Spotify Connect windows client disappearing

Question

Dear all, Is there any issues with spotify connect dissapearing after a while of inactivity ? I am trying to stream spotify to hifi system via a HTPC ( running windows server 2012 ) .Everything is working fine when the app on the server is freshly run , it is visible via various clients ( android phones and windows laptops and PC ) .Unfortunately after some period of inactivity the server't spotify connect disappears from the rest of the network and I have to log-in to the server remotely and restart spotify. During this time, the app is useable on the server and can play files locally but it is not accessible from other clients. This happens quite often, for instance if I try to connect the next day .. This is very annoying as it destroys the whole idea of headless client for streaming the music. Has anyone experienced this and is there any solution / fix for this ? Thank you very much in advance. 

Answer 1

Alright, I'm back, sorry it took a while. I seem to have solve the problem on my HTPC. And it seems to be related to my Onkyo TX-NR509 receiver that I have an old Thinkpad (HTPC) connected to with a displayport to HDMI cable. This combo will make the computer act up in different ways since the receiver has a built in HDMI switch (one HDMI out, four HDMI in). If I for example have any audio playing on the computer with the TV turned on (driven by the receiver's HDMI out port) and then turn off the TV, the audio will disappear for a few seconds.If I have been playing music with the TV turned off and then go to turn on the TV, Spotify will show an error bar saying something went wrong. I then have to restart Spotify to make it work again. The problem triggering the Spotify Connect issue for me seems to be that if my receiver has been turned off for a while (the HTPC is always turned on with Spotify running), Spotify stops broadcast as a Connect client.I often turn off the receiver when I leave for work and during the night, and it's always after that I want to play music most of the times. I come home or get up out of bed on the weekend, turn on the receiver and find that Spotify Connect isn't working. I can turn on the TV and start the music no problem and if I restart the Spotify client, Connect starts working again. I've now left the receiver turned on during the night and when I'm at work, and since then I've been able to whip out my phone and start music on the HTPC when I get home/out of bed. I have set up the Windows power saving settings to turn off the display after a certain period of time so I have to touch the HTPC mouse before I can start Spotify Connect, but that is a personal choice. As I said before I have also made Windows Firewall exceptions for the Spotify client and I have also changed the the properties of the Ethernet network card so it won't be turned off to save power.Device Manager -> *right click on Ethernet card* -> Properties -> Power Management tab -> *uncheck Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power* Note that this option will not be available on all networks adapters.I also don't know if the firewall and power saving option has anything to do with me solving my problem. I think it's the receiver/computer combo that's causing it, but it could be two valid troubleshooting steps for anyone having the same problem. I would start to focus on the receiver though. Hope this can help someone else in this situation.