Advanced setups

This is the place to troubleshoot your Sonos hacks, advanced setups, and third party integrations. Be mindful of your products warranty, and that Sonos staff can't always assist in an official capacity here.

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Tutorial

Using Sonos as PC Speakers

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1576 Topics

J
j4cboContributor I
posted in Advanced setups

I modified my Play:1 for Power Over Ethernet

I've seen a few posts with people asking about a PoE version of the Play:1, so I decided to make one. The Sonos Play:1 only has an AC input, and internally the main supply is 24 volts DC. Standard 802.3af/at PoE is roughly 48 volts and requires the device to include negotiation logic, so adapting it would require some extra hardware. However, I realized something that makes this project way easier: many "enterprise" WiFi systems use a nonstandard scheme called "Passive PoE" where 24 volts is applied directly to the Ethernet cable with no negotiation steps. Even better, the Sonos Play:1 is a 100 Mbit Ethernet device, not gigabit. 100M Ethernet uses only two of the four pairs in a cat5 cable (gigabit uses all four), and the other two are spare. 802.3af/at standard PoE requires that the device be able to accept power on any set of pairs, but "passive PoE" usually only uses the spare pairs. So I opened up my Play:1. I don't recommend this - there's a lot of adhesive acoustic foam tha

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AjTrek1
4 years ago
A
Anonymous
asked in Advanced setups

Sonos and Samsung SmartThings Future

Hi I am building a home automation system using Samsung SmartThings, Philips Hue lights and just bought a 2 x Play 1's. I was really hopeful that the introduction of Sonos would add a lot of value, but unfortunately I'm quite disappointed. Whilst not the fault of Sonos as such; I (and many other people in the community) were hoping for a lot of power with what is considered basic functionality. For example; whilst with SmartThings I can send a single song or Text to Speech (TTS) command to play to Sonos I can't: 1. Send a song/TTS and have Sonos resume a track that's currently playing 2. There is some basic ability to resume a song but at best it will start from the beginning; most of the time it starts playing back a totally different song 3. There is no ability to dynamically create a group outside of the Sonos app. As I said; this isn't totally Sonos' fault; but there are a lot of people desperately hoping for the situation to improve. From what I hear from Samsung, they are pulling

19
C
6 years ago
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tomgruAvid Contributor I
asked in Advanced setups

Multiple Boosts?

I've recently moved homes and am trying to get my Sonos setup more reliable. 4000 sq.ft. house with one connect:amp, a newer amp, one connect, 3 play:1's and a play:3. Was hard wiring as much as possible into my LAN, but found that Sonos and Ubiquiti can be a bit troublesome to setup. Based on feedback, when to full Sonosnet setup with a boost the only item connected/hardwired to a UB managed switch. Results are definitely better, but i still get drop outs especially when connecting more than 3 speakers, etc. my question is that if adding an additional Boost might help. 3 floors... i have the new AMP on the top floor, the boost on the middle floor, and am thinking about adding another boost on the lower floor (where the connect:amp is). will this help at all?

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T
3 years ago
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pozzelloAvid Contributor III
asked in Advanced setups

How to turn OFF Sonos

Currently have a Yamaha RX-V665 powering a 5-channel surround system in the MAIN room, and 3 pairs of speakers (with impedance-matching volume sliders) on the receiver's Zone2 speaker outputs. Plan to add a Sonos ZP80 as input source to the receiver. So playing music from Sonos involves turning on the receiver and setting it to input Sonos (one button on programmable universal remote, no problem there,) then using the Sonos app (or CR100 controller) to select & play music. OK all's well. It's when we go turn things OFF that I'm at a loss. If one simply turns off the main receiver (ALL OFF on the remote,) of course the sound stops, but the Sonos is still streaming music (using bandwidth) unless one explicitly remembers to stop it from the app/controller. One thought I have is to use an automatic power switch to power ON the Sonos when the receiver is powered on, and power down when the receiver goes off. But the delay at startup may be an issue... Another thought

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A
5 years ago
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willbertgudge3Contributor I
asked in Advanced setups

