So frustrated. Working one day, not the next.


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Alexa services were working just fine yesterday. Now today I get a "uh oh". Unplug Sonos and then get no response.

Very frustrated with this device and, I'm thinking to find my closest Sonos store and just donate it (I live overseas)

Seriously, for a $200 speaker that doesn't work at all unless you use the app, then why integrate the amazon puck on top.

Frustrated...

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27 replies

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Here is a video of the system not working --- https://youtu.be/o4VtzC9ULA8
I assume that wherever 'overseas' is, it is somewhere where Alexa on Sonos is implemented, and this does not depend on a VPN?
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No VPN required and my Wifi should rock sold (using Meraki MR42) -- I wonder how good the Sonos wifi is though.
What do you mean by the 'Sonos wifi'? There is no such thing. There is a Sonos mesh wireless protocol called SonosNet which you may or may not be using. Do you have a Sonos device wired to your router?

May I ask which country you are in?
Userlevel 7
Hi eeze

Sonos does not have Wi-Fi in the conventional sense. Sonos actually rides on whatever network (Wi-Fi or Ethernet) it is connected to. If you can play music to the speaker via your iOS or Android device then I'd say the speakers Wi-Fi card is working. Try wiring the speaker to your router to place it on the SonosNet. Alexa could also be trying to communicate with a server that could be down.

Edit: Sorry John B I was typing this and had to stop for a few minutes. When I started I could not see your post. You know the rest :8
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Hi John... Sonos One is connected via wireless to my home network. 2.4ghz network (not my 5ghz) to be exact.
Meraki shows the device online, it's not replying.

The device is connected wirelessly, no wiring.
No idea what Sonos mesh wireless protocol is, I suspect it's for multi room. I'm not using that.
Country is Thailand
Userlevel 7
Hi eeze

The SonosMesh is a proprietary network that is established when you wire a Sonos speaker to your router. The SonosMesh generates a stronger signal that will help eliminate dead spots common with Wi-Fi and provide for better overall communication with Sonos components. Read about it here: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3235?language=en_US
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I'm not using SonosMesh. I'm using the built in 2.4ghz wifi, as I wrote above....

I can assure you that my wifi is pervasive around my house. I have enterprise grade access-points in my home.

Anyways, it was working yesterday, now it's not. I didn't move the device nor change any settings
According to the Sonos Support website, Thailand is not listed as a country in which Alexa is supported on Sonos. I'm actually surprised it is working at all, but this may explain your difficulties, which are not common.

"Where is Amazon Alexa on Sonos available?
Amazon Alexa is currently available in the United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom."
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My other amazon echo devices have worked fine for the last year. Anyways, teh device is registered in the US.

Right now the Sonos isn't connected to Wifi, I can see the home network in it's entirety.

This has been a charade. I come here asking for help with a system that was working yesterday, and I get hit with questions about Sonosmesh and wiring into my router.

Regarding Alexa not working - See this
https://www.quora.com/Does-Alexa-work-in-other-countries

Nothing but issues with this product.
I am sorry but you queried how good 'Sonos wifi' was.

Alexa is supported on Sonos in a smaller set of countries than Alexa generally. As you are living in a country where Alexa on Sonos is not supported (the registration country is, I believe, not relevant), taking it back is probably the best idea. I am not querying the availability of Alexa generally in Thailand.

There may also be a fault on the device for all I know, or some other network issue, but I don't think you can expect Alexa on Sonos to work where you are.

I wish you well.
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I was sold a Sonos One speaker with the alexa capability. During the setup, I was asked to connect to Wifi.
For everyone that says Sonos doesn't have Wifi, as I stated it is connected via 2.4 ghz 802.11g. Pretty sure that was clear.

In fact, in the setup guide, you ask for the Wifi in use
https://support.sonos.com/s/article/2627?language=en_US

As I also mentioned, I have other Alex enabled devices in my house, on the same 2.4ghz network and another 5ghz network. All running perfectly over the last year.

So cop out and say Alexa is not supported in my country is just that, a weak cop out.

Maybe I should open a thread on poor connectivity from the Sonos 2.4 ghz radio. Would that be more specific?
Userlevel 7
Charade????

OK...so you're frustrated and that's understandable. You want a product to work. However, you need to understand that Alexa is a server based application that is licensed by Sonos. If there were a global Alexa issue Sonos would make it known to avoid numerous posts like yours.

Q&A is part of the process we use to try and arrive at a possible solution. For the majority this forum is staffed by users just like you who are volunteering their time to try and help resolve issues. This is not Sonos Customer Service nor Sonos Tech Support. If you want to speak to Sonos try calling a number in the attachment or call the US number.

I think you failed to understand something that you stated in your post...."Alexa services were working fine yesterday...." The key word in your statement is "Services" which are controlled by Amazon and it's servers. As I said the Alexa server you are connecting to may be down. Barring info presented by John B regarding Alexa availability in your part of the world.

I hope you get your issues resolved. Cheers!
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The Sonos device is not on my home network, while a standalone Amazon echo right beside it is. It's a Sonos One problem from what I can see. Maybe a hardware issue with the radio, haven't looked into it. Since I asked a question, I've been word-holed into Sonos not having wifi, try wired connection, alexa geographical restrictions, anything but actually looking at this $200 black box.

