AirPlay + Frequent Dropouts on WiiM Amp

[NCATS]

Hello All,

New member here, and looking for some help trying to sort out an issue with my WiiM Amps (3 of them). I'll try to give as much info as I can, if anything is missing or if any other information is needed, please do ask because I have no idea where to begin and I am far from being technologically inclined.

So, I purchased 3 WiiM Amps in beginning of Dec 2024 to solely stream background music in a multi-room setup. They were working flawlessly streaming music (via AirPlay on Apple Music on my iPhone 11 and the Mrs.'s iPhone 12 using Spotify) in terms of sound quality, transitioning from song to song, etc. - no issues whatsoever. Volume controls worked perfectly using our phone's volume control buttons, literally 0 complaints and we were extremely happy with the product. We left on vacation for a week on January 17th 2025 - upon our return, my iPhone 11 would not stream nor would connect, or would connect but would drop out and lose connection after playing 1-2 songs max via Apple Music. The wife's iPhone 12, still works using Spotify and she has no issues with Airplay via Spotify, however isn't able to change songs. Sometimes when you try to AirPlay a song/playlist of Apple Music and click the streaming icon on the iPhone 11 it loads but then will bring up a pop-up saying "unable to connect to Kitchen".

When I open the WiiM app on my phone, it takes a while to search for and find the 3 amps but then prompts me with "unable to connect" with a wrench icon; it then runs me through a few steps like toggling my wifi on and off, then it would connect. The other interesting thing, not sure if it has any relevance, but if you click into the "Network Status" on each of the amps under their settings, and try to make a change for instance "5 Ghz only", it will switch on but the moment you back out of the "Network Status" tab to view something else and go back in the settings - it would be switched off or not saved from the previous configuration that I set up.

Background Info:
1) the iPhone 11 has been updated this past weekend to the latest iOS
2) the WiiM amps have been updated today to the latest firmware update, no luck
3) I have tried rebooting both the home's modem and WiiM amps, no luck
4) the WiiM app is on the latest firmware
5) there have been no additions of any other tech connecting to the wifi network in the house since installing the WiiM Amps
6) ethernet connection is not an option
7) on the settings in the WiiM app, I had "5 ghz only", "ipv6" and "mesh network" toggled into the "on" position
8) there have been no wifi/network changes (i.e: new router, passwords, or service provider)
9) under the "Network Status" on each of the WiiM Amp's settings, the signal strength is always "Very Good" or "Excellent"
10) Audio Output is set to "Speaker Out" (hardwired ceiling speakers), Audio Input is set to "Wifi"
11) Standby Mode on all 3 WiiM Amps are set to 5 minutes (should they be set to "Never"?)

Sorry for the lengthy read, I think I have covered most of the pertinent info. Again, please feel free to ask for any other information to diagnose. Thank you in advance for your time and suggestions!

 

[WiiM Support]

Hello All,

New member here, and looking for some help trying to sort out an issue with my WiiM Amps (3 of them). I'll try to give as much info as I can, if anything is missing or if any other information is needed, please do ask because I have no idea where to begin and I am far from being technologically inclined.

So, I purchased 3 WiiM Amps in beginning of Dec 2024 to solely stream background music in a multi-room setup. They were working flawlessly streaming music (via AirPlay on Apple Music on my iPhone 11 and the Mrs.'s iPhone 12 using Spotify) in terms of sound quality, transitioning from song to song, etc. - no issues whatsoever. Volume controls worked perfectly using our phone's volume control buttons, literally 0 complaints and we were extremely happy with the product. We left on vacation for a week on January 17th 2025 - upon our return, my iPhone 11 would not stream nor would connect, or would connect but would drop out and lose connection after playing 1-2 songs max via Apple Music. The wife's iPhone 12, still works using Spotify and she has no issues with Airplay via Spotify, however isn't able to change songs. Sometimes when you try to AirPlay a song/playlist of Apple Music and click the streaming icon on the iPhone 11 it loads but then will bring up a pop-up saying "unable to connect to Kitchen".