Using Bluetooth Headphones with Sonos Beam-Equipped Sony TV

I have a Sonos Beam and two Play 1s connected to my Sony Bravia TV. I love it, but it has been a bit of a hassle. For example, I had to use a HDMI CRC Less adapter because my devices were interfering with the Sonos system. This took me a few months to diagnose and sort out (I’m not a tech wiz).  The Sonos system works like a charm now, but I’d like to have the capability to use Bluetooth headphones with my TV. The TV itself is not Bluetooth headphone equipped. I considered buying a Bluetooth transmitter to plug into my TV, but I fear switching the TV audio settings back and forth (from ‘audio system’ to ‘headphones’) will confuse the Beam again.  Does anybody have a workaround that would allow me to listen to headphones ‘through’ the Sonos system? Can I tap into it somehow, or do I have to wait for Sonos to release headphones of its own? Neither the Beam nor the Play 1s have an aux port.  I have seen reference to using a Sonos Connect, but that seams a little excessive (I have a Play 5

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ratty
3 years ago
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Bermy StyleContributor I
asked in Advanced setups

Scheduling Sonos daily

Is there a way to schedule Sonos to turn on at a specified time each morning and turn off at a specified time each evening. I manage a small B&B and we try to have music playing around our pool area from 9am - 9pm Sonos allows me to set an alarm to turn the system on at a specified time, but does not allow me to set a time for the system to turn off. If this is not something that Sonos is capable of, please make it a priority to add to the platform. It would certainly create a valuable enhancement. Any help would be appreciated. Kind regards, John

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melvimbe
5 years ago
K
Kumar
asked in Advanced setups

Best way to make stable groups

After years of resistance, I now have a TV in the patio dedicated to music videos, to be played there and streamed to other Sonos zones indoors. I am seeing the group break up often, even where all the concerned Sonos units have solid green signal strengths back to Boost. Line is set to uncompressed; both compressed and the choosing the Airplay device trick does not seem to work; the latter does not fix the lip sync problem caused by the former. The TV is connected to a Connect in the patio, which is used to initiate a group with the 2 other zones indoors, which are also closer to the Boost than the patio Connect. Often, and usually when I choose to change the video being played, these two drop while remaining as a group, leaving the patio Connect playing on its own. When I add the Connect back to these groups, play resumes on all three zones, and, I suspect, in a more stable manner. Any ideas as to solutions? If I wanted to wire an ethernet cable from the Patio to the router what

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K
3 years ago
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TJudeContributor III
posted in Advanced setups

Add my PC as a Zone Player

I'd like to add my PC (WMP) as a zone player so I can "Link Zone" with my PC and have that play what's playing on the other controllers. Does anybody have any idea if this has already been done, or if there are resources that would allow me to do it? :cool:

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melvimbe
4 years ago
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ghadlokContributor I
asked in Advanced setups

Building new home- wired vs. wireless Sonos?

1) I'm currently building a new house and play on having two TVs each with its own Playbar and two Play 1 or Play 3 speakers, then a Connect Amp wired to outdoor speakers. I have the ability (now) to wire any or all of these devices via Ethernet back to their own Ethernet switches and ultimately the router. Based on what I've read, the BOOST configuration is generally superior to regular WiFi, in which case I will plan on wiring at least one device via Ethernet to create a BOOST network. Is there a benefit in connecting more than one, or ALL of the Sonos devices via hard-wired Ethernet vs a single device?

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Stanley_4
4 years ago
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bdj7Contributor I
asked in Advanced setups

Integrating Sonos Into New Home with Existing Speakers

I just purchased a house that has 5.1 surround speakers in the living room ceiling, plus two outdoor speakers on the deck. I'm a longtime Sonos user, and would like to optimize the setup. It is important to me (i) to be able to stream sonos through the living room ceiling speakers and (ii) to be able to listen to music outside while someone is watching TV inside. Is the best option the following: 1. Purchase 5.1 AV receiver and attach to it (i) HDTV, (ii) cable box, (iii) the 5.1 speakers, and (iv) a Sonos connect. 2. Purchase a Connect:Amp and attach to it the two outside speakers. 3. Add addition Sonos Play 1s, 3s, and 5s throughout the house as needed to create additional zones. Does this sound right? Is there a better way that I am not thinking of? Many thanks.

