Servers" and next  "naim Uniti  Atom", I only occasionally see my music files. When that happens is quite unpredictable, but when it does, it's brilliant! Last night it suddenly surfaced, but today it's gone.

I already asked the Uniti support team for advise, and they advised me to try an app called Asset UPnP. It was the same experience. Then I bought a new app; Plex Media Server, and that works all the time! But why should I buy an accessory app when I already have got the whole thing in the Naim app?  

Some facts: My Naim Uniti Atom has a wired connection to my router (TP Link), and then there is a WIFI from the router to my PC (Windows 10). I regularly measure the downloading and uploading speed from my PC. They are about 90-95 and 85 Mb/s, respectively.

All I want is to get access to my music files on my PC through the naim app without apps from a third part. I'm sorry that I didn't specify myself in my first post!

Bjarne

Bjarne

Few things that need clarifying.

• NAIM app does nothing more than being a 'remote control' - it does not stream, it does not hold any music... 
• NAIM 'streamers' are in fact 'renderers' - they need music to be serverd / presented to them from a server / file storage.
• A computer alone is just a repository of files. A piece of software is needed to 'serve' the music files, accross a network, to a renderer (your NAIM).
• Wired networks are ineherntly more stable than wireless, especially when it comes to streaming audio.
• NAIM construct their gear to rely on industry network standards. Unfortunately home appliences are not so strict when it comes to adhering to standards - hence the numerous problems.

Additionally I would add to Adams post as you are confusing everyone,  well me at least.  You need to understand the difference between the software you have,  and they are not all apps

The Naim app is the control point,  it carries nothing, it only communicates your instructions to the UPnP media server software. 

Asset & Plex are the UPnP media software programs,  they are not an app.   These programs sit on the server (PC NAS Uniti) & enable the server & renderer to communicate with each other & set up the data stream.  

I’d put all the files on a nas, then you don’t need the computer to be turned on. Connect the Atom and nas to a switch then the switch to the router. Put Asset on the nas if it’s a Qnap, or use Minimserver if it’s a Synology, and it will all work happily.  

Thanks to everybody for all the information and lecturing. I really must apologize for confusing everybody with my helpless terminology and lack of knowledge in this field. One thing is clear, I don't understand much.  I already knew, and now I know even better.

So, again it was not the network. 

Actually - it is also the network. There are discovery problems as descried in the original post. But it's not the app.

Instead of using a NAS or PC as server I briefly tried attaching a hard disc drive to the USB-port on the router (TP Link Archer C9). It seemed to work fine.  The router has a upnp/dlna function and is able to read FAT32, NTFS and exFat formats from the attached usb-storage. It is rather unusual for a router to be able to read exFat files, though. 

Adam Zielinski posted:

Actually - it is also the network. There are discovery problems as descried in the original post. But it's not the app.

Adam, no it's not. Networks don't shut themselves of and on automatically. There was no server in place. 

When there was, Plex in this case, no issues at all. So no network issue. 

Streamz posted:

Adam Zielinski posted:

Actually - it is also the network. There are discovery problems as descried in the original post. But it's not the app.

Adam, no it's not. Networks don't shut themselves of and on automatically. There was no server in place. 

 

When there was, Plex in this case, no issues at all. So no network issue. 

Firstly I must have missed where the OP said that he used Plex over WiFi and there was no issues at all.

This behaviour is typical of the WAP not transmitting one or more parts of the DLNA / UPnP protocol correctly.  Therefore this typically is a network issue.
The server is in place, it's just that the app can't discover it reliably if the discovery protocol isn't being transmitted reliably across the network.

(Note that WiFi isn't a deterministic physical layer.)

Plex over Wifi? Didn't say that. As far as I can see OP just installed two DLNA/UPNP servers. Asset and Plex. No further changes.

Apparently Plex works out of the box, as OP stated "Then I bought a new app; Plex Media Server, and that works all the time!" So directly after buying and installing, no issues. 

