Troubleshooting wireless stability issues

The 2.4GHz wireless band has become an extremely common frequency for use by many electronic devices. Because of this frequency being used so commonly and many devices potentially being in use on the same frequency at the same time, some interference may result.

As with any wireless device that works on the 2.4 GHz band, the efficiency of its connection is dictated by local conditions, reflections and interference in the wireless range. We had a Third Party test Penrose to verify the antenna range, and they found the maximum open-range to be a distance well beyond any reasonable use-case inside their warehouse with line-of-sight. Our own internal tests have shown a usable range of a very good distance also, in multiple environments with normal-to-heavy WiFi traffic. The efficiency of communication between Penrose and its dongle will be reduced by walls, objects and other causes of interference, such as WiFi routers and other devices using 2.4GHz signals.

If you experience audio playback dropouts, clicks, or other signs of intermittent wireless connection when using the 2.4GHz adapter, please try the following to improve Penrose’s connection to its dongle:

• Make sure the dongle is connected directly to a USB port on your device, bypassing any USB hubs or ports that are not wired directly to the motherboard. With some devices, there can be stability differences between the front and rear USB ports.
  
• High speed USB 3.0 and higher ports can occasionally introduce some interference that may cause jitter in audio signals and are not recommended. Keeping the dongle physically separated from 3.0 or higher ports may also help, as they can emit radio interference in the 2.4GHz spectrum.
• Try to maintain clear line-of-sight to the dongle. The dongle has excellent range in free space, but it may have a hard time receiving signal through obstructions such as furniture, walls, etc.
• For Penrose X, make sure the dongle’s slider switch is set for the correct device type (Xbox or PC/other).
• Switch off any nearby Bluetooth devices, and/or unplug Bluetooth transmitters while the Penrose is in use to minimize interference.
• Be sure there are no other devices nearby that may be interfering with reception, such as other WiFi devices, printers, microwave ovens or other appliances, etc. Moving out of range of any offending devices will usually improve connection.
• Unplug any unused USB devices to rule out potential conflicts.
• A short USB extension cable or a powered USB hub (to avoid the hub issues outlined above) can also increase stability, since it moves the dongle away from potential interference sources inside the host device. This also has the advantage of moving the dongle closer to the headphones and maintaining line-of-sight.

Some slightly more advanced troubleshooting tips for reducing WiFi and other device interference:

• Most wireless routers will automatically set their wireless channel to the lowest trafficked bandwidth channel available upon restart. You can try turning off your router and all other WiFi devices (phones, tablets, Bluetooth devices, etc.) for around 15 minutes to allow the Penrose dongle to establish a solid connection to one channel. You can then allow your router to cycle back on while the Penrose is in use. This should in theory keep that channel established by the Penrose indefinitely and shouldn't be required every time you start your headphones.
• For users with a 2 band wireless router, you can try disabling the 2.4GHz wireless band and use your router through the 5GHz band exclusively. Please note that you may have to sign your other WiFi devices into the 5GHz band if they were previously connected to the 2.4.
• For single band 2.4GHz routers, you can try manually changing the channel of the router to help free up lanes for the Penrose (this can sometimes be done with a switch on the router, but you may have to consult your router manufacturer for help with this).

If you cannot find the droids you’re looking for here, please email us at support@audeze.com, and one of our friendly support reps will get in touch as soon as possible.