Networking and WIFI can be one of the most infuriating things connected with computers in general and music streaming devices in particular.
Just like most homes, my wife and I have numerous devices which use the WIFI network. We have two laptops used for work and one of them is also used as a music streamer. We also have a dedicated music streamer. We also use four portable 'phones and a Kindle.
We move files around on the WIFI and use a printer connected to the WIFI network. All of this works seamlessly. The only problems I have ever had is when I was streaming internet radio and Spotify. Some times the WIFI network would drop out briefly. The laptop would recover the situation very quickly but the dedicated music streamer would need to re-load its buffer and the music would stop for several seconds.
Music streaming must operate continuously in real time. But if you are transferring a digital photograph from one computer to another real time processing is not so important. A laptop or PC can easily handle a break in transmission and continue from the same place later.
When I first set up my music streamer I suffered from a number of gaps in transmission. It was very difficult to identify the problem and I have not been able to identify a single cause. I only resolved the problem by trial and error.
Here is what I did.
1) I changed the WIFI router for another more powerful one, this seemed to help but it did not solve the problem.
2) I positioned the WIFI router in my office upstairs directly above my main HIFI which uses a laptop to steam internet radio and Spotify. This worked. The signal only has to pass through some floor boards so it is 100% at the laptop.
3) I positioned my music streamer as near as possible to the router. As the signal has to pass through a wall it is not as strong at the streamer's aerial or antenna. This did not solve the drop out problem, but it helped.
4) I guessed that the WIFI routers of my neighbours could be interfering with my system. I had set my router to select the broadcast and receive channels automatically; the laptop could handle this but the music streamer could not. I set the router to broadcast on a single channel. This did not work.
5) I guessed that the the neighbours might be broadcasting on the same channel as me, so I experimented by changing the channel. There are eleven channels available and for me channel 1 improved the situation. The laptop was still OK but the music streamer still had its problems.
6) I set up my router so that it did not broadcast the name of my Wireless Local Area Network or WLAN. This is called the SSID. This solved my problems completely. If you broadcast the SSID other networks pick up the name and try to connect. Your neighbour's network picks up this name and broadcasts a "polling signal" on your wavelength in an attempt to connect. This can cause a drop out on your own WLAN.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/SSID.html
http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20110026456
7) Had this failed. I would have tried to use a higher gain aerial but I did not need to.
8) A combination of the measures taken have solved my WIFI problems completely.
9) Always remember other Wireless devices can interfere with your network especially wireless 'phones attached to a land line. Badly suppressed electrical equipment can also interfere with a WIFI system and can sometimes make its operation almost impossible.
If I had been unable to resolve these problems I would have tried to use a WIFI extender.
http://www.lockergnome.com/windows/2011/04/28/do-wi-fi-range-extenders-work/
Failing that there are two other solutions:
Using the mains power network in your home to transmit the signals through out the house. This can work well but you have to use a number of mains LAN sockets to do this and you need network cabling to attach the router and receiver devices to the mains network. Sometimes this solution does not work because of interference.
http://www.computeractive.co.uk/ca/pc-help/1907275/network-computers-mains-power
Run network cables throughout your house and connect the router and receiver devices to this network. If you set up the network correctly with shielded cables this solution should work perfectly. The only problem is some mobile devices do not have wired network connection. We have four of them in our house so we have to have a WIFI network if we wan to use them for Internet radio or Spotify.
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Wire-Your-House-With-Cat-5-or-6-For-Ether/
If you set up a WIFI correctly there is no reason why you cannot stream music files just as well as a wired network. The bandwidth of a WIFI system can easily handle the streaming of CD quality music and even so called HIRES music.
The idea of installing extra wiring in my house was not a solution that appealed to me; far better to get the WIFI working.
One thing is certain; once you get everything working to your satisfaction do not spoil things by messing around with the settings. It is best to leave them alone unless they fail.
Of course you must always take security into account when using a WIFI.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/guides/secure-wifi