Looks like Plex is up all the time, and Asset not. Could be that Asset wanted to be upgrated, or that it doesn't start up automatically. Who knows. But I bet that if Asset was installed correctly, it would also work all the time.

But again, Plex was installed and worked all the time,  no further changes, so there was and is no network problem. Otherwise there would have been issues with Plex, would there?

I think the confusion is in the timeline. OP asked Naim support, I guess in the morning of the 28th. They adviced Asset, didn't work. Bought Plex immediately afterwards, and since then it worked. In the afternoon he posted on this forum. Not because of issues with the Naim app, but with the question why he needs a 3th party app "But why should I buy an accessory app when I already have got the whole thing in the Naim app?" and  "All I want is to get access to my music files on my PC through the naim app without apps from a third part"

Maybe OP can clarify?

OK, re-reading the OP's second post I now do see where he stated that Plex worked reliably over WiFi

Current situation I believe is

Atom
    > wired Ethernet >
TPLink Router

Naim app (on unknown device)
    > WiFi >
TPLink Router

TPLink Router
    > WiFi >
Windows PC based Media Servers (Asset, Plex & Windows Media Server - unless he's stopped the service or turned off media sharing)

So Plex works reliably in this set-up, and thus must be working across WiFi - BUT is that using the Plex App or the Naim App?

However, Asset and WMS don't work reliably.  There are three immediately obvious possibilities
1  Asset and WMS are both using the PC's name as their published server name, hence causing a conflict
2  Asset and WMS are being configured to use the same file location on the PC and so there are locking conflicts
3  Windows Media Sharing is turned off, preventing WNS or Asset from serving media (although they are still discoverable).

Other possibilities may emerge with more information (for instance if Plex is using the Plex app then there could still be discovery issues occurring in the TP router when using a conventional DLNA control point such as the Naim App).

To answer the question "But why should I buy an accessory app when I already have got the whole thing in the Naim app?"

Naim provides the complete playback solution from the network, however you still need to provide your own DLNA server (or buy a Naim Uniti Core, i.e. Naim's own DLNA Server).  You've chosen to use your own PC as a DLNA Media Server.  As it's your own PC, then you'll need to configure it to meet your set of requirements.  If you had bought a Uniti Core it would have been preconfigured; Naim can't be expected to automatically configure your particular PC to act as a server.

I'm wondering whether Bjarne has correctly configured Asset on his computer. Asset recommend that the server be configured as a Local Account rather than as a "service".

Also, It's not clear what Bjarne means by saying that Asset didn't work and that he can't see his music files. Has he configured the correct filepath to his music collection? I also wonder whether Bjarne is trying to browse his music collection via the folders/individual files view rather than using the artist/album etc. tag views and selected these in Asset's Browse tree which he can view and edit by selecting "Edit Advanced Settings". There he will also be able to add the "Folders and Filenames" view/container to the root (top level) view should he wish to do so.

I had an issue the other day, from my Samsung S8 (Android) and both iPads when I open the Naim app then search for UPNP devices (I use MinimServer installed on a Windows 10 PC and QNAP) the app stuck on searching. Sometimes after one minute the UPNP devices appeared but more often nothing.

My brother in-law shares my internet over a Wi-Fi bridge, Wi-Fi bridge speed is trained up around 300mb using an AC WDS access points.

Anyway when I disconnected the bridge the UPNP discovery was instant.

So got me thinking I acquired a SonicWALL NSA220 firewall (going spare as its an old device now) created two networks and placed the WDS bridge on a separate subnet and isolated him from my network.

Job done

Wonder if you have a similar problem?

Hi Bjarne

You say you "choose "Servers" and next  "naim Uniti  Atom","  To me this means you are trying to see what is on a USB connected to the Atom and use that as a server.

You need to select asset as the server, assuming you have asset configured correctly.

You also need to make sure your PC is not going into sleep mode. If you can't see Asset try waking your PC and see if reappears and if so configure the PC so it stays "awake".