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J
5 years ago
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MrDobalinaContributor I
asked in Advanced setups

Repurpose recycled Play 5

I purchased a play 5 for part. Turns out it’s recycled but the speakers work just fine. I understand the need to brick the software component of the speaker but is there any reason this can’t be used as a plain old “dumb speaker?” Seems like a total waste to make the speaker completely non functional.

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C
2 years ago
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Bill_20Contributor I
asked in Advanced setups

Playing Podcasts from Android Device

Sonos says "For podcasts to show up in the Sonos app under "On this Mobile Device," they must reside in the 'Podcasts' folder on your Android controller. The podcasts folder should be in the root directory of your Android device" What does "reside in the Podcasts folder" mean? That all the media files for all podcasts have to be in that foldre? Can there be subfolders? Has anyone gotten this to work?

6
A
6 years ago
J
John.DenningContributor I
posted in Advanced setups

Amazon Echo integration?

Has anyone heard about potential Sonos integration with Amazon Echo?

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jgatie
6 years ago
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RCutlerContributor I
asked in Advanced setups

Sonos Volume Control with Raspberry Pi

A Customer of mine wants a waterproof volume control in the shower. However simple this seems its not quite that easy. Does someone with some programming knowledge know if a raspberry pi could use its built in web server to control sonos from a contact closure?

6
T
6 years ago
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jsextonContributor I
asked in Advanced setups

Granting guest access to Sonos, but not entire network

Looking to set up guest access to Sonos during parties, without giving up main wifi network info. I understand I could just set it up on a guest network, but I use Sonos daily on my main network (along with other devices) and do not want to have to switch between guest and main network every time I have guests. I have 3 Play ones and a Bridge. Any insight here?

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Sjoop1985
4 years ago
J
Jonathon HuberContributor I
posted in Advanced setups

Yonomi and Amazon Alexa

If you have an Amazon Echo you can now control your Sonos device. Download the Yonomi app, connect to Sonos. Open up the Alexa app, connect yonomi in the smart home skills. Hit find devices and Sonos shows up. I added my Sonos individually in the groups section for easier voice control to recognize the device. With yonomi you can add routines to automate things with Sonos. Finally Home automation!

11
A
5 years ago
renowden
renowdenAvid Contributor I
posted in Advanced setups

Line-In compression

Hi - it is a while since I looked at this and I have a few queries. I presume that it is digital stream compression not audio compression/limiting as used by radio stations, that wouldn't make sense? I see that there is now an "automatic" option. Does any one know exactly what that means? Do we know if it is lossless (as per FLAC which achieves quite good compression wrt WAV)? Or is it lossy (as per MP3)? I am asking because I have been using line in from my Hi-Fi and recently it has started to break up. I found that it was set to automatic. Changing it to compressed removes the problem - I have not tried using uncompressed yet.

8
A
3 years ago
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Mr.Jhay31Contributor I
posted in Advanced setups

Help on setting up a simple karaoke on sonos arc via mixer.

I have a Samsung smart tv that has optical drive and hdmi earc and hdmi arc compatible to sonos arc.I was searching through google and youtube how to get the sonos arc to work on a mixer but i dont find any possible solution on how to get this set up before actually buying the mixer because it will be a waste of money if the set up doesn’t work on my sonos arc and smart tv. I was planning to buy this sound town mixer https://www.amazon.com/Sound-Town-Channels-Microphone-Microphones/dp/B086WY6Y34?ref_=ast_sto_dp&th=1 to connect on my sonos arc will this actually work if i connect the tv optical audio output to this mixer and then i connect the mixer optical drive to sonos arc via HDMI optical drive adapter. Does anyone tried this setup before? Can u please help me on any suggestions that might work on sonos arc to mixer to TV.

