Has anyone found a reliable fix for AirPlay to HomePods failing when a Mac mini is connected by Ethernet?
My setup:
• Mac mini (Apple M6), macOS 27.0.1, build 26A434.
• Built-in Ethernet connected to an ASUS ZenWiFi AX AiMesh satellite.
• The satellite connects to the main router by Ethernet (wired backhaul).
• HomePods are on the same home network over Wi-Fi.
What happens:
The Mac discovers the HomePods, but playback fails to start or stops shortly after connecting. This happens with Ethernet alone (Wi-Fi switched off), and also with both Ethernet and Wi-Fi enabled. More than one HomePod is affected.
What I tested:
• Restarted both the Mac and a HomePod; Ethernet playback still fails.
• AirPlay from my iPhone works.
• With Ethernet unplugged and the Mac on Wi-Fi only, a two-minute silent audio test completed with the HomePod still selected, without disconnecting. This checks playback continuity rather than audible quality.
• The failure also reproduced in QuickTime Player through macOS Sound output, not just in my local music player, Cadence.
• Unplugging and reconnecting Ethernet appeared to help temporarily, but a subsequent test failed again.
The Mac’s AirPlayXPCHelper logs repeatedly show:
• kAPSNetworkClockError_TimelineIDMismatch (-71976)
• ConvertNetworkTimeToUpTicks failed
• kAPSNetworkClockError_InternalError (-71974)
• SetRate 1 FAILURE, followed by disconnection
Wi-Fi-only playback had a startup timing warning too, but continued to the end of the test without the repeated failures.
I haven’t yet tested the Mac directly on the main router or with a different Ethernet adapter, so I don’t know whether the cause is macOS’s Ethernet/AirPlay handling or the mesh network path. I’d prefer to retain Ethernet if possible.
Has anyone reproduced this on a Mac mini, particularly with wired AiMesh, and found a fix? Are there specific Ethernet, macOS, or ASUS firmware settings worth checking?
