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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
lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,440 posts
 
@musicfan2349,

Great move on buying the Border Patrol DAC to get the best sound out of Node 2i. I’m not clear on why you need long CAT8 cable if you’re using a mesh router. If you worried about EMI/RFI interferences from mesh, I suggest you use Stillpoints ERS cloth to treat the mesh. My Apple router (treated with ERS) is only 4 feet away from my streamer in my main system. 
https://www.tweekgeek.com/stillpoints-ers/
musicfan2349's avatar
musicfan2349 OP
234 posts
 
@lalitk 
Ah you didn't see my update from a few days ago then.

"Turns out having the mesh node in the stereo cabinet is a bad idea with regards to my C-J Premier 6 pre-preamp... It's VERY sensitive to EMI".
So I simply need to move the node from its current location to about 20' across the room. No big deal and the effort is still way worth the improvement in wifi generally in our home vs. the extenders I'd tried previously.

Happy listening.

musicfan2349's avatar
musicfan2349 OP
234 posts
 
@
Ha ha! Success!!

I obtained a 25' length of Cat8 and moved the mesh node across the room from the system. The resulting move got rid of the interference and my phono stage is blessedly quiet once again. So excellent wifi coverage, hardwiring for the Node2i and no interference. Happy camper indeed!
Thanks much for  the Cat8 recommendation!

Happy listening.
lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,440 posts
 
@musicfzn2349,

That’s great to hear! Now sit back and enjoy the best of digital and analog :-)
jetter
3,033 posts
 
@musicfan2349, glad to hear the successful outcome using the CAT8 cable.

As I mentioned, I have a 2i and I purchased Supra CAT8+ cable from seller zendada on eBay. I really am the last one to recommend anything to anyone, but the Supra CAT8+ was noticeably better than the cable that came with my node2i. I don’t know if it was because it was CAT8 or because it was manufactured by Supra which a number of persons highly recommended.

If it was me, in time, I would think about purchasing the Supra, I think you will easily hear the difference. Zendada sells 8 meters for $111 which includes shipping. If I hear such a big difference with my hearing you will also! I mention Zendada, because he has free shipping and is a trusted seller on eBay. He calls it CAT8+, but this is a bit of advertising fluff, it is CAT8.

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