Music Library Not Doing Its One Job

Alonzo Mosley
Userlevel 3
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Trying to play music from Library.

Song will play about five seconds - through some, not all, of the selected speakers. Then it will skip to the next and do the same. Sometimes for four songs, sometimes for five.

Then it will stop and return one of two messages:

  1. Unable to find file (and provide an address that is absolutely findable on all other networked devices)
  2. WiFi connection “unstable”

I spent about a grand last October upgrading every part of my network to avoid this problem, and it has returned.

I am playing the files through a Synology NAS DiskStation, that is wired into my router.

I have a Play 3 wired into my router, and in the same room - with direct line of sight, less than twelve feet away - another Play 3 and a Connect. I have four Play 1’s scattered throughout my one bedroom, 1300 square foot apartment. WiFi “instability” is not a correct diagnosis.

Yes I have changed channels of both router and Sonos. Router is on 4, Sonos on 11. Both are mega-green-starred channels on my WiFi analyzer. (1 is not as good).

Music Library is updated. Firmware on router and NAS is updated.

I have typed this while sitting on hold with support, and it is still a 15 minute hold time and I am late for another call.

@Wits’ end.

Any suggestions, other than setting on hold for a tech?

Diagnostic 1925358464

 

Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.
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27 replies

Alonzo Mosley
Userlevel 3
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They also had large, loud parties during the pandemic.

I had Sonos on Ch 1 before, but will try that again...

I thought being plugged in was the gold standard? Was talked into buying a Boost a few years ago (and later talked into disconnecting it; it’s sitting idle on the shelf).

Will also take a look-see at the 5GHz picture tonight.

 

ETA: I have been having sporadic issues where the plugged-in Play 3 is silent, even though the controllers say it’s A-OK. Have to unpair and re-pair it to its partner, twice, to fix it. But figured I’d treat that as a separate issue once this is done and dusted.

Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.
ratty

It looks like a messy picture, with multiple 40MHz channels in use. ‘Ryan&David’ is only down at -60dB and could well be making life difficult for Sonos on ch 11.

Try Sonos on ch 1. If that doesn’t work put the WiFi credentials into Sonos and disconnect the Ethernet from the Play:3. It may fare better on the WiFi. Even better if it could be moved to 5GHz, away from the ill-behaved neighbours’ signals. 

See here: https://support.sonos.com/article/switch-sonos-between-a-wireless-and-wired-setup

Alonzo Mosley
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Made the changes. Still sporadically acting up. e.g., some albums play just fine, and at other times I’m still getting a few seconds before it jumps to the next. Sometimes the Android app gives me the “Wi Fi Unstable” message.

Again, to beat a dead record, the router is 10 months old, with the NAS (two weeks newer) and one of two Play 3’s both connected via RJ45 (and the other Play 3 with direct line of sight, 12 feet away).

I did put Sonos on 11 and the router on 6. After a day, this is what my “Wi Fi Analyzer” told me about Channel 6:
 

 

Looks pretty bad, but the only two things I can find on Channel 6 are my router (sending two signals, the “Guest” and the “Main” (i.e., RJB-NW5G)) and this other random one (“FRTRow Rugby”). Tonight I will turn off the Guest and see if that improves. It also looks like nothing nearby is on Channel 1.

 

 

Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.
Alonzo Mosley
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I read that as “paramilitary procedures”

Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.
buzz

That graph helped, thanks.

Wouldn’t it still be a problem if the neighbors were on 6 as well?

Think of it as sharing the conference room floor using parliamentary procedures vs opening a window and having construction noise or an angry crowd leak in.

ratty

That graph helped, thanks.

Wouldn’t it still be a problem if the neighbors were on 6 as well?

Only if they were heavy users. The channel bandwidth would be shared, cooperatively. 

It’s when there’s a partial overlap, between two different channels, that nasty interference arises on both sides. Sharing the same channel doesn’t cause such problems.

Alonzo Mosley
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That graph helped, thanks.

Wouldn’t it still be a problem if the neighbors were on 6 as well?

Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.
ratty

If you happened to live in a field then channel 4 for the router would be okay, since at 20MHz width it wouldn’t overlap with SonosNet’s channel 11. 

In busier environments where everyone’s being neighbourly then only channels 1, 6 or 11 should be used.

C
Userlevel 6
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Why is Channel 6 preferred over Channel 4?

 

https://www.metageek.com/training/resources/why-channels-1-6-11/

 

Alonzo Mosley
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Thanks. Didn’t have time to make the switch this AM before I had to bolt, will report on changes tonight.

 

Why is Channel 6 preferred over Channel 4?

 

 

Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.
C
Userlevel 6
Badge +11

Here is a diagram showing the effect of a 40Mhz channel width on 2.4Gz, and why 20Mhz is recommended:

 

https://www.engeniustech.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/blog_nov2b.jpg

 

I would change the router to channel 6, is Sonos if using 11, and you have seen 1 is “not good”

 

If the above doesn’t help, is it worth creating a temporary test Music Library on the Windows PC with the Sonos Windows Application, and copy some of the tracks that fail on the NAS. This may help diagnose where the issue is, can be disabled if no longer required, but useful to keep as a test, especially if there are network changes etc.

 

ratty

What’s the channel width on the router? If it’s 40MHz it could be interfering badly with Sonos.