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buzz
1 year ago
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HrvojeContributor I
posted in Advanced setups

Move Stereo Pair Bluetooth problem

Hi, I have two Move-s in stereo pair which are working great. I would sometimes like to use one of the speakers in bluetooth mode (connected to Iphone). When I use left speaker (from stereo pair) in bluetooth mode everything works great. However, when I try to use right speaker in bluetooth mode, it connects to Iphone, but no there is no sound.   I have tried to factory reset that speaker, and the problem persisted. I have also tried to separate stereo pair, then both speakers were working in bluetooth mode (separately of course) without a problem. I have also tried to switch left/right speakers when creating stereo pair, and then the other speaker was not working in bluetooth mode.   Does anybody have similar experience? Is it a software bug?   Many thanks for all the help!   Kind regards,

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W
1 year ago
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pete8314Contributor I
asked in Advanced setups

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

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.

3
P
4 years ago
D
ddseagerContributor I
asked in Advanced setups

IP Addresses

I'm trying to chase a problem that is caused by either my Sonos system or my mesh WiFi system. To help me do this I need to understand how Sonos uses IP addresses. I suspect that Sonos changes the way it uses IP addresses depending upon the configuration and upon changes to configurations. I would like to understand what happens to IP addresses with the following configurations: Standard Setup - does each speaker have a unique IP address Boost Setup - do all speakers have the same IP address Surround Sound Group - do all speakers in a surround sound group have the same IP address Stereo Parings - do both speakers in a stereo group have the same IP address Group - when speakers are grouped together do they maintain their unique IP addresses Also, what happens to IP addresses when speakers are moved into and out of Groups, into and out of Stereo Parings, into and out of Surround Sound Groups, from Standard Setup to Boost Setup and from Boost Setup to Standard Setup. I have sea

3
D
5 years ago
R
rodrighxContributor I
posted in Advanced setups

SONOS in multiple houses

I’ve seen a variety of topics on this but no definitive answer (there was a link on one but it comes up invalid). How can I set up SONOS in two different houses? In the second house the app wants to start all over on the new wifi. I’ve seen an answer about using Boost mode vs WiFi mode, have no idea how that’s done (link to it was not valid), and I don’t use Alexa. Just give me a clear, step by step way to have SONOS working in two separate houses, please!

5
Ken_Griffiths
2 years ago
A
AlexTeeAvid Contributor I
posted in Advanced setups

Option to disable built-in WiFi, when Sonos is used as a single device.

There are certain users, who don't utilize multi-zone capabilities, since they've picked up just a single Sonos player - be it Connect or Play - for one-room music experience. Naturally, those users don't need to keep the built-in WiFi in always ON state. Please, consider adding an option to disable WiFi, when it is not required. This will reduce power consumption, interference with other wifi sources, and keep the environment clean and free of extra EMR.

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Chris
5 years ago
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gillrobert81Contributor II
posted in Advanced setups

Record Player sounds muffled

Hey, have a full home set up (playbar + sub, 1, 3, 5) plus record player as a line in input through a preamp and then into a connect. Recently the quality of sound from records has significantly diminished. It sort of sounds like the sound is muffled, almost like it’s under water. It’s like there’s far too much bass, but even when I use the room settings and turn treble up and bass way down it’s still average. It seems to have happened after we moved house recently but it also coincided with a sonos Update so not really sure what the root cause could be. But playing the same music through Spotify sounds far better than vinyl. Diagnostics number 1676025177

5
buzz
4 years ago
J
jlockwoodContributor I
posted in Advanced setups

AirPlay support - time to do it properly

Sonos have had a form of AirPlay support for quite some time but frankly it has always been a disappointing kludge even if it got the job done. For those unaware the current and [i]only[/i] solution involves buying an Apple AirPort Express WiFi basestation, you then connect the audio output from the AirPort Express to the audio input on a Sonos device. You would then AirPlay stream to the AirPort Express and it outputs to the Sonos. This of course means spending more money for an AirPort Express or even several but also adds an extra device in the link with the possibility of additional overhead and small audio quality loss. In reality it was 'good enough'. Unfortunately Apple have just discontinued both the AirPort Express and the AirPort Extreme. (The Extreme could not do this as it does not have an audio output.) No other device has ever offered this functionality. This means that going forwards it will effectively be impossible to use AirPlay audio streaming with Sonos. (I ca

53
T
5 years ago

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