8/31

[Brantome]

I have just tried it again and actually it works but afterwards the Alexa app reports there is a Network Error

As above, is that adding the WiiM to a group speaker setting rather than simply to the device group? I can see the former having the same SSID constraint as a MRM since it's a mechanism to redirect audio to one or more other devices

 

[ratty]

I've only just skimmed this, but it sounds rather like the multiple SSIDs could be coming from different IP subnets. As more and more people install WiFi meshes without realising there's a NAT router in the primary node by default this kind of problem arises. Of course multiple subnets breaks local discovery, unless measures are taken.

 

[Hollywood]

Are all players using the same WiFi SSID ?

yes

 

[Brantome]

yes

What about my query above - have you set up all your WiiMs for Alexa access by linking them via the Amazon Alexa option in the WiiM app? This has to be done for each device, not just once for the app. If you have done this, do they appear under Alexa/Echo devices in the Amazon Alexa app?

 

[d6jg]

I've only just skimmed this, but it sounds rather like the multiple SSIDs could be coming from different IP subnets. As more and more people install WiFi meshes without realising there's a NAT router in the primary node by default this kind of problem arises. Of course multiple subnets breaks local discovery, unless measures are taken.

No its the same subnet being served by all SSIDs.
In my case it his historic from when I had 2 x non Mesh WAPs so I would connect devices based on location.
I then swapped the 2 x non Mesh for 2 WAPs in a Mesh but in order to not have to reset a lot of devices I repeated all SSIDs.
The issue seems to be with Alexa.

 

[Brantome]

The issue seems to be with Alexa.

I'm still not clear what it is you're exactly doing...

 

[d6jg]

I'm going into a Group, selecting a Dot and doing Change Speaker.
As I said it does actually work but if you return to it later you see "network error"

 

[Brantome]

I'm going into a Group, selecting a Dot and doing Change Speaker.
As I said it does actually work but if you return to it later you see "network error"

OK thanks - as I say, that's like a backdoor to multi room (even with just one member) where the SSID constraint does exist. Maybe in that case it tries to create the 'group' on the fly when it goes to use it and that's when it fails. I guess if you tried to expressly add the echo and WiiM device to a MRM group, it wouldn't let you due to their different SSIDs. MRM groups and the ability to ask one echo to play music on another device came out at the same time, and the preferred speaker setting came along later and in effect gave you another way to play to one or more speakers by default. Like a lot with Alexa, it's not clear up front what you can and can't do.

However, that doesn't impact casting from the Amazon Music app where I can see all my devices spread across a few SSIDs.

We need confirmation that @Hollywood has set up all their WiiMs to access Alexa via the WiiM Home app and that they appear in the Alexa app in order to rule that out

 

[Hollywood]

My router's SSID is MUSIC_Server
All of my 4 WiiMs are connected to it. So are the 2 cheap Audiocast devices.
My Samsung S22ultra is also connected to the same router/SSID. There is no Mesh or extenders in place. One router, one SSID, all devices on the same network.

Material Skin (on my phone) sees:
Family Room, Wiim Pro
Garage, Audiocast
Living Room, WiiM Pro
Office, WiiM Pro
Patio, Audiocast
Bathroom, WiiM Mini
piCorePlayers

WiiM Home App (on my phone) sees the same players (minus the piCorePlayers entry)

The Amazon Music app (on my phone) sees:
Family Room
Living Room
only

I have been working on a project where I wanted music in the Family Room and the Garage. The WHA sees the 4 WiiMs and 2 Audiocasts and I was able to link a WiiM and an Audiocast. I was playing music with the Material Skin app (since as I noted the WHA didn't see the library on the LMS) and the music played through both different brand devices perfectly.

With the Amazon Music app on my phone, there is no linking of devices (I don't expect it), it is only showing 2 of my devices, and when you play an Album, it usually plays one song then stops. Often just touching the app anywhere will start the next song (not manually hitting play or next). That seems to be a common issue with the Amazon app when I googled it.

The thing is, while I attempting to try Qobuz, it's app only seen the same 2 WiiM devices too (not the other 2 or the 2 Audiocast) as the Amazon Music app.

Last night I played music to 2 rooms linked in the WHA and using the WHA to play Amazon Music. The WHA seems rock solid. So does the Material Skin app and LMS.

If we do nothing, I will be happy and content. I will use MS to play local music from my LMS, and use WHA to play Amazon Music. It all works great!

The original inquiry was to ask if the new firmware will allow the WHA to see my LMS music library. If I did not have LMS, the WHA would see the local library and Amazon Music. With the media bridge plugin, the WHA did see the LMS library, but it was buggy, listed all Artists rather then Album Artists, and also broke Material Skin. I was urged not to use that plugin as it is old and unsupported.

I just want to show what I am seeing. I might be doing something wrong, but whatever it may be, I think it would be nice if WHA could access your library with LMS as the server.

Thanks!

