Access points and static IP addresses

Gents, don’t run down the 2011 set up; it has worked brilliantly with the TP access points and continues to do so; ironically, it has taken Apple HomePods to perhaps show up its shortcomings!

If I do change to mesh, it will probably be one of the TP Deco units. I don’t see any justification for anything fancier because even the present set up of Apple/TP is still good enough for two concurrent HD video streams, and no one does work from home involving important/extended zoom calls and the like. I will stay away from Eero.

@buzz : would a modern mesh set up where all but one Sonos is wired to the primary unit, still need IP reservations for Sonos to be stable? And since this has bitten me once: do modern mesh systems present the two DHCP server issue that tripped up my Sonos when I installed the TP APs? That problem was resolved by disabling DHCP on the TP units and never resurfaced thereafter.

Thank you for all the inputs so far!

Always reserve IP addresses. Since you have SonosNet capable units, keep the wired units wired to the router or a switch and you will avoid most of the issues that others have experienced with mesh systems. It is generally not a good idea to wire a SONOS unit to a mesh point.

Only one DHCP server should be enabled.

When you install, shut down all network clients, bring the mesh online, then start the clients. Since you will be using SonosNet, the SONOS units should come online without a fuss.

Does that mean the mesh systems may have more than one running? And if yes, do all offer disabling of all but one as a standard feature? In the TP Link world, some extenders do wired AP mode, but do not have a DHCP toggle off switch, so one has to be careful to not install these models even in AP mode if Sonos is to work properly. I chanced upon one that does have this toggle, and that has worked well since DHCP was toggled to off. Leaving that even on Auto isn’t enough.

The mesh system will have only one DHCP server, but the original router will have a DHCP server. One of them must be disabled. Usually there is a master box associated with the mesh system. The master will potentially have the DHCP server and the mesh points will not or they will be bright enough to enable only one DHCP server.

Hallelujah! The HomePods work fine now stereo paired, and the 2011 Apple TC can continue.

My memory of the TP RE 305 extender was that in wired AP mode one could not turn DHCP off, but on installing the one I bought just now, I find that there is now a way to do this via its app. On so installing it in the bedroom at the end of an ethernet wire from the Apple, not only does it flood the room with 2.4 and 5 wireless, but it does not trouble Sonos back in the open space in any way. And since the Apple TC radios are hardly used except for a 5 GHz supply to a fire stick, any weakening there is not an issue, so it can soldier based on the philosophy: if it ain’t broke…

In the time it took for the TP to arrive, I checked everything that could be checked, so a good intellectual workout. Once the new TP was set up and all other device in the room had a rock steady WiFi, we found that one of the two HomePods was not showing up and some googling led to doing a full reset that involved a 3GB firmware download/ upgrade that had not installed properly the first time, probably because of flaky broadband signals at that time. What had fooled us is that HomePod was showing the post update firmware version as installed.

With this set up of two access points in two bedrooms wired back to the Apple TC, and the open plan space served by Sonos wired back to the same TC, I think that as and when the TC dies, I will replace it by a plain vanilla router, set it up with the same SSID/password, and wire its lan port to the switch where the wires from the APs and Sonos terminate, swapping out the present wire from the TC to said switch.

One reason to hold on to the Apple TC is how good the Apple utility to manage it is; very easy to understand and use via a Mac.

The HomePods are the first exception I found to the “it just works”, where Apple is concerned. 

No need to bother about mesh then. I can’t see what more it will give me in terms of user experience now or when the TC dies.

Again, thanks to all that contributed with suggestions.

I’m always amazed at the tenacity of Apple users with respect to hanging on to their Apple networking.

1. Because Apple kit works with idiots at the wheel.
2. Because Apple doesn’t make new networking kit any more.

PS: there is nothing Apple about the networking itself, it is just 2.4/5 as all others, hub and spoke style.

Could others be amazed at the tenacity of Sonos users with respect to hanging on to their Sonos devices?

Good question! In my case, Sonos is now used as dumb kit, with all the smarts/album art displays drawn from wired to line in Echo devices, using Spotify. The Sonos controller/Sonos net are used only when I want to play purchased or CD ripped music on the local NAS, either in one or in more than one grouped zones, a feature that is still useful now that all CD players are long gone and more than a thousand CDs sitting in boxes out of sight for some years now. 

Like the Apple TC, Sonos hardware is built to very high standards, it is clear. And so are Echo devices - not one failure since 2017. Modern mass manufacturing of electronic kit can now deliver excellent reliability, even when located in China/other such. And for peanuts, compared to what we used to pay for such kit in the past.