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Delineate User Access to Shared Sonos

T

Hi Sonos Community!  I recently invested in Sonos and I am working to better understand how to delineate / carve out user access. Ultimately, my kids mess with each other’s Sonos speakers. I want to be able to control all of them.  Is there a way is isolate access?  Here is an example:

  • Child 1 access Sonos 1 (bedroom 1) and Sonos 3 (kitchen)
  • Child 2 access Sonos 2 (bedroom 2) and Sonos 3 (kitchen)
  • Parent 1 access Sonos 1, Sonos 2, and Sonos 3

 

Currently, I have one account with all three devices and I have logged into each child’s mobile device with my account. I did this primarily because I on had one location that could accommodate direct connection to the internet (ethernet). 
 

Could I solve this using the Sonos Network Extender?  Can this product create multiple Sonos Networks so that multiple Sonos devices can exist simultaneously?  
 

I hope that my question makes sense. I am happy to add additional detail to clarify as needed. 
 

Cheers and thanks in advance! 

 

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Best answer by ratty 29 April 2022, 14:45

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10 replies

melvimbe

There isn’t a way to technically control access to specific Sonos rooms in your system.  Anyone with access to the WiFi account has access to all rooms.  You can create multiple Sonos setups, but the speakers would need to be on different WiFi networks to restrict access, and a speakers can’t belong to more than one system.

The best solution may be to tell your kids that if abuse the privilege of having Sonos in their bedroom, then you’ll remove the speakers.

Danny
T

Thanks @melvimbe!

This is kind of what I had though. Thus far, the threat of loss of use has not abated the bad behavior. It also doesn’t help that I find their persistence “trolling” of each other hilarious. 
 

I was also contemplating a complete de-install and reconfiguration for my Sonos implementation. 
 

That would look like:

Child 1 → Sonos 1

Child 2 → Sonos 2

Parent 1 → Sonos 3

 

My understanding there is that this would present the issue of multiple Sonos devices on the same Wifi network (ssid). 
 

Would multiple network extenders solve this?

melvimbe

‘network extenders’ is somewhat vague.  If you effectively have 3 separate networks with 3 different Wifis, each one assigning IP addresses to different Sonos speakers, and what ever other tech you have in your home.  Of course, then your dealing with 3 different networks in your home...not at all convenient.  And you certainly can’t use Sonos as a multiroom system in that case.  You’re better off just using bluetooth speakers, and keeping one home network, at that point.

Danny
ratty

Thanks @melvimbe!

This is kind of what I had though. Thus far, the threat of loss of use has not abated the bad behavior. It also doesn’t help that I find their persistence “trolling” of each other hilarious. 
 

I was also contemplating a complete de-install and reconfiguration for my Sonos implementation. 
 

That would look like:

Child 1 → Sonos 1

Child 2 → Sonos 2

Parent 1 → Sonos 3

 

My understanding there is that this would present the issue of multiple Sonos devices on the same Wifi network (ssid). 
 

Would multiple network extenders solve this?

 

Multiple extenders (or SSIDs) are not required. There can be multiple Sonos systems (they actually call them ‘households’) on the same network. But controllers would need to be dedicated to each system.

 

Factory reset Sonos 1 (above) and Sonos 2. Also reset the controller app on child 1’s phone. Do the same for child 2. 

For ease of setup, temporarily power off Sonos 3.

Use child 1’s app to set up a new system using Sonos 1.

Use child 2’s app to set up a new system using Sonos 2.

Power Sonos 3 back on, and it will be the only device accessible in parent 1’s phone.

melvimbe

Multiple extenders (or SSIDs) are not required. There can be multiple Sonos systems (they actually call them ‘households’) on the same network. But controllers would need to be dedicated to each system.

 

Factory reset Sonos 1 (above) and Sonos 2. Also reset the controller app on child 1’s phone. Do the same for child 2. 

For ease of setup, temporarily power off Sonos 3.

Use child 1’s app to set up a new system using Sonos 1.

Use child 2’s app to set up a new system using Sonos 2.

Power Sonos 3 back on, and it will be the only device accessible in parent 1’s phone.

 

But each controller app would still be able to reset and connect to either of the 3 Sonos systems you’ve setup. That is a little more complicated though and perhaps not something that the trolling child can figure out, so a valid point.

Danny
controlav
Userlevel 7
Badge +23

 

But each controller app would still be able to reset and connect to either of the 3 Sonos systems you’ve setup. That is a little more complicated though and perhaps not something that the trolling child can figure out, so a valid point.

The really smart kid would install a third party Sonos app that gives them access to every speaker/household on the network :-)

Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
ratty

Multiple extenders (or SSIDs) are not required. There can be multiple Sonos systems (they actually call them ‘households’) on the same network. But controllers would need to be dedicated to each system.

 

Factory reset Sonos 1 (above) and Sonos 2. Also reset the controller app on child 1’s phone. Do the same for child 2. 

For ease of setup, temporarily power off Sonos 3.

Use child 1’s app to set up a new system using Sonos 1.

Use child 2’s app to set up a new system using Sonos 2.

Power Sonos 3 back on, and it will be the only device accessible in parent 1’s phone.

 

But each controller app would still be able to reset and connect to either of the 3 Sonos systems you’ve setup. That is a little more complicated though and perhaps not something that the trolling child can figure out, so a valid point.

 

The trolling child would have to reset their controller and physically press buttons on the other child’s speaker to associate with it. Moreover the first child would then lose control of their own speaker until the process was reversed. It could quickly get tiresome.

ratty

 

But each controller app would still be able to reset and connect to either of the 3 Sonos systems you’ve setup. That is a little more complicated though and perhaps not something that the trolling child can figure out, so a valid point.

The really smart kid would install a third party Sonos app that gives them access to every speaker/household on the network :-)

 

The really smart kid would realise they’d have to pay for the app. Hopefully Dad polices this kind of thing. 

controlav
Userlevel 7
Badge +23

 

But each controller app would still be able to reset and connect to either of the 3 Sonos systems you’ve setup. That is a little more complicated though and perhaps not something that the trolling child can figure out, so a valid point.

The really smart kid would install a third party Sonos app that gives them access to every speaker/household on the network :-)

 

The really smart kid would realise they’d have to pay for the app. Hopefully Dad polices this kind of thing. 

The super super smart kid could find a free app.

Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
K

The best solution may be to tell your kids that if abuse the privilege of having Sonos in their bedroom, then you’ll remove the speakers.

Call me old fashioned, but I think that this is a better way than any tech based solution. And threats may not work as well as seeing consequences in action.

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