Alexa in Australia ; workaround

If you have Sonos kit with a line in jack, wiring a Dot to it is the simplest one and in some ways this works better in terms of features and ease of use than the Sonos release that does the job wirelessly - even in the US.

If you don't have line in jacks there are workarounds to try if you google for them, but be aware that server comm delays between Amazon servers and Sonos servers may render them a not very happy user experience. That is what I discovered in India; the Amazon stand alone Alexa works very well here, but the Sonos version does not. Which infrastructure based reason is why Sonos has not released Alexa in India as well, I suspect. Or even in next door Canada for that matter.

With line in jacks, you can even opt for Google instead of Amazon. At this time you do need a cheap Chromecast Audio dongle though, wired to the line in jack of Sonos. Then the Google Home/Mini will work today as well, wirelessly, and there are many that prefer the user experience of voice control offered by Google over Amazon. What Sonos will achieve when they release their promised in 2018 Google integration is making the Chromecast and Line in jacks unnecessary.

I would not be surprised at all to see the Sonos Google offering available before the Sonos Alexa one in distant countries because I strongly suspect that it will not rely on matching Sonos server infrastructure. Unfortunately Sonos will not say anything on this to confirm or deny it.

Thanks Kumar.

I've got two Amazon Echo's now, a Play1 & Play 5. The 5 has a line in but that's coming from the TV so there's not much I can do here for either.

I know I'm not the only one in Australia with this issue. I did some research on it before ordering, but didn't consider that the functionality was limited to US only. They need to sort it out. They've got a relationship with Amazon via Sonos One... sort it out.

I doubt Amazon has to do anything here; Sonos has to match the global server infrastructure reach of Amazon, to stay in step with the global deployment of Alexa because every voice command to Sonos at every home involves comms between Amazon cloud servers and those of Sonos. Perhaps Sonos could hire the necessary bit of server infrastructure from Amazon? Why don't you bend the ears of the Sonos CEO about this?

I doubt Amazon has to do anything here;
...
Why don't you bend the ears of the Sonos CEO about this?

Yup, that's what I meant. It's a Sonos issue to fix. As for infrastructure, I'd expect Sonos host their infrastructure on AWS. Would love to, next time I bump into Paddy at the local I'll have a quiet word.

I've tried Yonomi, but it seems pretty limited and struggled to get it to work. I'll keep trying though.

Just found that Sonos as an Alexa Skill is not available here in Australia yet. Shame. My Dot and Sonos are all ready to go. No ETA?

Just found that Sonos as an Alexa Skill is not available here in Australia yet. Shame. My Dot and Sonos are all ready to go. No ETA?

I read somewhere that Sonos hope to bring it in first half of 2018, and then someone like a Community Manager further stated they hoped around March to May - don't quote me on that 😃 it's on a thread here somewhere I read this week.

Just found that Sonos as an Alexa Skill is not available here in Australia yet. Shame. My Dot and Sonos are all ready to go. No ETA?

I read somewhere that Sonos hope to bring it in first half of 2018, and then someone like a Community Manager further stated they hoped around March to May - don't quote me on that 😃 it's on a thread here somewhere I read this week.

Cheers. Seems like a long time. I’ve noticed that Amazon Music isn’t even available to add as a music service. Wish I hadn’t started my 90 day free trial now.