Totally wired Sonos

  • 12 April 2019
  • 3 replies
  • 1150 views

Hi all

I would like to know if it is possible to create a totally wired Sonos system in my home. The current setup is that the Sonos box is already attached to our internet router via ethernet but all the speakers are wireless.

Some of our PCs are currently connected via ethernet cables and powerline adapters through the house's electrical system and I'd like to connect to Sonos in the same way. My initial ideas: Could I use powerline adaptors plugged into wall sockets from each speaker with an ethernet cable? If so, can I connect two speakers in some way so I only need to use one wall socket? Also, using our PCs to change the music would not be very convenient so could I connect a phone to one of the speakers via an ethernet/mobile phone mini USB to use as a controller?

TIA

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3 replies

Hi. There is no reason why a Sonos system should not be fully wired (although I have never heard of anyone wiring a phone controller, or even wanting to). Powerline adapters are not supported by Sonos - that doesn't mean they won't work, just that they have been known sometimes to cause problems.

But Sonos is designed as a wireless system? Why do you want to go wired? Is the system not functioning well on your network?
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I have a mixed setup, some wired and some wireless. I wired everything I could easily get a cable to and left the rest on SonosNet. Wiring all would not be an issue but trying the power-line wireless or range extenders stuff is iffy as was said. I'd go with directly wired where possible and SonosNet for the rest.
M131,

Sonos will work with any combination of wired and wireless players.

WiFi, SonosNet (the SONOS wireless protocol), and EoP (Ethernet over Powerline) are competing systems, each eager to be the magic bullet. SonosNet was designed for robust streaming of music, WiFi was not. Wired is my first choice because it is the fastest and most robust, SonosNet is my choice when one or more SONOS units is wireless for practical reasons. EoP is my last choice because home power wiring was never designed for carrying reliable, high speed digital traffic. That said, EoP can occasionally work very well. SONOS can use pure WiFi (no SONOS units wired to the network) for small systems, but at about six SONOS units (your mileage will vary) WiFi runs out of steam and SonosNet is the better choice.

Unless there is severe interference in your area and wireless phones and pads are struggling with WiFi, I don't see any point in wiring them to the network. Note that, unless you are playing content that is stored on the phone/pad/computer, these units are simply running a controller App. Once the SONOS system has been given a list of tracks to play, the controller can be shut down. If you have Voice enabled SONOS players, once the system is setup, phone/pad/computer is not required for playing music. Up to 32 controllers can be simultaneously active.