Wifi speakers Echo

[DKNY]

I have 4 wifi speakers and 2 are connected to the router and 2 are connecting to the satellite.  The issue is that this creates an echo - the speakers connected to the satellite are slightly delayed compared to the ones connected to the router.  Is there a way to force all the speakers to share the satelitte or router?

I have Harman Kardon Omni 10's if that helps.

[st_shaw]

No way to force a specific connection.

Even if the speakers are perfectly synched, you will hear some delay due to path differences, unless you are exactly in the middle of the speakers.  Just under 1 ms per foot.

I'm surprised there's that much difference. What is the source of the music?  If the source is an online streaming service, then the delay should be similar. If the source is bluetooth from your phone that could make a difference, depending on how the speakers are designed.

You might not be able to do anything but try to minimize the delay.  First step would be to reboot your Orbi units and your speakers.  Also check to make sure all four speakers are configured exactly the same.  Also, using wired backhaul might reduce the delay. 

[DKNY]

Thanks for you feedback st_shaw.  

The source is pandora streaming.  All 4 speakers are on the same floor of my house and will sometimes connect to the same router and when that happens, the speakers are almost perfectly synced or at least the delay is negligible.  

The satellite is on our 2nd floor and 2 of the speakers have been connecting to the satellite recently so the relay is from the router on 1st floor, to the satellite on the 2nd, and back to the speakers on 1st floor, which is when we hear the echo.

Other stationary wifi devices in the house like our ring camera also switch between the router and the satellite which doesn't present a problem since they are not synced.  

I appreciate the help.

[st_shaw]

Thanks for the further information. I can't think of anything to try other than what I already posted.

WiFi wasn't designed for synchronization across the network, so it's a side effect of using WiFi for distributed audio and having two separate APs.

I have Sonos speakers.  They were designed with their own private network (Sonosnet) to avoid this type of problem.  The HK system looks like a clone of Sonos, but perhaps HK didn't get the sync part right.