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Connect:Amps - daisy chain via Ethernet, or dedicated connections for each?

  • 22 April 2018
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Userlevel 1
My current set up has 7 Connect:Amps, a couple of trusty ZP100's, and a couple of S1s, a 3 and a 5.

All of the Amps are in the network closet, and lately Sonos hasn't been super reliable. We do have good wifi around the house with multiple AP's, but the airspace is generally very noisy due to a lot of wifi activity. There is a Boost in the Sonos network as well.

In the past I think I've read that it's a Bad Idea to connect one Amp to the switch, and daisy-chain the rest of them. So in that case, given I have easy access to the switch and spare ports, is the best option to run a dedicated ethernet cable to each?

My rule of thumb is to use a cable whenever possible, but I'm not sure that's a good rule when in comes to Sonos.
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Best answer by Stanley_4 22 April 2018, 20:06

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3 replies

One thing for certain, you can't daisy chain an unlimited amount. The 'network diameter' maximum is 7, but it is a good idea to limit the jumps to 3 or less.
Userlevel 7
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Sonos doesn't use a lot of Ethernet bandwidth so you could grab a multi-port (8, 16, 24) port switch to sit near your Sonos collection and just run one Ethernet from your main switch to the new one by your gear and then shorter lines to each Sonos device. That might be a bit neater and require less cabling space.

Adding an Ethernet connection for all of my Sonos gear that was easy to connect and adding reserved (static) IP addresses in my router's DHCP server has ended a vast majority of my Sonos issues.
Userlevel 1
I'm really not sure what was up with my system, but in summary, it had really got it's knickers in a twist. It was running in Boost mode (as expected, since one of the ZP's was ethernet connected), and there was also a physical Boost, which at one point in time was working, but I'm not sure how, since it didn't have it's own ethernet connection (I did have something else plugged into it though, which was getting an ethernet connection). Either way, it was time to stat from scratch, the system had moved from 3 or 4 houses over a couple of continents, and nothing had ever been reset, just re-named.

In the end, I did a factory reset on each ZP (press and hold the volume up and play/pause button while applying power, until it flashes garage & white), and added them back, one by one. No ethernet, since I have a good wifi set up, so it shouldn't be needed. One of my old ZP100's needed a temporary ethernet connection, but that's it, the whole lot is wireless again, and working perfectly. It's right next to my switches, so I might end up with connections when I buy another switch (I'm maxed out), but so far the load on wifi isn't anything to worry about.