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Using AirPlay 2 without WiFi

  • 10 August 2018
  • 15 replies
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AirPlay 2 devices can be used without WiFi. The Apple HomePod has AirPlay 2, and can be used without WiFi. I've tested with my Sonos One, and was disappointed to find this isn't possible. Is this something that might be supported in the future? This would be a welcome enhancement for so many of us that would like to use Sonos without a network.
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Best answer by Ryan S 14 August 2018, 20:19

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I'll pass along the suggestion for you, oturn. The AirPlay 2 connection with Sonos players happens over the wireless network, and without a router creating IP addresses, the network connection doesn't happen between the two devices with our current integration.
Thanks Ryan! It really would be a great feature that would add a lot of value to Sonos. It would also fill a big gap in usability. My daughter isn't taking her Sonos to college because of these network limitations. She isn't allowed a travel router, and we don't want to deal with any other connection methods. AirPlay 2 without WiFi would solve the problem perfectly. Hopefully your management and developers will agree.
oturn, I would just get your daughter a good Bluetooth speaker and be done with it.
oturn, I would just get your daughter a good Bluetooth speaker and be done with it.

Exactly! Thanks for reenforcing my point melvimbe. My daughter and none of her successful friends at the University of Florida will use, hear, or know anything about Sonos. Problem solved.
oturn, I would just get your daughter a good Bluetooth speaker and be done with it.

Exactly! Thanks for reenforcing my point melvimbe. My daughter and none of her successful friends at the University of Florida will use, hear, or know anything about Sonos. Problem solved.


Eh, I don't see Sonos as flawed in not being able to provide the speaker needs for every customer in every possible situation. It's kind of ridiculous to think they should, and deserving of shame because they don't. That certainly isn't a standard applied to other smart speakers, or speakers in general.

I mean seriously, do you have the same disdain for Echos and Google Home because they are not airplay 2 compatible at all?
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Yes, I have disdain for products that could be better.
Sonos, and any other company, IS flawed when they do something half-baked. Sonos learned this and upgraded the firmware to their products that had AirPlay to AirPlay 2. Great!

Why not be the best speakers out there and meet the needs of practically everyone? Why not make Sonos One even better...put-in Bluetooth, add a rechargeable battery, and make it splash or waterproof?!

The reality is that these upgrades (and others) are probably already in Sonos' sights. Most-likely they are doing what Apple and others do...release a great product and then keep adding all the extras one at a time so that people keep buying the latest-and-greatest release.

I'm an installer, and I could sell the crap out of these speakers if they were the best option out there. Being the best would even help their/my Stocks in Sonos.

Sonos, I know you produce sound, but are you listening...?
Or maybe this thread is 5 months old and has a grand total of 2 people requesting the feature . . .
Yes, I have disdain for products that could be better.
Sonos, and any other company, IS flawed when they do something half-baked. Sonos learned this and upgraded the firmware to their products that had AirPlay to AirPlay 2. Great!


Airplay 2 did not exist when all but 2 of the Sonos speakers were first released, and upgraded to Airplay 2 about soon as possible, beating just about everyone but Apple in implementing it. There was never any indication that Sonos was not going to do Airplay 2. I'm not follow how this is an example of Sonos learning their lesson.


Why not be the best speakers out there and meet the needs of practically everyone? Why not make Sonos One even better...put-in Bluetooth, add a rechargeable battery, and make it splash or waterproof?!


An issue with Bluetooth would be that any video on the source would be out of sync with your speakers since Sonos buffers everything, except in an HT setup, in order to do multi room audio. I've also heard the reason that Sonos did not want to have any confusion about what Sonos is. As far as battery, the power requirements of the Sonos One means that it would have to be pretty big, not last all that long, and add cost. I've also heard that a 3rd party company tried to create a battery once, and could never get enough interest. Waterproofing will also add cost.

The point is, there are lots of reasons not to throw every feature anyone could ever want into products, some of which we may not even be aware of.


The reality is that these upgrades (and others) are probably already in Sonos' sights. Most-likely they are doing what Apple and others do...release a great product and then keep adding all the extras one at a time so that people keep buying the latest-and-greatest release.


I have no doubt these features have been considered, but I don't they are probably currently planned. And Sonos doesn't have a history of holding back features in current products as you suggest. As you already pointed out, Sonos will add new features to existing products if they can do so through firmware upgrade. Sonos has said before that they recognize customers are making an investment, and don't want to be pushed into regularly replacing products.



I'm an installer, and I could sell the crap out of these speakers if they were the best option out there. Being the best would even help their/my Stocks in Sonos.

Sonos, I know you produce sound, but are you listening...?


A little surprised that an installer would want a Bluetooth/portable version of Sonos, since it really wouldn't need an installer to use. But anyway, Sonos does a lot of customer surveys (one was recently leaked regarding Atmos) as well as how well they could compete against other products in that segment of the market. I get that you have your own informal survey information, but I wouldn't give it more weight than Sonos research.
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Or maybe this thread is 5 months old and has a grand total of 2 people requesting the feature . . .

I would assume other installers are like me and don't have time to troll these forums. We take time to go on and search for specific answers related to real-world issues we come across when installing and to offer suggestions. To be frank (and not trying to be confrontational), each installer's influence is equal to over 100 times that of any single customer...considering how many clients we service and how many different situations we encounter.
I didn't even want to take the time to respond to you, but it seems you are trying to follow me around and post your drivel in attempt to be confrontational. If you actually did some research before posting your comment, you would have found that Sonos now current offers AirPlay2 in some of their products...so, they obviously have listened to us about this specific need.
Let's hope they listen to our other needs.
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Airplay 2 did not exist when all but 2 of the Sonos speakers were first released, and upgraded to Airplay 2 about soon as possible, beating just about everyone but Apple in implementing it. There was never any indication that Sonos was not going to do Airplay 2. I'm not follow how this is an example of Sonos learning their lesson.

