Mu-So / Google Wi-Fi - What Should I Connect It To?

Can you instal a switch so that all these devices are wired? The Muso will almost certainly work better with a wired connection. 

I could add a 4 Port Switch but it won't be hard wired from the router as it's too far away.

Do you think it would benefit by adding the switch to the Google Wi-Fi point and then feeding out to the devices? I know the consistency isn't going to be the same but wonder if feeding from the Wi-Fi point as opposed to utilising their own Wi-Fi is better?

If I was building from scratch I'd have everything hard wired.

Hi yes, mesh Wifi networks must have multiple wired access points to work effectively if there is significant traffic off the Wifi network which is often the case. So you might be  best using multiple Ethernet connected Wifi access points sharing the same SSID and authentication... ideally that cooperate with each other.. this effectively creates an ESSID.

Failing that use an Ethernet connection to your Sky Q and let your Muso use Wifi ... but many consumer ‘mesh’ setups will not work effectively compared to a multi wired over lapping Wifi access points providing an ESSID cooperating over the Ethernet. Ubiquiti make such devices for the consumer. If mesh ensure you have multiple (at least two) access points connected to Ethernet that are physically spaced out.

Bazza posted:

I could add a 4 Port Switch but it won't be hard wired from the router as it's too far away.

Do you think it would benefit by adding the switch to the Google Wi-Fi point and then feeding out to the devices? I know the consistency isn't going to be the same but wonder if feeding from the Wi-Fi point as opposed to utilising their own Wi-Fi is better?

If I was building from scratch I'd have everything hard wired.

Is the Google WiFi connected via Ethernet back to your router, or is it relying on WiFi for that? If you can, run just one cable from your router to a suitable location, put a switch there, and run your devices, including the Google WiFi, from that. 

To connect your Muso to the TV, you will probably want an optical cable, possibly from the Sky box, but more likely from the TV itself. 

If you have a Sky router too, is it running an Ethernet over Mains Connection to the Sky Q box? Some people are unaware that this is running as it is sometimes enabled by default. It can seem like a convenient way to get a wired connection to the TV, but it can also cause problems with high levels of RFI, so I would disable it if possible. 

Chrissu / Simon - Many thanks for your replies.

The Google Wi-Fi point I'm referring to is relying on its feed wireless from the Google Wi-Fi router which is connected directly to my broadband.

Connecting a cable from the router to the Wi-Fi point isn't an option without it running down walls and stairs which my better half will not permit!!

If connecting a switch to the Wi-Fi point is not going to reap benefits the only other way to get a hard wired connection would be to run a cable from the router via an outside wall. More expensive of course.

If you can manage to run that cable, I think you’ll find it worthwhile. Another possibility is to wire your client devices and wireless access point to a switch so that they all talk to each other over a wired connection. This will be particularly useful if you have music stored on a computer or NAS. That just leaves the internet connection dependent on the wireless connection back to the router. 

Bazza posted:

I’m about set up my Naim Mu-So but am unsure of the best route to go with regards to connecting it to Wi-Fi.

Connected to the Mu-So will be a Samsung TV, Sky Q box, Apple TV and an Oppo 203 all of which have an Ethernet port.  

My nearest Google Wi-Fi point has an Ethernet port in the back which is currently plugged into the Sky Q box but is this most effective device to utilise it?

In fact, Im not actually sure how effective it is as the Google Wi-Fi point is a node and being fed by a mesh network from the router which is hard wired to my broadband but too far away from these devices. 

Any thoughts / suggestions?

Thanks. 

I would connect a switch to the Google Wifi's ethernet port and then connect everything else to the switch.

I've arranged to have a cable taken from my broadband connected router and run outside of the house around and down to where the cables come in to the Sky Q box. This is the quickest and less disruptive means of getting the devices hard wired.

In the meantime I'll add a switch to the Google Wi-Fi port and see how that fares.

Thanks again for all the suggestions and help provided.