AirConnect: Send audio to UPnP/Sonos/Chromecast players using AirPlay

Burnside

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Didn't quite know which subforum to post this in, so general thoughts it is...

AirConnect is a package developed by philippe44 who is pretty well known in LMS circles for his 'bridge' plugins which allow the transfer of audio between different protocols. This particular bridge allows UPnP devices (like WiiM devices) to appear as Airplay 1 endpoints so may be of interest to those who want lossless CD quality transmission from Apple Music, or indeed for those who want a certain recent WiiM device (I'll let you guess which one ;) ) to appear as an Airplay target. Note that as it's only Airplay 1, it can't form part of a group.

The bridge needs to be running while transferring the audio and there are several versions for different platforms. Artwork and track details aren't shown in the WiiM app/ touchscreen, and there may be other drawbacks which you can read about in the rather extensive documentation at https://github.com/philippe44/AirConnect

It's also the basis of the following software which I've been playing around with for the past day or so on platforms I already have running all the time

1. ShairTunes plugin in LMS;
2. AirSonos add-on in HomeAssistant;
3. AirConnect on my Synology NAS

It's not particularly configurable, but may be worth looking at to see if it meets your needs or whether you think it's worth the effort over a simple Bluetooth connection. It was nice though to see a certain WiiM device appear as an Airplay target on my Ipad :)
 
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This is nice work. One advantage that native AirPlay has is that the source will automaticly switch when you start streaming. This can not be the case for this solution, right?
 
Not quite sure what you mean by that - could you expand further please?
 
This is nice work. One advantage that native AirPlay has is that the source will automaticly switch when you start streaming. This can not be the case for this solution, right?
Once you've set it up correctly, on your source device (iPhone, MacBook) it should look just like any other Airplay endpoint so it should work all the same.
 
Pretty cool solution! If I understand correctly, I should be able to get this running on a Synology NAS (x86)?
Is there a big delay in the audio?
Does it handle audio synchronisation when playing a video on your source device?
 
Pretty cool solution! If I understand correctly, I should be able to get this running on a Synology NAS (x86)?
Is there a big delay in the audio?
Does it handle audio synchronisation when playing a video on your source device?
It’s audio only and won’t handle video.
 
It’s audio only and won’t handle video.
Yes obviously...

But when you direct your Mac's or iOS system audio to an Airplay endpoint while playing video's, any latency in the audio is compensated so the video/audio remain perfectly in sync.
 
Yes obviously...

But when you select an Airplay endpoint as the output device for you Mac's or iOS system audio while playing video's, any latency in the audio is compensated so the video/audio remain perfectly in sync.
It may do that if the sending device is responsible for the latency adjustment. Easy enough to try it.
 
Can this be added to a Raspberry Pi that is already being used as an LMS server through PiCorePlayer?
 
When I start “airplaying” the receiving device automatically switches on or automatically switches source to AirPlay.
In my case, I always have my ultra powered on but yes it will switch to WiFi/ethernet reception when I use it as an AirPlay target using airconnect
 
Didn't quite know which subforum to post this in, so general thoughts it is...

AirConnect is a package developed by philippe44 who is pretty well known in LMS circles for his 'bridge' plugins which allow the transfer of audio between different protocols. This particular bridge allows UPnP devices (like WiiM devices) to appear as Airplay 1 endpoints so may be of interest to those who want lossless CD quality transmission from Apple Music, or indeed for those who want a certain recent WiiM device (I'll let you guess which one ;) ) to appear as an Airplay target. Note that as it's only Airplay 1, it can't form part of a group.

The bridge needs to be running while transferring the audio and there are several versions for different platforms. Artwork and track details aren't shown in the WiiM app/ touchscreen, and there may be other drawbacks which you can read about in the rather extensive documentation at https://github.com/philippe44/AirConnect

It's also the basis of the following software which I've been playing around with for the past day or so on platforms I already have running all the time

1. ShairTunes plugin in LMS;
2. AirSonos add-on in HomeAssistant;
3. AirConnect on my Synology NAS

It's not particularly configurable, but may be worth looking at to see if it meets your needs or whether you think it's worth the effort over a simple Bluetooth connection. It was nice though to see a certain WiiM device appear as an Airplay target on my Ipad :)

Thank you for this heads-up, very helpful. I'm one of those people who only care about Airplay for redbook CD quality transmission of music from Apple devices in my home to a WiiM amp. Hi rez I don't care about with Airplay, because that I stream directly from online sources and obviously WiiM handles those on its own. Maybe I'm just not as techie as most people here (wouldn't surprise me) but I just don't see why some folks are so hot and bothered about losing Airplay2 on the newer WiiM devices. It's not the only solution for these things, even in homes like mine that are primarily Apple ecosystem.
 
Lol ok, just installed it on my Synology NAS which was actually the simplest thing ever. Just install the specific Synology package through the regular app/package manager in DSM and that's it. Seeing all my Chromecast enabled speakers from my Mac as Airplay destinations without any additional config.
 
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Lol ok, just installed it on my Synology NAS which was actually the simplest thing ever. Just install through the regular app/package manager and that's it. Seeing all my Chromecast enabled speakers from my Mac as Airplay destinations without any additional config.
Yeah, I’m using it on my Synology NAS too as that’s always running, or at least is when I’m accessing my music tracks. It’s a handy little feature…
 
Lol ok, just installed it on my Synology NAS which was actually the simplest thing ever. Just install through the regular app/package manager and that's it. Seeing all my Chromecast enabled speakers from my Mac as Airplay destinations without any additional config.
I was trying to install LMS through the Container Manager without success (pointing it at my Music folder outside of the container is beyond my currently limited understanding) on my Synology NAS (DS220j). I couldn't see it in the Package Manager (just checked, still can't). If you can point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated.
 
I was trying to install LMS through the Container Manager without success (pointing it at my Music folder outside of the container is beyond my currently limited understanding) on my Synology NAS (DS220j). I couldn't see it in the Package Manager (just checked, still can't). If you can point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated.
Probably best posting this in the squeezelite forum as it's not directly related to the thread topic

Edit: try this link https://lyrion.org/getting-started/beginners-guide-synology-docker/
 
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If you have a Raspberry Pi 4 laying around, you can get a "hat" to output to a Coax and use free software such as Ropieee to receieve both Airplay 1, 2 Plexamp, Chromecast, and more.
 
If you have a Raspberry Pi 4 laying around, you can get a "hat" to output to a Coax and use free software such as Ropieee to receieve both Airplay 1, 2 Plexamp, Chromecast, and more.
Chromecast is not mentioned anywhere. I have yet to find a RBPi Streaming OS with Chromecast support.
 
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