Connecting to Minx XI recently started failing when auth is needed

[conartist6]

Plan: Premium

Country: United states

Spotify Connect Device:

Cambridge Audio Minx XI

Firmware:

v270-a-012

Spotify clients:
Spotify for macOS (Apple Silicon) 1.1.81.604.gccacfc8c
Spotify for Android 8.7.16.1354

Spotify for Windows 1.1.81.604.gccacfc8c

My Question or Issue:
I've have a Cambridge A Minx XI which is a Spotify connect server.

Until a few weeks ago it worked perfectly (well, mostly fine at least) as a Spotify connect server. Recently however I have had severe issues in getting it to authenticate with Spotify when it is first turned on. It displays "Spotify/Not logged in", which is what it would normally display, except that now most attempts to connect to it fail. I have not yet found any pattern to the times when it is successful in authenticating/connecting. If I can get an initial connection made so that it is authenticated with Spotify then I can control it completely normally, from any device, and can continue to disconnect from and reconnect to it so long as it is not turned off.

I would be happy to collect any additional information that would aid in diagnosing this problem. Should I get out my packet sniffer and see if I can capture a successful and unsuccessful connection attempts?

[conartist6 · Accepted solution]

It seems to me like rebooting the router fixes the problem every time. Once the router is rebooted the Minx XI succeeds. If the Minx XI is then rebooted every attempt to connect to the Minx XI fails until the router is rebooted.

More fiddling reveals: Minx XI does not seem to like the process of connecting to the router when it is first powered on. I've discovered an odd quirk about it: If I pick a language in settings (even if it's the current language already) it forces a kind of mini-reboot -- it says "Starting..." then "Connecting to LAN" then "Network OK". This is the same sequence it goes through on a cold start, with the exception of an initial "Minx XI starting up", but somehow doing this abbreviated reinitialization sequence causes the player to be properly discoverable with Spotify connect!!

I am also able to avoid the problem by changing the device setting for "Standby Mode" to "Network Standby". In this mode the player remains network connection and is essentially "asleep" (its status light is orange instead of red (off) or blue (on)). In this state spotify connect seems to be able to wake the player up, which is useful. I don't yet know how much power it consumes, but I think I can compensate for any power usage by setting a more aggressive auto-standby timer since the unit often stays fully on while idle for significant portions of the day in case I want to play music.

[Edwin1957]

Same hardware, same problem since latest iOS update by spotify. Solution mentioned did not work for me. Can’t play music via spotify. Please investigate!

[rcvlierman]

Same issue here, on android and on desktop. Can't connect to the minx although it is visible. Restarting router does not help. Network is ok, and I can connect to the cambrige app

[conartist6]

Can I unaccept my solution? I don't think anyone that could help will notice this topic if it's already marked solved...

[rcvlierman]

lol, I don't know. If not I will create a new issue