An issue with Bluetooth would be that any video on the source would be out of sync with your speakers since Sonos buffers everything, except in an HT setup, in order to do multi room audio. I've also heard the reason that Sonos did not want to have any confusion about what Sonos is. As far as battery, the power requirements of the Sonos One means that it would have to be pretty big, not last all that long, and add cost. I've also heard that a 3rd party company tried to create a battery once, and could never get enough interest. Waterproofing will also add cost.

The point is, there are lots of reasons not to throw every feature anyone could ever want into products, some of which we may not even be aware of.

I have no doubt these features have been considered, but I don't they are probably currently planned. And Sonos doesn't have a history of holding back features in current products as you suggest. As you already pointed out, Sonos will add new features to existing products if they can do so through firmware upgrade. Sonos has said before that they recognize customers are making an investment, and don't want to be pushed into regularly replacing products.

A little surprised that an installer would want a Bluetooth/portable version of Sonos, since it really wouldn't need an installer to use. But anyway, Sonos does a lot of customer surveys (one was recently leaked regarding Atmos) as well as how well they could compete against other products in that segment of the market. I get that you have your own informal survey information, but I wouldn't give it more weight than Sonos research.


Sonos (like the rest of us who also develop products) learns by releasing a product, garnering feedback, and then making changes. You say the release of AirPlay2 was quick, great, but it could have been quicker.

Bluetooth is actually already built into Sonos products. But, what version of Bluetooth? Why not put-in the latest version of Bluetooth and then make it available outside the setup process (meaning available for Users to actually use)? Bluetooth gives those not on iOS the ablility to do what AirPlay2 does for iOS users. -This would be great for a large customer base.
For distributed audio, WiFi would still be king and what Sonos is built on. AirPlay2 and Bluetooth gives more flexibility and waterproofing adds more Use Cases.

You don't have to agree with me, that's fine. But I'm coming here with frustrations/suggestions from many clients (some who are out-right dropping Sonos because of frustrations).

Aloha!
Sonos was designed as a networked multiroom system. That is its fundanental nature. It doesn't have Bluetooth and I hope Sonos don't waste a minute of development time implemenring ir. I respect your right to a different view, of course.

Sone form of not-through-the-device multiroom casting on Android might be a welcome addition for some users, although it would add zero value for me.

Where are the Bluetooth-denied frustrated users going? Bose? Bose have virtually given up on multiroom.
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Sonos was designed as a networked multiroom system. That is its fundanental nature. It doesn't have Bluetooth and I hope Sonos don't waste a minute of development time implemenring ir. I respect your right to a different view, of course.

Sone form of not-through-the-device multiroom casting on Android might be a welcome addition for some users, although it would add zero value for me.

Where are the Bluetooth-denied frustrated users going? Bose? Bose have virtually given up on multiroom.



Sonos DOES have Bluetooth built-in already. When installing a new unit, Sonos tells you that turning on Bluetooth helps with install. What they don't have, is the ability for a User to use Bluetooth beyond the install.

Zero value for you, but lots of value to a large market. Look at all the Bluetooth speakers out there. Why not have a Sonos One version ("Sonos Blue"?) that has the latest Bluetooth, corded and Battery operated, and waterproof (like other Bluetooth speakers) that can also be integrated with the rest of your Sonos speakers. Any active person can take it away from the home/office, use it, and then bring it home and have it integrated with the rest of their Sonos system. Why send customers to other brands for speaker solutions...why not create brand-recognition and offer more solutions?

I come at this as a Sonos customer, Sonos installer, and Sonos stock-holder.

Check out Yamaha's MusicCast. They already allow connection through WiFi, AirPlay2, and Bluetooth. Yamaha has created brand-recognition and offers several different products to satisfy the needs of practically everyone. Sonos needs to additionally offer Bluethooth and then step-up their game to stay in the market.

Aloha!
The Bluetooth type that Sonos has is useless for the purposes you are talking about. In effect, Sonos does not have Bluetooth. People have been suggesting Sonos add Bluetooth for years and years. Sonos are aware of the request but have somehow built a huge, global, market-leading, multi-billion company in incredibly short time, despite having explicitly said they don't want to use Bluetooth. Perhaps they know their product and strategy a little better than either of us?

Every development undertaken is a choice not to do something else. Sonos have clearly preferred doing just about anything else than add Bluetooth. And yes there are lots of Bluetooth speakers out there, but Sonos aren't in that market. And there are computer speakers. And in-car speakers. And headphones. And speakers that support Airplay 1 (which Sonos also, rightly, refused to touch with a bargepole).

Maybe Sonos will change its mind. But make no mistake, it's a deliberate decision and they seem to be doing OK without it.
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I’m confused about this. I’m playing with Airplay to my new Amp right now, connected via Ethernet, from my laptop, also connected via Ethernet. WiFi is off on the laptop.
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I’m confused about this. I’m playing with Airplay to my new Amp right now, connected via Ethernet, from my laptop, also connected via Ethernet. WiFi is off on the laptop.
They're talking about using Airplay independent of a local network, where the client device connects directly to a network created by the speaker.