Regarding "However, you need to understand that Alexa is a server based application that is licensed by Sonos"
No, I don't need to understand that. This system was sold to me with certain capabilities. It's not doing those. If you think the common person will understand what "server based" means, well, not much more I can say.

I misunderstood and thought this was support and that Sonos team members would reply. I've gotten that wrong. Please excuse me. I'll open a case with support.

Thank you for your time in replying, everyone.
Userlevel 7
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I have a feeling this is going to be something best troubleshot over the phone, so opening a case with the team is probably going to be the best way to go. However, just a few thoughts from me to start with....

As others have suggested, if Alexa on Sonos isn't available in your country yet, there could definitely be issues, but that wouldn't affect the unit showing up on your network or playing music using the Sonos app. If you go into your Sonos app, does your One appear there? If so, can you play music to it? If you can, than it's not likely a network connection issue, but instead an Alexa connection issue or something related there.

If you don't see your One, it may just be some wifi issue with it trying to connect through your access points. So I'd suggest trying the wired connection as it's a great way to bypass the wireless path. Alternatively, you could move the unit closer to a different access point and see how it behaves there.

If the One does appear in your Sonos app, to test Alexa first just press the microphone button on top of the unit to disable the mic, then press it again. This can re-connect the One sometimes. If that doesn't do the trick, in the Sonos app, under Room Settings, you can remove the assistant and then add it back.
Alexa on Sonos is not supported in Thailand. If there are other issues with your system I hope they can be resolved.
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I but that wouldn't affect the unit showing up on your network or playing music using the Sonos app. If you go into your Sonos app, does your One appear there? If so, can you play music to it? If you can, than it's not likely a network connection issue, but instead an Alexa connection issue or something related there.

If you don't see your One, it may just be some wifi issue with it trying to connect through your access points. So I'd suggest trying the wired connection as it's a great way to bypass the wireless path. Alternatively, you could move the unit closer to a different access point and see how it behaves there.


The App doesn't work and the device is not currently connected to my wireless network. I can see all of my clients on my home network (Meraki UI is great) -- So indeed this is a connectivity program. I think it's possible the internals of the device were damaged in transit. As I mentioned, it was working yesterday, and some time around 2am last night, it lost connectivity (from what I can see from the logs)

I'm looking for a speaker that I can use my phone to play music through, and the alexa service was a nice addition. Neither are working so i guess I will call technical support aand try. Thanks
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Alexa on Sonos is not supported in Thailand. If there are other issues with your system I hope they can be resolved.

Are you trying to get your post count up? When I mentioned "Sonos Wifi" you questioned that and through out mesh. Did I need to specifically say "the wifi board that IS on the Wifi that is 802.11 capable at 2.4ghz, 20 width channels" -- But then again, you knew that.

But another post about support in my country for Alexa. As I wrote between your posts, it appears the device is randomly going offline.

I'll call TAC.

How do I close this post? Would like to avoid later posts related to my country and alexa.

Out...
Well. If you added the detail that your 802.11 was set to 'n" only I would be able to point out that Sonos can't connect to that.

I was actually trying to help Sorry to have failed so spectacularly.
eeze,

Submitting a diagnostic, then reporting the confirmation number here, would help SONOS staff look into your issue.

With respect to Alexa functionality and SONOS, it may be helpful to delete SONOS units from Alexa, then run discovery again.
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Well. If you added the detail that your 802.11 was set to 'n" only I would be able to point out that Sonos can't connect to that.

I was actually trying to help Sorry to have failed so spectacularly.


It isn't and I never said that. If you give a read again, you'll see that I clearly wrote
"For everyone that says Sonos doesn't have Wifi, as I stated it is connected via 2.4 ghz 802.11g. Pretty sure that was clear."
It was indeed clear. I thought it might be something worth checking, as I have known this to have caused non-connection issues for others. No doubt I expressed this badly, for which I apologise.
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eeze,

Submitting a diagnostic, then reporting the confirmation number here, would help SONOS staff look into your issue.

With respect to Alexa functionality and SONOS, it may be helpful to delete SONOS units from Alexa, then run discovery again.


I'm going to focus on the SONOS wifi connectivity issue for now. It appears to be a hardware issue with the SONOS as all other devices are fine. The SONOS speaker is in the same room as one of the Access-Points so connectivity is optimal, as seen in the above pic at 63 dbm.

If I cannot keep it connected, i'll be returning it. If it stays connected, then I'll examine the Alexa issue and do as you suggested. Thank you.
Signal strength is not the whole story. At my current location signal strength is great, but the area is highly polluted with 2.4GHz junk.
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Good point buzz. I'm in a housing compound and there are other houses around so I'm guessing lots of 2.4ghz noise. That said, wouldn't apartment buildings and townhomes be susceptible to noise overload? Surprised i'd be getting so many issues.

I'm trying to monitor the stability of the Sonos device. It's not like it disconnects when it gets warm here (daytime) but it tends to loose connectivity every once in awhile and I get broked up Alex voices, or sometimes the Sonos just stops responding. When it stops, I check the Wifi UI and the Sonos is disconnected. Unplug and restart solves it, temporarily.