When I open the WiiM app on my phone, it takes a while to search for and find the 3 amps but then prompts me with "unable to connect" with a wrench icon; it then runs me through a few steps like toggling my wifi on and off, then it would connect. The other interesting thing, not sure if it has any relevance, but if you click into the "Network Status" on each of the amps under their settings, and try to make a change for instance "5 Ghz only", it will switch on but the moment you back out of the "Network Status" tab to view something else and go back in the settings - it would be switched off or not saved from the previous configuration that I set up.

Background Info:
1) the iPhone 11 has been updated this past weekend to the latest iOS
2) the WiiM amps have been updated today to the latest firmware update, no luck
3) I have tried rebooting both the home's modem and WiiM amps, no luck
4) the WiiM app is on the latest firmware
5) there have been no additions of any other tech connecting to the wifi network in the house since installing the WiiM Amps
6) ethernet connection is not an option
7) on the settings in the WiiM app, I had "5 ghz only", "ipv6" and "mesh network" toggled into the "on" position
8) there have been no wifi/network changes (i.e: new router, passwords, or service provider)
9) under the "Network Status" on each of the WiiM Amp's settings, the signal strength is always "Very Good" or "Excellent"
10) Audio Output is set to "Speaker Out" (hardwired ceiling speakers), Audio Input is set to "Wifi"
11) Standby Mode on all 3 WiiM Amps are set to 5 minutes (should they be set to "Never"?)

Sorry for the lengthy read, I think I have covered most of the pertinent info. Again, please feel free to ask for any other information to diagnose. Thank you in advance for your time and suggestions!

Hi NCATS,

Sorry for the inconvenience.
Please submit a feedback ticket through the WiiM Home App by navigating to Settings > Feedback. Our team will troubleshoot the issue for you right away.
Thank you for your patience and support!

 

[NCATS]

@WiiM Support - done, thank you.

 

[Buryme2wice]

Hi NCATS, I'm a daily Airplay user with a Wiim Amp and have on occasions suffered the same issue. It will be interesting to hear what the Wiim Team have to say.

However I discovered in my case a reboot of the source iPhone would typically resolve the issue.

It may not work in your case but could be worth a try?

 

[NCATS]

@Buryme2wice - thank you for chiming in, I really appreciate the suggestion. However, I have already tried (and once again today) running through this by rebooting my phone and it has not fixed the issue. The other bizarre thing is if you adjust the settings on the WiiM App for any of the 3 WiiM Amps, they don't save the configuration changes.

Regarding the WiiM Support Team, they too had this same suggestion along with 2 others. They rolled back the firmware update on 2/3 of my WiiM Amps - one WiiM Amp (Master Room Ensuite) performed slightly better although proceeded to dropout/disconnect after 3-4 songs and the other WiiM Amp (Basement) persisted with the same 'unable to connect' problem using AirPlay via Apple Music.

The final suggestion from the WiiM Support Team was to segregate SSID's on my router, one for 2.4ghz and a separate one for 5ghz which I unfortunately do not know how to do. The more frustrating part is the fact that all 3 WiiM Amps were working 100% perfectly and I did not have any SSID segregation at the time of purchasing/installing the WiiM Amps, nor did any other tech get added to the household/network since then.

The WiiM Support Team has been quick to the rescue and I really do hope this can get sorted out, as they were purchased solely for streaming to hardwired ceiling speakers.

 

[Buryme2wice]

Hi NCATS, ironically I'm now getting more drops today and already have segregated SSIDs.

I've just rebooted and about about to raise a ticket myself now if it does it again......

Which is has - within 30 seconds......

I have LMS so am going to run that & see if it reflects a wifi issue.

 

[NCATS]

@Buryme2wice - it is frustrating, considering the $ spent on these WiiM Amps. The positive side is that WiiM's Support Team has been really responsive trying to figure it out.

In a further e-mail I received this morning from the WiiM Support Team, they have (again) suggested to reboot my router which I have yet to try again today. Also a new suggestion of rebooting my "AP", which I have no idea what that is? or pertains to? (@WiiM Support if you can please chime in here.)

Further to the "AP", I notice on the WiiM Amp's settings in the WiiM app, that the "AP MAC" is a mismatch with the 2 last digits. One being :95 and the other ("your phone is connected to") :96.

I can only hope it gets resorted soon at this point.

 

[harkpabst]

Further to the "AP", I notice on the WiiM Amp's settings in the WiiM app, that the "AP MAC" is a mismatch with the 2 last digits. One being :95 and the other ("your phone is connected to") :96.