 

[Hollywood]

What about my query above - have you set up all your WiiMs for Alexa access by linking them via the Amazon Alexa option in the WiiM app? This has to be done for each device, not just once for the app. If you have done this, do they appear under Alexa/Echo devices in the Amazon Alexa app?

I do not use Alexa.

 

[Brantome]

I do not use Alexa.

The Amazon Music app uses AlexaCast to cast to echos & Wiim devices (unless you're using Bluetooth, airplay or chromecast) which requires you to link your WiiM devices to Alexa via the Amazon Alexa option on the WiiM Home app browse page. It has little to do with Alexa as a voice assistant, but once linked in the WiiM Home app, your WiiM devices should appear in the Alexa app. Doing that would help confirm whether they have been correctly configured for use by the Amazon Music app.

 

[Smartplug]

Has anyone receiving firmware?

 

[Brantome]

Has anyone receiving firmware?

Not yet that I have seen, but as you know from long experience, that's no big surprise.

Sorry your thread appears to have been hijacked by other non "when" topics...

 

[Smartplug]

Not yet that I have seen, but as you know from long experience, that's no big surprise.

Sorry your thread appears to have been hijacked by other non "when" topics...

lol indeed it became a different topic. I thought I will have peq to tweak this weekend.

 

[Brantome]

lol indeed it became a different topic. I thought I will have peq to tweak this weekend.

The weekend isn't over, indeed it hasn't even begun

I've been playing a little with PEQ on the WiiM Mini beta firmware and it's been a breeze to use - the app feels very slick in setting the values, adjusting the curve etc.

I've also been playing around a little with the HouseCurve app, using it to suggest what PEQ values to use, but need to read a bit more into that tbh

 

[Hollywood]

once linked in the WiiM Home app, your WiiM devices should appear in the Alexa app. Doing that would help confirm whether they have been correctly configured for use by the Amazon Music app.

I am not familiar with the Alexa app. Where is it, on my phone, an existing app, on Amazon's portal? Sorry, I just don't know what it is or how/where to access it.
Thanks AGAIN!

 

[d6jg]

I am not familiar with the Alexa app. Where is it, on my phone, an existing app, on Amazon's portal? Sorry, I just don't know what it is or how/where to access it.
Thanks AGAIN!

If you have no Alexa devices then you wouldn't normally need the app but what Brantome is saying is that you haven't set the WiiMs up properly for Amazon Music and one way you would be able to tell is if you had the Alexa app.

 

[Hollywood]

Sorry your thread appears to have been hijacked by other non "when" topics...

I posed some related questions questions about the new firmware release. I had no intention of hijacking a thread. If so, perhaps a moderator should have stepped in and asked me to start another thread.

A big component of the firmware update is the LMS support. There are two issues with WiiM and LMS. One is whether LMS apps (like Material Skin) can see WiiM devices without a plugin, and Two, whether the WiiM could see the media library if your server is LMS.

Obviously the original poster was looking forward to this release too. It appears no one has stated they received the new firmware, therefore the discussion and speculation.

Sorry if I hijacked this thread.

 

[Brantome]

I am not familiar with the Alexa app. Where is it, on my phone, an existing app, on Amazon's portal? Sorry, I just don't know what it is or how/where to access it.
Thanks AGAIN!

It's an Amazon app downloaded from the iOs app store or Google play store just like the Amazon Music app - look for "Amazon Alexa".

When you open it, log in with the same credentials you used for your Amazon Music app, which should also be the credentials you used in the WiiM Home app if/when you chose the Amazon Alexa option on the Browse page to link your WiiM Device.

If this is news to you, then perhaps you are not using AlexaCast from the Amazon Music app (which is the preferred route I'd say) and perhaps might explain why not all WiiM devices show there.

When you log in to the Alexa app with those same credentials, it'll walk you thru some pages that you can by and large ignore if you are not going to use the Alexa voice assistant side. Once you get by those pages, you should get its home page where on the bottom menu bar, you should choose Devices, then Echo & Alexa, from where you should see your WiiM devices if you have properly linked them in the WiiM Home app Amazon Alexa page. If they all show there, we can then look further as to why they all don't appear in the Amazon Music app cast device list.

The Alexa app is where you'd also group your devices in a multi room music (MRM) group if you wanted to use the Amazon Music app to play music on more than one WiiM device at a time.

 

[Brantome]

I posed some related questions questions about the new firmware release. I had no intention of hijacking a thread. If so, perhaps a moderator should have stepped in and asked me to start another thread.

A big component of the firmware update is the LMS support. There are two issues with WiiM and LMS. One is whether LMS apps (like Material Skin) can see WiiM devices without a plugin, and Two, whether the WiiM could see the media library if your server is LMS.

Obviously the original poster was looking forward to this release too. It appears no one has stated they received the new firmware, therefore the discussion and speculation.

Sorry if I hijacked this thread.

Hijacked was only meant as a joke, hence the smiley. We're all pretty relaxed about what's discussed where so I as moderator didn't see the need to step in