LAN and Firewall

DLNA and AirPlay 1 casting require LAN device discovery and Renderer reachability to the ECHO host IP. Connect operations: Connect page. DLNA troubleshooting: DLNA guide.

Core principles

Principle	Notes
Same segment	ECHO host and Renderer / AirPlay device on same LAN segment (usually same main router)
Discovery ≠ internet	Internet access does not imply SSDP / multicast discovery works
URL reachability	DLNA: Renderer must HTTP-fetch ECHO’s temporary URL
Private network	Windows profile should be Private; Public often has stricter firewall

Recommended topology

                    ┌─────────────┐
    wired / Wi-Fi ─>│ Main router │<── wired (preferred) ── streamer / Renderer
                    └──────┬──────┘
                           │
              wired / Wi-Fi ├── ECHO PC
                           │
                           └── other LAN devices (AirPlay speakers, etc.)

Item	Recommendation
ECHO PC	Main router; wired or Wi-Fi — not guest Wi-Fi only
Streamer / Renderer	Same router; wired preferred
Windows	Private network profile
Subnet	Same IPv4 segment (e.g. `192.168.1.0/24`)

High-risk environments

Often cause empty Connect list or “connected but silent renderer”:

Environment	Typical issue
Hotel Wi-Fi	Client isolation
Campus / corporate	Multicast filtering, VLAN isolation
Guest Wi-Fi	AP isolation
Phone hotspot	Device-to-device blocked
Misconfigured Mesh	Wireless backhaul isolation
PC on VPN, Renderer local	Tunnel breaks discovery or URL reach
Cascaded routers (no bridge)	Double NAT, cross-segment discovery failure

Verification: On the same network, use a phone DLNA app to see if the Renderer appears. If no app sees it, fix network / Renderer before ECHO settings.

Windows firewall

Network profile

Settings → Network & Internet → Wi-Fi / Ethernet → connection properties.
Set profile to Private.
Public profiles often block inbound access to ECHO’s HTTP URL.

Allow ECHO

Windows Security → Firewall → Allow an app through firewall.
Enable ECHO / Electron entries on Private networks.
Briefly disable firewall for comparison only; re-enable after diagnosis.

Do not leave firewall disabled permanently. Add allow rules after identifying the cause.

Router settings

Check admin UI (names vary by brand):

Setting	Recommendation
AP isolation / wireless client isolation	Off
Guest network isolation	Do not put ECHO or Renderer on guest Wi-Fi for tests
UPnP	Not required for discovery; may help some setups
Multicast / IGMP Snooping	Misconfiguration can break discovery; try disabling Snooping to compare
VLAN	ECHO and Renderer must be mutually reachable

VPN and proxy

Case	Effect	Recommendation
Full-tunnel VPN	Local traffic may enter tunnel	Disable VPN for first Connect test
Split VPN	Rule-dependent	Ensure ECHO ↔ Renderer uses local interface
System proxy	Usually unrelated to DLNA discovery	Low correlation with empty list

DLNA discovery and URL (summary)

Phase	Mechanism	Failure symptom
Discovery	SSDP / UPnP multicast	Empty Connect list
Cast	`http://<host LAN IP>:<port>/connect/audio/...`	Connected, renderer silent
Remote track	ECHO proxy / transcode then URL	Stutter, drop, timeout

ECHO picks a LAN IP based on Renderer location. Multiple NICs (Wi-Fi + Ethernet + VPN) can expose a URL unreachable from the Renderer.

See DLNA guide · found but connect fails.

AirPlay 1 network notes

Shares most LAN requirements with DLNA. Additionally:

Some devices are AirPlay 2–only → not supported by ECHO (AirPlay boundaries).
Same home-router verification applies before blaming ECHO.

Minimum network checklist

ECHO PC and Renderer on same main router (not guest Wi-Fi).
Both IPs on same segment (e.g. 192.168.1.x).
Windows profile = Private.
Firewall allows ECHO on private networks (or brief disable to compare).
VPN off.
Router AP / guest isolation off.
Renderer Media Renderer mode enabled.
Phone DLNA app sees Renderer (recommended).
Device appears after ECHO Connect → Refresh.
MP3 cast succeeds.

Topic	Doc
Connect procedure	Connect page
DLNA troubleshooting	DLNA / streamer guide
Living-room scenario	Scenarios · scenario 3
FAQ	FAQ