Question

One house, one WiFi network - can you have 2 seperate Sonos networks running?

  • 17 February 2016
  • 7 replies
  • 22826 views

I have a very large house with in-laws living in a separate annexe. We have one WiFi network covering the whole house and annexe. I have a reliable Sonos networking running in the main house with all my devices connected. I tried setting up a separate Sonos networking using a bridge in the annexe side which has 2 x Play:5 in there. It works for a while, but the next day when you try to connect to the annexe system again it can't find it and instead fines my system in the main house.

Can you run 2 separate Sonos networks in one house so that in my side I can only see and use my devices and in the other side you can only see those?

Thanks for your help!

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7 replies

Yes you can, you always have the option to setup a new system rather than adding to an existing system.
Hi LHC, that is what I think too, however shortly after setting up, the 2nd system disappears and all controllers connect to my main system instead - its like the annexe system never existed? Any ideas why that might be?
Well I would say it depends on your home's wi-fi setup to determine if you can have two Sonosnet setups. Of couse you would also want to change the RF channel on one Sonosnet so it doesn't conflict with the other. In a large home you should have multiple access point that will conflict with any Sonosnet on the same channel. There are 3 non overlapping 2.4 ghz wi-fi channels and your Sonosnet will want to use the same 3 so depending on location, distance and RF channel you have to manage your RF spectrum to keep the Sonosnet from stepping all over your wi-fi and vice/verse. You could setup one Sonos system to use the house wi-fi and the other to use the Sonosnet wi-fi on a channel that won't step on the nearest house wi-fi access point. It might be do able but it might not.
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Hi LHC, that is what I think too, however shortly after setting up, the 2nd system disappears and all controllers connect to my main system instead - its like the annexe system never existed? Any ideas why that might be?

Because your controllers know how to connect to both households on your network they'll basically pick the first one to respond. You'd want to pick some controllers that will be for household 1 and some for household 2. Make sure those controllers have been told to forget the other household.

If you don't setup dedicated household controllers, you'll want to have the network divided so that the annex has a separate subnet. The controllers connected there won't link with players on a different subnet from their own.
I have two systems in my house and there is never an issue. There are separate controllers for each system.
Hi, I have over 40 players on a clients system, I would need to set up two systems. Is it difficult to do? Thanks
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Hi, I have over 40 players on a clients system, I would need to set up two systems. Is it difficult to do? Thanks
To split reliably, you should use 802.1q VLANs, so they run on the same physical hardware but separate networks.

At 40 players though, perhaps they should consider another solution? Or a hybrid, where you feed something like a Niles system with a few Sonos Connects.