Gosh, am I glad I use an NS01...

rjstaines posted:

Gosh, am I glad I use an NS01...

Use a Naim streamer, the Naim app, a switch, your router and a Synology NAS.  Use the NAS's own Synology Media Server, plug it together, and it'll usually just work.
(QNAP also works well but then you need to install Asset as well - it's good, but not quite so simple).

Some people just choose to make it too complicated by using PCs (or Macs) as servers or control points or using multiple WAPs or multiple Media Servers (particularly when running on the same box ) or even multiple routers .

Bjarne posted:

Thank you all for your replies. Forgive me for not being clear. 

I have ripped all my CDs and stored them on my PC . I would like to use the PC as a UPnP server.

<<SNIP>>

OK - So if you want to use your PC as a UPnP server then you will need to have a UPnP server application running on your computer and your computer will need to be permanently powered up to be able to be accessible as a UPnP server.

If you want to do this then we normally suggest using something like Asset UPnP (a commercially available but generally very reliable and capable UPnP server) or MinimServer (a 'free' UPnP server that is also very reliable but which can be more difficult to set up).

Bjarne posted:

<<SNIP>>

My problem is not the Naim app as such. My problem is that when use the Naim app on my smartphone and choose "Servers" and next  "naim Uniti  Atom", I only occasionally see my music files. When that happens is quite unpredictable, but when it does, it's brilliant! Last night it suddenly surfaced, but today it's gone.

<<SNIP>>

So are you saying that you select the UPnP input on your Atom and you see your UPnP server but when you select it and browse it you don't see your music or when you select the UPnP input you don't see your UPnP server ... the distinction is very important as it takes us in two completely different directions for diagnosis.

Bjarne posted:

<<SNIP>>

I already asked the Uniti support team for advise, and they advised me to try an app called Asset UPnP. It was the same experience.

<<SNIP>>

If you were having issues with Asset UPnP then that is very unusual - again, we need to know...

1) Whether you see the UPnP server but not the music or just no UPnP servers at all.

2) Is the music stored on your computer itself or on a NAS and the music on the NAS is being accessed by the UPnP server on the computer across your network.

Bjarne posted:

<<SNIP>>

Then I bought a new app; Plex Media Server, and that works all the time! But why should I buy an accessory app when I already have got the whole thing in the Naim app?

<<SNIP>>

The Naim app is not a UPnP server - it is a UPnP client.

When you are using Plex Media Server then are you accessing it as a UPnP server or are you using Plex Media Server in some way to send music to the Atom without using the Naim app?

If everything is set up and working correctly on your network then beyond running a UPnP server on your network then theer should be no need to buy other applications to control the Atom and play music from the UPnP server.

Bjarne posted:

<<SNIP>>

Some facts: My Naim Uniti Atom has a wired connection to my router (TP Link), and then there is a WIFI from the router to my PC (Windows 10). I regularly measure the downloading and uploading speed from my PC. They are about 90-95 and 85 Mb/s, respectively.

<<SNIP>>

First things first ...

1) Is your PC set to go to sleep at all or does it get shut down?

2) Can you (as a test) connect your computer to your router via a wired Ethernet connection (just to remove any possibility of a WiFi induced issue).

Bjarne posted:

<<SNIP>>

All I want is to get access to my music files on my PC through the naim app without apps from a third part. I'm sorry that I didn't specify myself in my first post!

<<SNIP>>

In that case all that should be required is to run a UPnP server application on your computer with the UPnP server configured to scan your Music files and the Atom (via the app) should see the UPnP server on your network and allow you to browse that UPnP server.

If you can't do that then there's something that is not correctly set up or is not working correctly and that needs to be diagnosed and rectified - so if we can get answers to the above then we can try to move this forward.

I believe that we spoke last week about this issue and the last time we spoke you said that you were sorted out and working ... is that not correct? If so, wasn't there a NAS involved somewhere?

Best

Phil