Virtuoso

Answered

What happens if I string an Ethernet cable between my stereo-paired PLAY:1s?

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I have a pair of PLAY:1s in a stereo pair. Both connect to SonosNet via a BOOST. What happens if I directly connect the two speakers with an Ethernet cable? Will one of the speakers receive its communication over the wire, while the other talks to the BOOST wirelessly?

Just curious, not trying to solve any problem I'm experiencing.

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rattyAnswer

In many circumstances the wire between the pair will be used, with the player nearer to the BOOST making the wireless connection on behalf of both of them. For a simple pair (no grouping) this actually reduces wireless bandwidth demand by a factor of 3. Without the wire the stream would have to go BOOST->Left then Left->BOOST->Right.

I say 'in many circumstances' because there is a situation where the wire is ignored. This is where the STP root path costs for the two units in the pair differ by less than 10. The simplest way to check whether the wire is in use is to look at the Network Matrix at http://x.x.x.x:1400/support/review.

(The wire can be forced into use, in all cases, by disabling the radio on one of the pair. However this is an unsupported configuration.)

Note that in 'Standard Setup' the wire is useless as the Ethernet ports are disabled.

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pwtAuthor

Virtuoso

Thanks! Confirmed -- it is using the Ethernet port.

4 x P:5 | Sub | 4 x P:1 | 3 x Connect | 2 x Boost | Connect:Amp | 2 x One | Amp | Move | Port | Era 300

K

Kumar

What is the signal strength you see for their cross communication in the matrix? That should be the new benchmark for 100% strength - it used to be 63, but has now been reset to be more than 70, but exactly what that is, is something you can see.

ratty

the new benchmark for 100% strength - it used to be 63, but has now been reset to be more than 70

I suspect it now goes to 99. I've seen 96, with a BOOST literally parked on top of a P:1. (I should note that the P:1's RF receiver was then overwhelmed by the BOOST's transmissions.)

K

Kumar

In which case, the scale has also been changed and here is why I think so:
In the past my wired 1 pair showed 63, while a Connect Amp in line of sight of boost, about 12 feet away, showed 60/61. Now this amp shows 71, which is much further away from max than it used to be in the past if max is 99 as you say.

pwtAuthor

Virtuoso

What is the signal strength you see for their cross communication in the matrix? That should be the new benchmark for 100% strength - it used to be 63, but has now been reset to be more than 70, but exactly what that is, is something you can see.

Below is a representative signal matrix for my system. The 'Bedroom (L)' speaker is now connected to the 'Bedroom (R)' speaker via an Ethernet cable. (Of the remaining equipment, the 'BOOST', 'Front Reception' and 'Kitchen (L)' units are wired, the last one including a powerline hop in its network path.)

4 x P:5 | Sub | 4 x P:1 | 3 x Connect | 2 x Boost | Connect:Amp | 2 x One | Amp | Move | Port | Era 300

ratty

All quite compact then, with units pretty close together. Signal strengths are very good.

K

Kumar

Below is a representative signal matrix for my system. The 'Bedroom (L)' speaker is now connected to the 'Bedroom (R)' speaker via an Ethernet cable.

Why then does the wired connection between the two show a signal strength of 59/61 and not the maximum possible?

ratty

Why then does the wired connection between the two show a signal strength of 59/61 and not the maximum possible?

Because that's the wireless signal strength (of a path which STP has blocked). Wired connections don't feature in the matrix. They can usually be inferred.

K

Kumar

I don't understand and here is why:

When my play 1 pair that has speakers located less than 3 feet away from each other, but in the other room over from Boost, are not connected to each other by wire, they both prefer to stay connected from Boost, with signal strength in the mid 30s. Although the signal strength between the two is as high as 70/69, they prefer to not use that.

But as soon as they are wire connected to each other, one drops to tertiary mode, visibly using the connection from the other shown via the presence of green in their intersection box, that shows a drop to 63/67 from before. And does this, although the strength back the router remains the same as before.

A minor curiosity, I agree.

ratty

Signal strengths can and do vary for all kinds of reasons. The difference from 70/69 to 63/67 could simply be accounted for by the change in local conditions: the presence of the wire, the fact that the PLAY:1s Ethernet controllers are active, etc. etc.

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