It reads “20/40 MHz”.

It’s a dropdown box with the options:

  • 20/40 MHz
  • 20 MHz
  • 40 MHz

Change it to "20 MHz".

Alonzo Mosley
Userlevel 3
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You’ll need a program to check for duplicates.

Used NetScanTools’ “Duplicate IP Scanner” twice, and both times came back “No Duplicate IPs Found”

Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.
Alonzo Mosley
Userlevel 3
Badge +8

What’s the channel width on the router? If it’s 40MHz it could be interfering badly with Sonos.

It reads “20/40 MHz”.

It’s a dropdown box with the options:

  • 20/40 MHz
  • 20 MHz
  • 40 MHz
Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.
Alonzo Mosley
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“an iPhone/iPad would be a poor choice” is apropos in many situations, I’ve found!

I had rebooted the router as part of my “troubleshooting” (in quotes because it’s the worst form of troubleshooting, natch), so that should have resolved issues as you’re describing, yes?

Googling “how to detect duplicate IPs on my network” leads to some really deep, arcane solutions… Gulp.

Whether or not this has anything to do with this particular Music Library situation, should I:

  • Re-assign my Sonos devices in a narrow-ish range (i.e., .201 - .249)?
  • Exclude that entire range from my DHCP table?
Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.
buzz

Typically, a router will only report items that it has assigned an address and will not indicate duplicates. My current Router (supplied by the ISP) is a mess and will sometimes create a duplicate. At this point I need to remind myself to reboot the Router every 6-8 weeks, else things start getting weird. Last week I caught it assigning a SONOS player an IP address that was clearly reserved for another device. Fortunately the other device was inactive. (Note that it’s not the same installation I was using during my NAS adventure described earlier)

You’ll need a program to check for duplicates. An iPhone/iPad would be a poor choice for installing the program because they do not report full network data to an App.

Alonzo Mosley
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I haven’t actively done anything with the network (e.g., changing DHCP ranges) - in fact, I am almost positive the last new piece of equipment I’ve added was the NAS in October. This problem has only become really consistent until the last few weeks. (At first I thought maybe it just didn’t like Bob Dylan. But then when it came for Taylor… oh!!!!)

When I looked through the “connected devices” on my router, I didn’t have anything with duplicate addresses. (The Sonos devices, the NAS, a printer, a TV, the PC, and my phone were the only things connected). Is there something else I should be checking, @buzz?

 

Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.
buzz

I once had an intermittent issue with my NAS. It was an old unit and I just assumed that it was EOL, but the issue was not fully consistent with “defective NAS”. I’m too smart to be harpooned by a duplicate IP address, right? Finally, I swallowed by pride and checked for duplicate IP addresses … darn …!! A few weeks prior I had replaced the router and reconfigured my DHCP range slightly. Of course, I reserved everything … except … a forgotten, small, seldom used palm sized gadget hidden in a cabinet. This device used a fixed IP address that was now inside the DHCP range -- using the NAS’s IP address.

ratty

Router is on 4, Sonos on 11. Both are mega-green-starred channels on my WiFi analyzer. (1 is not as good).

What’s the channel width on the router? If it’s 40MHz it could be interfering badly with Sonos.

Not certain I understand the question. What am I checking?

The bandwidth of the 2.4GHz channel. It it’s not stated in MHz it might be of the form “up to X Mbps”.

Alonzo Mosley
Userlevel 3
Badge +8

Router is on 4, Sonos on 11. Both are mega-green-starred channels on my WiFi analyzer. (1 is not as good).

What’s the channel width on the router? If it’s 40MHz it could be interfering badly with Sonos.

Not certain I understand the question. What am I checking?

Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.
ratty

Windows explorer also wouldn’t be going through SMB like Sonos does

It would actually, which is why Windows 10/11 boxes stopped talking to SMB1 shares when Microsoft disabled SMB1 by default. 

Airgetlam

That’s exactly the behavior I’d expect to see with a duplicate IP address conflict with the NAS. But without you taking the time to check with Sonos, we are stuck making guesses. 

Windows explorer also wouldn’t be going through SMB like Sonos does, but connecting in a completely different manner…although that might be a better explanation as to why it isn’t in fact a duplicate IP address concern. 
 

 

Bruce
ratty

Router is on 4, Sonos on 11. Both are mega-green-starred channels on my WiFi analyzer. (1 is not as good).

What’s the channel width on the router? If it’s 40MHz it could be interfering badly with Sonos.

Alonzo Mosley
Userlevel 3
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I couldn’t wait on hold with Support long enough.

Not sure about whether or not the drive is static (not home now). Will check this evening.

f the drive was being forced off and reconnecting, that would certainly cause this behavior too.

Implying that the NAS is cycling in and out of network while the Sonos is trying to play those files? That seems… odd, doesn’t it?

I never have trouble connecting to it via Windows Explorer, which I know is different, but remains stable.

Dan: You're gonna need to get someone to fix my computer. Kim: What's wrong with it? Dan: It's in several pieces on my floor.
Airgetlam

Does the NAS drive also have a reserved IP address? If the drive was being forced off and reconnecting, that would certainly cause this behavior too. What did Sonos Support say when they looked at your diagnostic?

Bruce
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