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Help on improving my home setup - (Omada wifi / another boost?)

W
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I have recently changed our home Wifi to TP Link Omada as our existing Wifi didnt reach around the home, I am planning on adding some managed switches too which I think will help with our sonos setup in the long run.

 

I currently have a number of devices hard wired (wifi off), a boost and some on wifi (should be sonosnet)

 

We have had performance issues on and off over the years and hard wiring some of the sonos appears to have fixed it, the office and nursery speakers are hard wired as they are the furthest from the Boost. Would an additional boost help?

 

Since changed to Omada APs, our devices connected by WiFi arent able to play anything, the wired devices are still functioning, these are currently connected to dumb switches.

 

Our network matrix is as below:

 

 

Any advice, suggestions are appreciated. 

I plan to move the location of the boost again as a first port of call. Does anyone use TP Link Omada and know the best settings to use?

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Best answer by John B 1 August 2022, 13:10

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66 replies

ratty

Or a high powered Bluetooth? Something non-WiFi is really aggressive. I kind of doubt it’s the Zigbee.

W
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Do you have a baby monitoring wireless system?

Yes, I know these cause issues! Would be a good test to turn it off next time I am working at home and he is at nursery…

 

Thinking back, this was the reason we initially wired the nursery speaker in, as when the Sonos started playing the white noise the monitor would beep as it lost signal.

ratty

Do you have a baby monitoring wireless system?

Yes, I know these cause issues!

Some cause horrendous issues. 

J

When you can, turn the whole baby alarm system off for a few minutes and refresh the matrix.

Edit: just seen your question about this!

J

You could also experiment with the Sonos channel although I am not optimistic that will make much difference.

W
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I’ll try it this afternoon, as I am pretty intrigued now!

 

Thanks everyone for your input on this so far, been scratching my head for a while on this!

Ken_Griffiths

@wolvesphil,

Yes, lots of interference around the majority of devices, but maybe things need to settle - it would help to know what 2.4Ghz WiFi channels are in use by the Omada WiFi Hubs, aswell as knowing the chosen SonosNet channel.

Zigbee channel 25 or 26 are often good ones to use as I find those channels do not interfere too much, even with WiFi/SonosNet channel 11, if that may help you at all?

I’m not aware of the customisation allowed with the Omada WiFi mesh system, but perhaps in an ideal world, if no neighbours are encroaching on the property with their wireless networks, It would help for example, to get the Omada/Hubs all using ‘fixed’ channel-1 (ideally with a channel-width of 20Mhz only), then SonosNet on Channel-6 and Zigbee devices like your lights etc. running on channel-25. 

Try to get the baby monitor then on Channel 11 - if it allows that change. When the baby cries it might then only flash your lights on & off (joke) ha ha😀

 

ratty

In my experience a baby monitor completed hosed the entire system. They’re notorious. I guess it was a rather crude use of the entire 2.4GHz band, as it evidently sprayed noise everywhere.

W
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@wolvesphil,

Yes, lots of interference around the majority of devices, but maybe things need to settle - it would help to know what 2.4Ghz WiFi channels are in use by the Omada WiFi Hubs, aswell as knowing the chosen SonosNet channel.

Zigbee channel 25 or 26 are often good ones to use as I find those channels do not interfere too much, even with WiFi/SonosNet channel 11, if that may help you at all?

I’m not aware of the customisation allowed with the Omada WiFi mesh system, but perhaps in an ideal world, if no neighbours are encroaching on the property with their wireless networks, It would help for example, to get the Omada/Hubs all using ‘fixed’ channel-1 (ideally with a channel-width of 20Mhz only), then SonosNet on Channel-6 and Zigbee devices like your lights etc. running on channel-25. 

Try to get the baby monitor then on Channel 11 - if it allows that change. When the baby cries it might then only flash your lights on & off (joke) ha ha😀

 

There is no way of changing the baby monitor and I think as @ratty says, it most likely saturates the entire band, which now may explain by previous WiFi issues with the old system and I am now trying to solve something that isnt solveable. 

 

I have my Omada AP’s running on channel 11 as this shows the least interference, 20MHz channel width and Low Tx Power.

 

Zigbee Hubitat Hub is running on Channel 25, so may be some interference with my AP’s

Zigbee Philips Hue is running on channel 15

 

Neighbours wifi channel 6 looking at “Wifi Analyzer App”, also a lower strength one on channel 1

 

Sonosnet has been moved to channel 1 as this looks to be the most free

 

 

W
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This is with just the boost hardwired.

