My Android devices no longer play audio files, MP3, WAV or WMA from my WD MyCloud running software version 1.0.7.17 (2018). This started in the last few weeks or days on an HTC phone and a Samsung Galaxy 2010 tablet. Image files like jpeg and documents still working OK. Could it be a WD update which did this?
Windows, iPad and a Marantz music center still work normally on audio files.
The Android players load up the app on the screen OK but then MP3 files just hang indefinitely with no playing time showing (0.0 minutes at both ends) though the file title shows. WMA files just hang waiting for download. I checked for Android app updates, but do have the latest versions.
Partial solution. I unplugged the mains from the WDMyCloud disk to reset it and do get some access on Android. However it is very slow: For a 5 MB approx mp3 file, app opening and music download times are:
PC windows on ethernet. Instantaneous
iPad Mini 2 seconds
Android. on Samsung Galaxy 2014 36 seconds
the latter is fast and similar to an iPad normally
It may have all been working before and I gave up the download too soon but it is still unacceptably slow.
If accessing a remote My Cloud the broadband upload speed at the My Cloud location will affect how quickly you can download files.
For remote access problems on a My Cloud one can try disabling Remote Access/Cloud Access through the My Cloud Dashboard > Settings section. Wait five to ten minutes. Then re-enable Remote Access/Cloud Access and see if the issues persist.
It should be noted that certain modifications done using SSH to the My Cloud firmware may affect the My Cloud ability to display media to remote access clients. For example disabling certain services via SSH to try and deal with the well known sleep problem of the My Cloud may affect media serving to remote access clients.
Thanks for the tip. I disabled remote access, waited then re-enabled but it hasn’t made any difference at all and it still takes 35 seconds to download an 5 MB mp3 on my HTC smartphone.
The download speed test on the phone is 35 Mbits so the WiFi router seems OK.
However I just did a trip to the local pub down the road, got onto their WiFi with the phone and the mp3 files downloaded quickly there, a mere 2 seconds, same as the iPad at home.
So Android download is slow at home, 35 seconds, but quick over the internet, 2-3 seconds, at a different location !
There must be a clue there, but it’s not apparent to me.
Problem solved. I think. The WD cloud drive is connected to the router via an ethernet hub as it wouldn’t work for more than a few days with a direct connection for reasons unknown. Adding the hub was the advice I got here some months ago.
The desktop PC is attached to the same hub and lately it has been dropping its internet connection every day. This can be fixed by rebooting the hub, which is an ancient Sitecom HD080. And doing that seems to have fixed the Android audio download problem too as it now goes normally fast.
So the answer seems to be to install a newer ethernet hub. Or maybe with the latest WD firmware upgrade the hub isn’t needed any more. I will check that out.
The problems persist. Random disconnection on start up occur exactly the same whether using the old Sitecom HD080 hub or a brand new Tp-Link 5 port hub TL-SF1005D. The latter has no reset button I can find. Generally problems will resolve themselves after a few hours, or instantly if I depower the hub for a second.
The Brightbox 2 is connected to the hub which then goes to two desktop PC’s and the WD Cloud on ethernet, 3 laptops (2x Win10, 1x Vista) an iPad, a Samsung Galaxy 2014 and a Smartphone on WiFi. All used and switched off and on randomly in different parts of the house.
So to my untutored mind, this seems like the Brightbox is having problems resolving addresses between WiFi and cable as the network terminals change. Sometime I can’t see the Internet from the PC’s (usually 1st thing in the morning) but can see the WD while the WiFi’s can’t see the WD. Other times it’s the other way round. The WiFi connections are more stable but the Androids occasionally can’t see the WD but can still see the internet.
The old Brightbox 1, which I still have, didn’t seem to have any problems like this with a similar set-up, except for no hub then. May I should power that up again just to check.
