After Deco S4 Airplay now cuts out on Airport Express after 1 second

After Deco S4 Airplay now cuts out on Airport Express after 1 second

After Deco S4 Airplay now cuts out on Airport Express after 1 second
After Deco S4 Airplay now cuts out on Airport Express after 1 second
2024-08-10 13:43:35
Model: Deco S4  
Hardware Version:
Firmware Version:

I have been using two AirPort Expresses as Airplay 2 audio receivers in my house for years now, and it has worked perfectly until now. Suddenly, the Airport Expresses are not working after I switch my mesh system to Deco S4.

 

Specifically, my Airport Expresses are connected to my wifi, and they show up as speakers for my iPhone, AppleTV, and MacBook. When I select them to receive audio, however, they play the audio for just about 1 second and then suddenly cut out. The phone, TV, and MacBook will show the speakers as still connected and receiving audio, but no sound.

 

My guess is that it has something to do wither change to my mesh WiFi system, but I cannot pinpoint the cause or find a fix.

 

A few other notes:

 

  • The only thing that has changed recently is that I switched mesh wifi systems, upgrading to a TP-Link Deco Mesh AC1900 WiFi System (Deco S4). Everything else is working fine with this new system, and I even had a few weeks of the Airport Expresses working fine.
     
  • Both Airport Expresses are suddenly not working in the exact same way even though they show very strong connections to WiFi and are located very close to a mesh WiFi unit (10-15 feet).
     
  • I am able to stream Airplay just fine in other ways, such as to my AppleTvs or to three HomePod Minis in my house.
     
  • The most confusing thing is that it’s not that the Airport Expresses aren’t working at all — they are connected to my network, show up as speakers all the time, and always receive and play sound for 1 second before cutting out. I haven’t encountered this in all the years I’ve had Airport Expresses.
     
  • I have restarted everything on the system a million times, updated firmware, and even completely reset settings on the Airport Expresses, with no difference.

 

Any help is super appreciated!

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Re:After Deco S4 Airplay now cuts out on Airport Express after 1 second
2024-08-14 14:26:10

To answer my own question: Nothing made a difference in terms of IPv6 settings on the Deco or Airport Express, local-link settings on the Airport Express, connecting to Airport Express via ethernet, or changing almost any network settings.

 

The trick ended up being to make each Airport Express "high priority" in the Deco app, and voila. It only took me about 6 hours to get there.

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