Question

Alexa confuses Connect and internal speaker

  • 19 November 2017
  • 11 replies
  • 615 views

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I have a connect that drives my whole house music library. I have music in 4 rooms. I added 3 echo dots on my main rooms. When steaming from an amazon music station, the only thing I can get Alexa to do on the connect is to skip forward. If I ask Alexa to play a song that I know is in my library, she starts it on the internal speaker, but not the connect.

Originally the 3rd echo day was called "library". Then the SONOS group was also called library. I can't seem to change the SONOS group name, so I changed the dot name. Still no luck.

My voice command is "Alexa, play Boston, Don;t look Back" in Library". She plays it on the Dot speaker (now) called Study.

Any ideas?

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11 replies

Userlevel 7
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I have a connect that drives my whole house music library. I have music in 4 rooms. I added 3 echo dots on my main rooms. When steaming from an amazon music station, the only thing I can get Alexa to do on the connect is to skip forward. If I ask Alexa to play a song that I know is in my library, she starts it on the internal speaker, but not the connect.

Originally the 3rd echo day was called "library". Then the SONOS group was also called library. I can't seem to change the SONOS group name, so I changed the dot name. Still no luck.

My voice command is "Alexa, play Boston, Don;t look Back" in Library". She plays it on the Dot speaker (now) called Study.

Any ideas?


Can you confirm a few things:

1/ Have you installed the Sonos skill and then Discovered devices in the Alexa app Smart Home>Devices?
2/ Check that you don't have multiple items with the same name within the Smart Home>Devices list;

If you change any device name you will need to run Discover again.
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I have installed the skills. In the device list under smarthome it still shows the old names. Please clarify what you mean my run discover. I don’t see that. Do you mean disable, then add again?
Userlevel 7
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I have installed the skills. In the device list under smarthome it still shows the old names. Please clarify what you mean my run discover. I don’t see that. Do you mean disable, then add again?

If you haven't set up any Routines within Alexa yet then use the PC app https://alexa.amazon.com and under Smart Home>Devices scroll to the bottom of the list and select 'Forget All' and then 'Discover'. (If you've set-up Routines then this will delete all your actions)
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Ok, so I tried the PC web interface. I was using the iPhone interface before. I did the forget all then discover. Now I get no control at all of the sonos

Maybe walk me through what to do.

Now in devices on the PC app, under settings, I have the 3 dots with the new names. Then a device called library, which I think is the sonos.

Under smarthome, devices, I see “library” that says sonos player in library. Then two other devices that look like the original names for two of the dots.

One dot does control my dish tv receiver. Otherwise, I’m not doing anything fancy.
Userlevel 7
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Okay, lets reset your voice set-up. Can you follow the actions I've listed in the answer to this post:

https://en.community.sonos.com/amazon-alexa-and-sonos-229102/sonos-one-not-responding-to-alexa-comands-6793239
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Thanks. I'm pretty sure this isn't going to work until SONOS does some upgrades. I did all that and after the rest it pretty much the same. Even the old names are still there. The only thing that is new is that the very first song did play on the connect. But then the rest just play on the internal dot speaker. I can skip a track using voice, but that is about it. Bummer.
Userlevel 7
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Can you submit a diagnostic immediately after this occurs and post the number here?
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OK. How do I do that?

Also, please let me know a few voice commands that I can try as a test. Maybe I'm using the wrong commands. I have amazon prime, and a big library of music on amazon. I don't think the SONOS/Alexa works with m collection on my NAS yet.
Userlevel 7
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OK. How do I do that?

Also, please let me know a few voice commands that I can try as a test. Maybe I'm using the wrong commands. I have amazon prime, and a big library of music on amazon. I don't think the SONOS/Alexa works with m collection on my NAS yet.


In the Sonos app select Help>Submit Diagnostic. After a short period of time a reference number will be posted, please copy that and post on the thread.

Here are the commands that are currently supported:

https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/4343?_ga=2.148394039.1095743978.1506552577-1491669311.1488879254&_gac=1.148523845.1509269737.CjwKCAjw-NXPBRB4EiwAVNRLKifYB44QLgd1rqqidteMMZVgwg-Dm1c-M0Q-E7JQtze3mEMuRjFGtxoC68oQAvD_BwE

You are correct, Alexa can not start music stored within local music libraries at present but you can start music from your local library with the Sonos app and then control with Alexa.
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Thanks for the list. I see what is going on.

My original naming of one of my Echo Dots as "library" was unfortunate. So then SONOS continues to use that name for the Alexa control of the connect. So if I say, Alexa, play SONG "in" library, it plays on the Connect. But if I say, Alexa, play SONG "from" library, it plays the song on the internal speaker. Sometimes the Dot hears me wrong, but if I pause after saying alexa, the music playing on the Connect gets muted, and the command work more reliably.

I think I can live with this.

Thx for the help!
I suspect others have had this problem, but I cannot get Alexa to recognise my Amazon Prime "device". Amazon have responded by saying that I need an Echo or other Skill device to accompany my Sonos One otherwise Alexa will not sync with it. If that is true, how can Sonos have marketed a product with "built in Alexa" which is patently not the case??
That apart - what should I do now to get the system to work as advertised??
Roger