Boost is in the same location as my Hubitat and Hue hubs, i can move it

 

Baby monitor is currently turned off

ratty

 

This is with just the boost hardwired.

Boost is in the same location as my Hubitat and Hue hubs, i can move it

 

Baby monitor is currently turned off

 

It takes a minute or two before the ANI level reacts to a change in local interferers. 

As for the hubs, try spacing them at least 50cm away. The inverse square law obviously applies.

J

Again, try powering off the hubs temporarily and see if anything makes a radical difference.

W
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Things are looking better / less red with the devices being power cycled.

This is still with baby monitor off, will turn that back on in 30 minutes

Something in the lounge appears to be source of the most interference… there is a Logitech Harmony Hub, Echo Show, Nvidia Shield, and the under stairs cupboard where the smart home hubs and boost live. This is probably 5m from the sonos lounge

 

 

W
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Again, try powering off the hubs temporarily and see if anything makes a radical difference.

Good suggestion! That will be one for later in the week when time allows… As it now appears they are creating some interference.

 

If I move the boost should this ideally be centrally located in the house?

W
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Baby monitor back on! I think I have found the culprit…

 

 

Is there a way to get my Office speaker to use Sonosnet rather than WiFi? Assume that would be better...

ratty

Actually SonosNet might be worse. However if you powercycle the Office unit it may rejoin SonosNet. If that doesn't work, try changing the SonosNet channel back and forth. The nuclear option is to factory reset and re-add. 

W
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Actually SonosNet might be worse. However if you powercycle the Office unit it may rejoin SonosNet. If that doesn't work, try changing the SonosNet channel back and forth. The nuclear option is to factory reset and re-add. 

I would guess it would be worse due to the location of the speaker… However it may connect through the Kitchen, I will power cycle and see.

Already gone nuclear on this one today so no issues doing so again

W
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An update after todays tweaking, Sonos seems happy, been playing music in all rooms as a test and various grouped rooms and no dropouts. Best performance in a long time!

 

However, our baby monitor now keeps disconnecting and beeping! Ordering a new one… an old school DECT one which will hopefully behave and then all is good

W
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Just dropping back in to say thanks for the help I have received on this post!

My Network Matrix is looking much healthier since changing the baby monitor.

 

 

The interference near the Boost is likely to be the Zigbee Hub, and the Lounge is possible Nvidia Shield as that connects via Bluetooth to it’s remote and gamepad

J

That’s great.  Thanks for posting back.  I’m glad changing the baby monitor worked as it would have been a shame to have had to get rid of the baby.

You could try changing the channel on the Zigbee, or moving it physically further from the router and Boost if cable and set up allow.  For a while in the recent past I had the Zigbee hub connected to the Ethernet port on one of my wireless Sonos speakers, and it worked fine.

ratty

“Office” still appears to be a maverick. It could be that it’s so far from any SonosNet nodes that it’s fallen back to WiFi.

J

“Office” still appears to be a maverick. It could be that it’s so far from any SonosNet nodes that it’s fallen back to WiFi.

Maybe turn off 5GHz wifi (or all wifi?) temporarily to see if that will get it to join SonosNet?  Maybe then it will stick, particularly if the interference picture is further improved.

W
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“Office” still appears to be a maverick. It could be that it’s so far from any SonosNet nodes that it’s fallen back to WiFi.

Maverick! I like that term…  It shouldn’t really be too far from the Boost but there are walls etc in betweem

 

You could try changing the channel on the Zigbee, or moving it physically further from the router and Boost if cable and set up allow.  For a while in the recent past I had the Zigbee hub connected to the Ethernet port on one of my wireless Sonos speakers, and it worked fine.

 

Both Boost and Hubitat are currently centrally located, I may be better moving the Boost, I will experiment with this and report back in the coming days/week

That’s great.  Thanks for posting back.  I’m glad changing the baby monitor worked as it would have been a shame to have had to get rid of the baby.

 

I laughed too much at this!

J

Well it's a question of priorities!

W
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So, after a couple of months with no changes to anything internally, we have started to notice the issues creeping back in.

These are:

1: Local files not playing, Sonos reports \\NASIP\Music not found when playing and attempts to play track

  1. Spotify or Amazon Music drops out and skips tracks or doesn’t start

I am back to where I was before seeing if using Omada would improve anything.

 

 

Any suggestions on what to try next? Unfortunately the wifi coverage in our house has never brilliant hence the need for a system like BT Whole Home or Omada. I have even tried Deco with similar results

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