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Bluesound Node2i and wifi frustrations: Mesh!

Much as I've enjoyed the convenience of the Node2i and ability to surf not only my own library but pretty much the world's music, one of the MOST frustrating things for me has been its propensity to lose connectivity. Hardwiring pretty much is a non-starter in this home as the cable and router need to be where they are(upstairs) and the Node2i needs to be where it is(downstairs). And at opposite corners of our home no less. I tried using a wifi extender, and even ugraded that, to no avail. I still would get annoying drop-outs. Pretty darned frustrating when you want to enjoy Friday evening cocktails with the missus and the music suddenly quits. Grrr...
I had upgraded our router a couple months ago from our 6 year old ASUS to a new ASUS RT-AX86U. That helped a but not enough. So yesterday I had a mental lightbulb come on and remembered that the RT-AX86U also supports AiMesh. Amazon to the rescue... I got it last night and just finished setting it up this morning, which was very, very easy. I went ahead and installed the new ASUS RP-AC1900 in my hifi cabinet and ran some Cat5 from it to the Node2i and voila! No more drop outs.
Using the ASUS router admin utility I checked and the signal and it's rock solid. Sounds good too! Placebo? Maybe. Or maybe it's that I'm a much happier camper and not have to worry about when the music is going to quit anymore.
There are plenty of other brands out there that support Mesh technology, ASUS isn't your only option. But from even from just early results, I really recommend looking into upgrading your wifi to Mesh if you're having issues.

Happy listening.
128x128musicfan2349
musicfan2349's avatar
musicfan2349 OP
201 posts
 
@mlsstl 
Thanks for the suggestion. Problem is, now I have the investment in the mesh network... I think my solution of running Cat5 from across the living room has legs though. I can tuck the cable under the quarter round and carpeting and put the node across the room. Will update the thread when I've implemented the fix.
Happy listening.

bacobits1
103 posts
 
Using an eero here with the node2i for a year now, best thing I ever did.runs perfect.
jetter
2,949 posts
 
Hi musicfan, I also own a 2i.  I would recommend that rather than purchasing the Cat5 you purchase Supra Cat8+ from seller zendada on eBay.  It made a noticeable difference over the cable that it came with that surprised me.  It is reasonably priced and the price listed includes 2 day shipping.  I only mention him as one of the other sellers that comes up in a search is in England with a hefty shipping cost.
musicfan2349's avatar
musicfan2349 OP
201 posts
 
@bacobits1 
Just looked those and it's simply another implementation of mesh technology, which is what I have. But the problem isn't the node itself, it's the proximity to my rig. I just need to put some distance between it and the C-J.
@jetter 
Now that I read the specs on the various Cat#, I see that Cat8 would be sheer overkill for this application. OTOH, for some things like audio, why do when you can overdo? Thanks for the suggestion! :)
Happy Listening.
mlsstl
1,372 posts
 
"...why do when you can overdo?"

Audio is a great example of a common human tendency to think that if this much is good, then more must be better.

Sometimes that works, most often it makes no difference (other than to spend more money), and sometimes it makes things worse or brings in new problems that didn’t previously exist.
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