AP = Access Point = the device the network interface of your WiiM Amp actually connects to.

Depending on how your network is set up this could well be your router (if you have an all-in-one box, only), a wireless access point creating the WiFi (separate from your router) or e.g. a mesh repeater. It could be two different network interfaces built into your single router. The term router simply is not very precise, it's usually used for a device performing a lot of tasks, not just the "routing". So basically, don't just reboot the box we usually refer to as "the router" but every device comprising your home network.

If the MAC addresses don't match that really means that your phone and your WiiM Amp do connect to different network interfaces. That does not need to be a problem, though. If e.g. your WiiM Amp is connected through Ethernet but your phone is connected through WiFi, they can still be on the same logical network, even if using different network hardware on your router.

 

[NCATS]

@harkpabst - I really appreciate the clarification on "AP".

My modem/router, is an all-in-one style box from my internet provider (Bell Canada ran on their fibre optics). So if I understand correctly, your suggestion would be reboot every device connected to the internet in my house hold? (smart thermostats, TV's, phones, tablets, printers, computers, video cams, etc.)

Should I also segregate the SSID's (2.4ghz and 5ghz)? Again, just a bit puzzled as to why everything was operating smoothly upon purchasing/instailling the WiiM Amps and with no changes, now I'd have to create 2 different SSID's...

 

[NCATS]

In case anyone is experiencing the same issues, here is how it seems to have got solved for me:

1) on the WiiM App, "forget" all your WiiM Amp(s), hit "add device" and reconnect it/them one by one
2) although, I'm not sure if this step solved it entirely (because I parlayed step 1 and 2 at the same time), create 2 different SSID's on your router/modem (one for 2.4ghz and one for 5ghz) and connect your WiiM Amp(s) to either one of the 2.4ghz or 5ghz and make sure your source (phone, tablet, computer, etc.) is connected to the same SSID as the WiiM Amp(s)

AirPlay seems to be working fine now, though I have only really streamed to/tested 1 WiiM Amp. Will test again tomorrow and update if there are any further troubles. Hope this helps anyone suffering the same frustrations. Thank you everyone for your suggestions, really appreciate it.

 

[harkpabst]

My modem/router, is an all-in-one style box from my internet provider (Bell Canada ran on their fibre optics).

This is probably the norm, although the use of repeaters isn't that uncommon.

So if I understand correctly, your suggestion would be reboot every device connected to the internet in my house hold?

Sorry, no, that was misleading. I meant to say that if you had separate devices forming your network (like modem, router, wireless AP, repeaters) it's best to reboot them all. Obviously, this is not necessary nor possible in your scenario.

... create 2 different SSID's on your router/modem (one for 2.4ghz and one for 5ghz) and connect your WiiM Amp(s) to either one of the 2.4ghz or 5ghz and make sure your source (phone, tablet, computer, etc.) is connected to the same SSID as the WiiM Amp(s)

This very last step should not be necessary, the same network can be served through different SSIDs as much as it can be served through Wi-Fi and Ethernet. But it all depends on the configuration and it cannot hurt to keep phone and WiiM on the same SSID.

 

[jjue1979]

I want to say that I recall having dropouts, AirPlay connection issues, and other weird latency issues with a couple of WiiM Amps connected to a certain managed network switch, and I ended up disabling IP6 on the WiiM Amps network settings to resolve my issues.

 

[Buryme2wice]

Ok, so I was away yesterday & have just seen the various comments, good to see HCATS may have resolved the issue for them.

In my case my raised ticket came back with the suggestion to reboot my AMP & disable IPv6.

In my previous comment I mentioned I was going to stream via LMS for the rest of the day on the assumption it would rule out a network issue between router & Amp. Indeed no further drops occurred.

My Amp is not active on IPV6 according to the app & I've powered down the Amp at the mains for a good 15-20 minutes this morning as suggested by Wiim support.

No issues so far this morning and I suspect it'll be a few days/weeks before it happens again.

It feels to me this is an issue with Airplay somehow & not an inherent Network issue itself with our own local networks. Whether it's a network issue caused by Airplay (hope that makes sense) is another matter.

Interestingly I use a old iPhone 5s as a small display with the music source being my 12, and when the issues start the 5s often loses connection as well.......