I think I've made an expensive mistake.

Great news Tek_Freek

I did not adjust the router. I adjusted Norton Internet Security and Windows Defender.

Nobody should have to deal with sub par customer support. This is a problem that arose in the last couple months, nothing has changed in my household since I first purchased the product so blaming it on additional network devices seems illogical. I am not ignoring facts for my own narrative; I have had no problems with other devices and experienced less than productive assistance from Sonos. I have sent half a dozen emails to Sonos and waited on hold during their inconvenient call center hours, so no, I should not have to deal with that.

And if the router is assigning IP addresses incorrectly, why is it not affecting other devices? I am certainly not an IT expert, but I expect a product to work well without such problems, and I am certainly not alone. Run an online search surrounding playback issues of Sonos products and there are hundreds of people experiencing similar problems. It's not too much to ask that a product work as advertised. and Windows Defender.

Chris, here is my issue with the fix you suggest: I should not have to do this. Every single product I have that connects to my Wi-Fi network works seamlessly, with the exception of the Playbar. Fixing my router is not something I should have to go through because I purchased a Sonos product. It is absolutely unacceptable, even if it works, for a user to have to spend time diagnosing issues, wait half an hour on hold, then adjust their router when other products using Wi-Fi and the exact same applications have no issue. That is an inherent problem in how the product connects to the Wi-Fi network on its own, and you cannot expect people with very little IT experience to start messing with router configurations.

abear33: You have been working with us over email about this problem since the beginning of December. Shortly after giving some recommendations, we didn't hear from you and closed the ticket. A new ticket has since been opened with the same problem, and you were again recommended to call in so we can work together through a remote session and troubleshoot with you in real time. I second that recommendation as the ticket explains that the problems you are experiencing have to do with your local network and how UPnP traffic is being routed on the network. We understand that not everyone is an IT expert, which is why we offer remote sessions to remove that burden and get you up and running ASAP.

After a quick look at the tickets, your problem may have something to do with these HomePlugs you are using. Sonos is not supported on PowerLine network devices.

Looks like my rants are over. LOL.

It can be frustrating! You just want it to work!

Sounds like good support to me Keith N.

Not to rain on someone’s parade…but I guess I am.

Reference to Firewall’s specs set by Norton. Norton is a SOFTWARE running on a computer. All of the Norton settings made are resident to that one piece of hardware and affects only how it (the computer) will interact with traffic over one’s network.

Conversely, Sonos performance relative to Norton are only affected when using the Sonos App resident on that computer. If using the Sonos App on an iPhone or compatible tablet the settings made to the Norton software on the computer have no influence over how Sonos performs.

The only configuration that would globally affect Sonos performance (using a computer, iPhone or tablet) with respect to a firewall or port settings would be those made at the HARDWARE level or more specifically at the ROUTER.

I have an Asus AC5300 Router Tri-Band router and it’s locked down tighter than a melted engine block. I have no problems streaming on any of my Wi-Fi enabled devices. I also run BitDefender on my computers with Windows Defender adjusted down to a secondary periodic background scan. My point being that having an understanding of how Wi-Fi works (or router configuration) solves/prevents a multitude of issues. I might also add that I use a Boost Component (not a speaker) setup with my Sonos which is what I always recommend. Some will use a Sonos speaker to accomplish the Boost but I prefer the dedicated Boost component.

What I have been leading up to is….

This is a great forum to get help and learn about Sonos. However, a lot of the finger pointing at Sonos IMO is unwarranted. The majority of the issues by my observation always come back to two things:

Lack of user knowledge which is one reason why this forum exists (we all have learn); and the biggest one IMO_NETWORK issues.

Network issues are always going to be the prime suspect. However, blaming Sonos is not going to resolve the problem. Sonos cannot possibly in a million years anticipate the multiplicity of network setups that consumers will have in their homes. The UPnP (Universal Plug n’ Play) touted by manufacturers of networking equipment is the biggest misnomer since it was believed that the Sun revolved around the Earth. The Sonos speaker is a relatively simple setup it’s the networks that cause the issues.

To be fair I will allow that Sonos has made a few missteps with the Sonos App upgrades. People don’t like change…but guess what…change is inevitable. It’s the price we pay for improvements and progress.

Bottom-line…understanding networking is key. If you don’t understand it that’s OK…get help from a friend or the neighbors kid down the street. Remember, you can always call Sonos if you don’t mind the wait. Cheers!

very good summary ajtrek

Keith, I have already tried disconnecting the powerline components, no change. The Playbar is not connected through this extension which is used to extend wireless to a separate building.

I am not saying the static IP fix won't work, and never said that, nor am I am saying it is not a network issue. My question has always been, why do other devices streaming the same applications not experience the same problem? That has me feeling that it may be a network issue, but one specific to Sonos. These other devices come in and out of the network regularly, so would they not experience the same IP issue? This is not a challenge, just trying to understand the problem.

The answer was above. Many other devices will have network issues but you don't see the symptoms because they will just repeatedly try connections and slowly get them. You never notice because a half second disconnect browsing a webpage you can't see.

My iPhone when it has ip address conflict seems to work. Then all of a sudden when I try to do something that requires specific network protocols I will find the phone isn't working properly. It's very dependent on what the device is trying to do and how sensitive it is to network timeouts and issues.