SonoBus Dropouts and Pulsing Volume on Same Network (Pixel + Win10) - Need Help with Settings!
Chris
Hey folks, I’m running into some frustrating issues with SonoBus and could use some advice from the pros here. I’ve got it set up on my Google Pixel phone (Wi-Fi) and my Windows 10 PC (Ethernet), both on the same home network. I figured being on the same network with a solid connection (PC’s wired, phone’s on decent Wi-Fi) would give me a super reliable signal, but I’m still getting dropouts every few minutes and this weird pulsing volume thing—like the audio cuts in and out on a regular interval. It’s driving me nuts!
Here’s the setup:
- Devices: Google Pixel (Wi-Fi) and Windows 10 PC (Ethernet), same network.
- Buffer Size: Set to 128 samples on both to keep latency low (trying to sync audio with video so lips match).
- Send Quality: I’ve tried both 96kbps/ch and PCM 16-bit on each device—same issue either way.
- Symptoms: Audio is crystal clear for a while, but every few minutes I get dropouts and this pulsing volume that sounds like rhythmic packet loss.
What I’m aiming for is rock-solid reliability since I’m in my own house, not streaming across the internet. I’ve poked around in the settings but I’m not totally sure what else to tweak to fix this. I fed my setup into an AI tool, and it suggested using a “direct connection” with a specific IP and port instead of a private group. Problem is, I can’t find that option in the UI—or at least, it’s not obvious to me. I’m using a private group right now, but maybe that’s not the best way? The SonoBus docs I found feel a bit outdated compared to what I’m seeing in the app, so I’m worried I’m missing something.
Here’s what I’m thinking might help, but I need guidance:
- Jitter Buffer: Mine’s set to Auto by default. Should I switch to Manual or Initial Auto? What size should I try? Does Wi-Fi vs. Ethernet matter here?
- Send Quality: Does sticking with PCM 16-bit vs. 96kbps make a difference for packet loss on a local network?
- Network Stuff: Could my router be messing with this? Any tricks to prioritize SonoBus traffic?
- Direct Connect: Is there still a way to do a direct IP/port connection in the latest version? If so, where’s it hiding? I see the UDP port designation setting and have it set to 4190 for both devices.
For troubleshooting, my PC’s on a wired 2.5 Gigabit connection, and my Pixel’s on 5GHz Wi-Fi with a strong signal (full bars, ~200-300Mbps down). Sample rates (both default to 48kHz), and I’m not sure if that’s a factor but I tried 41kHz.. The dropouts and pulsing happen on the phone end as I'm listening and isn't something that occurs in any of my other private connections PC-to-PC.
Any ideas on what settings to tweak to kill the packet loss and get a steady stream? I’d love to hear what’s worked for you on a similar setup. Thanks in advance—really appreciate any help! -Chris
Jim C
Sent: Saturday, March 22, 2025 6:25:28 PM
To: SonoBus Users <sonobu...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [sonobus-users] SonoBus Dropouts and Pulsing Volume on Same Network (Pixel + Win10) - Need Help with Settings!
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SonoBus Users" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to sonobus-user...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sonobus-users/4b8c333b-c308-4a5b-bbeb-685523dfd78an%40googlegroups.com.