Aurender N10 - Sound quality performance is erratic


I am having problems with my N10. Some days it plays amazingly good, other days good and some days not good at all.

I live very near Aurender in SoCal and so I took my unit in for service and they provided me with a loaner. The first session after I put the loaner in the system was all-time good. Then the next day wasn't all that great. Then the next two days were good but no great. Anyway, this is just weird. Both N10s appear to exhibit this erratic behavior.

My internet is ATT DSL at 24Mbps and that has been suggested as the culprit (I was thinking about calling and asking them to give me a trial at 50 or 100 Mbps to see if the increased speed will eliminate the problem - 24Mbps is fast enough I almost never seen buffering in Netflix). It has been suggested that I get hi-speed cable to solve this problem and get rid of the twisted pairs on the phone line. I have tried a DSL filter and it hasn't seemed to help, assuming I've got it installed correctly.

So have any of you N10 users had this problem? If so, how did you fix it?
pokey77
Based on your description above, I am not exactly sure of your issue.  It could be your modem, router, your cable line speed, your  ATT DSL line or other hardware (or software) related issues up stream.  My ISP is Wave Broadband and I have a 250Mbps cable line.   My experiences and comments  are below:

I had similar streaming drop out issues on my Aurender N10.  My Tidal Streaming service sometimes stopped playing for a few seconds and then started again.  In addition, sometimes, my Internet connection completed stopped working while listening to a Tidal album.  I re-booted my modem and router and everything worked but the Internet connection continued to sometimes drop.  It was driving me crazy.  My signal drop outs were not consistent.  Sometimes it worked AND sometimes it failed.  

I completely LOST my Internet connection on my MAC Computer.  I re-booted everything (twice) and still no Internet connection.  I called my Internet Service Provider (ISP) and they said the cable signal strength coming into my modem was INCORRECT (out of range) and scheduled a Maintenance Tech (Senior level, outside person) Service Call.  This is NOT a ISP normal technical service call.

The ISP Maintenance Tech arrived on Sunday and adjusted the signal strength for all their switching components carrying the cable signal to my home.  He then replaced the outside cable junction box (underground) for my neighborhood (3 homes including mine) since it was old and corroded.   He then replaced all the coaxial connector plugs on the cable from my wall plug to my modem and also replaced all the coaxial connector plugs in my outside cable box.   He noticed some of the wires were not straight so he rearranged the wires in my configuration both inside and outside.  Some additional adjustments were required on the outside cable junction box (fine tuning to get the require signal strength).  

We also had issues with the ISP booster amplifier located in my front yard.  It required additional repairs and adjustments.  He was excellent and answered my questions on my configuration.   

When all of the above was done, he tested both the outside cable junction box and the inside signal strength to ensure all cable signals were in the required range (they were).   He then ran a speed test to confirm my upload and download speeds were correct (they were).  He made some additional minor cable and tuning adjustments and now everything is working fine.  He said if the cable signal strength is too high, or low, it will cause the Internet connection to drop its signal.  It has to be in its assigned required range.  

If you are experiencing Internet connection problems, the FIRST step to turn the power off your router, modem (take out the battery, if present) and remove the cable connection from the wall for 3 minutes.  To re-start, plug the coaxial cable back into the wall FIRST and turn on the power for all your devices.  This should solve most problems, but, if not, repeat these steps. You should also ensure the software in your router is current.  

If you are still experiencing Internet connectivity issues, you should call your ISP for assistance.  If needed, you might ask the Customer Support person to check the cable signal strength coming into your modem to help troubleshoot the issue.

I probably should have called my ISP sooner but my Internet connectivity problems happened infrequently.   I was very lucky to have a very experienced ISP Technical person who knew exactly what was needed both inside and outside.  

In addition to the above, previously, I had 3 Apple Extreme Routers and the ALL FAILED (one was DEAD out of the box).   I replaced them with a Luxul Dual-Band AC#Ac-3100 gigabyte router and is working perfectly.   Unfortunately, connectivity issues take time to get resolved so please keep working on it and asking questions.  

I hope the above helps you solve your connectivity issues.  Since your connectivity issues occurred on 2 different Aurender N10 units, your issue is "probably" in your Internet connection and the various hardware components both locally and upstream.  As I noted above, it could be the ISP hardware outside of your home.   I hope my above comments help you get started toward a resolution.   


@hgeifman - I appreciate your sharing. Maybe something as easy as reboot the modem when the music isn't sounding right. Or more complicated. Hopefully we can get the system dialed in where it plays well ALL the time.
@pokey77, please re-boot both your router and modem.  Turn them off for 3 minutes and then turn the modem on first and then your router.  If present, please remove any batteries in these units.  My modem has a battery.   Please keep us posted.  
@pokey77,

I believe your internet speed needs to be bumped up. You need to ask AT&T how many devices sharing your current bandwidth. Based on the number of connected devices AT&T can recommend the suitable plan for you. 

I was in the same place 2 years ago experiencing drop outs with my N10 on a 24mbps plan. A quick diagnosis of my service showed 27 devices sharing the 24mbps bandwidth 😳

I bumped up my plan to 100mbps, no issues with streaming since the upgrade.