Trending Lyricist I

Answered

Mic Sensitivity and Wake Word

Forum|Forum|8 years ago
October 30, 2017
9 replies
1502 views

I think it is not just the mic sensitivity of the Sonos One, but also the accuracy of the wake word detection.

Alexa has woken up to (from the TV)

"They must think I'm the nanny"

"With Brexit this will take"

"Accelerating UK growth"

"Eccentric"

And other random words, some but not all containing the letter "X".

I recorded the clips, and when played back they consistently trigger Alexa to wake up.

Strangely, when I repeat these words, Alexa doesn't wake up.

Sometimes she doesn't wake up at all unless I stand over her, or shout.

If you want the audio clips, let me know.

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Best answer by shadybee

Well... The Sonos One was playing deaf for weeks (or is it months... I cant believe it is May already)...

(Strangely if I turned to face away from the Sonos and bounced my voice off an adjacent wall, she sometimes responded).

Anyway...

Then I did a software update through the Windows app, and she actually responded as you would expect it should.

Only thing was, if Sonos was playing music, Alexa was obviously zoned into the music so much, there was no way she would respond to her name.

Then I did another software update a couple of weeks later, and ...

All works perfect now...!!!

Even with the TV on normally loud (9.1 Atmos surround) , and with even the most gentle mumble of "Alexa" she wakes up and responds. (And I do mean gentle... She responds when I really really quietly say her name even with the TV on in the background, or if Sonos music is playing) ...

In the same room I am about 3.5m from the Sonos pair, and she even responds when called from another room.

What a difference a firmware update makes huh...

Software version currently is :

Sonos Controller for PC
Version: 8.5.1
Build: 42252113

And from the actual speakers:
Version: 8.5 (build 42251240)
Hardware Version: 1.21.1.8-2
Series ID: A100

Well done Sonos technical guys and girls... I was at first wondering if the Sonos One was a lemon,... but now it is a peach...

😃

R

riversbendlodge

Lyricist I

Same problem on my end, with the addition that even minor background noise (like the tv playing) makes the Sonos One less responsive to the wake word. I've switched back to the Dot until due to the lack of reliability of the One. Have you seen any updates that have made yours better?

S

shadybeeAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

No... I think that like they used to say in that beer advert, it just isn't ready yet. I guess Sonos rushed it out before the Apple and Google products were released.
Strange thing is, sometimes it seems to work OK, then other times it just gets messed up, not responding or playing music reliably. You can try disabling then re adding the Sonos Skill, as that seems to make things better, but I must have done that 5 or 6 times now.
For me I like it, as initially I just wanted an Echo that works with wired Ethernet, and as far as I know this is the only such thing, but I ended up getting another Sonos One to make a stereo pair, which does sound pretty good. You cant beat calling out a song title and it just start playing.
Hopefully they will polish the Alexa part in the near future.

Airgetlam

I don't think Sonos has anything to do with that wake word. That's all on Amazon't side. It's the same software that runs on the other Alexa devices. And I use a Dot in my living room, it's constantly being woken by other things, not unlike the OP. Seems particularly bad during sporting events, at least here in the US, but that may be more due to the kinds of words being used. And I refuse to use "Alexa" as my wake word, as there are too many commercials that use the phrase "Hey, Alexa". I don't need it buying more pizza, or a pillow, or whatever random marketing company thinks is funny to have in their commercial.

Bruce

J

jackflapb

Lyricist III

The wake word recognition happens on the device itself and not the cloud, so it's definitely part of Sonos' firmware.

This has gotten so bad on my Sonos One (especially with the incessant beeping), I've had to turn off Alexa and put an Echo alongside it.

S

shadybeeAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

Strange... I just discovered "Flash Briefings" are now active on the Sonos One...

Pity it happened when someone used the word "Excited" and not "Alexa", but baby steps and all that...

Onwards and Upwards...

:o)

D

decourter

Lyricist II

If anything is playing at all, we have to walk over to the Sonos One, put our head over it, and yell “ALEXAAAAAA STOP”
Wouldn’t buy the product again.
Lots of times I’ll be right next to SonosOne in the living room trying to give it a command and the Dot in the basement or bedroom will pick it up before the Sonos if Sonos picks it up at all.

D

dasym

Prominent Collaborator II

If anything is playing at all, we have to walk over to the Sonos One, put our head over it, and yell “ALEXAAAAAA STOP”
Wouldn’t buy the product again.
Lots of times I’ll be right next to SonosOne in the living room trying to give it a command and the Dot in the basement or bedroom will pick it up before the Sonos if Sonos picks it up at all.I've got 4 Sonos Ones. When I first got them the sensitivity was dreadful but after a firmware update they improved considerably. Not as good as Dots and Echos but generally acceptable. I read somewhere here that switching the microphone off and then on in some case can reset something and improve sensitivity. Failing that, perhaps there is something wrong with your model and it might be worth contacting Sonos support for assistance and repair or replacement.

S

shadybeeAuthorAnswer

Trending Lyricist I

Well... The Sonos One was playing deaf for weeks (or is it months... I cant believe it is May already)...

(Strangely if I turned to face away from the Sonos and bounced my voice off an adjacent wall, she sometimes responded).

Anyway...

Then I did a software update through the Windows app, and she actually responded as you would expect it should.

Only thing was, if Sonos was playing music, Alexa was obviously zoned into the music so much, there was no way she would respond to her name.

Then I did another software update a couple of weeks later, and ...

All works perfect now...!!!

Even with the TV on normally loud (9.1 Atmos surround) , and with even the most gentle mumble of "Alexa" she wakes up and responds. (And I do mean gentle... She responds when I really really quietly say her name even with the TV on in the background, or if Sonos music is playing) ...

In the same room I am about 3.5m from the Sonos pair, and she even responds when called from another room.

What a difference a firmware update makes huh...

Software version currently is :

Sonos Controller for PC
Version: 8.5.1
Build: 42252113

And from the actual speakers:
Version: 8.5 (build 42251240)
Hardware Version: 1.21.1.8-2
Series ID: A100

Well done Sonos technical guys and girls... I was at first wondering if the Sonos One was a lemon,... but now it is a peach...

😃

S

shadybeeAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

^^^
And she also doesn't wake up every 5 minutes now when someone says a word with an "x" in it on the TV..

She does occasionally say something like... "that's so nice...." but I don't know why she is saying that or what she is responding to...(really, she does say that)...

(She is sat next to a Kef Egg surround speaker, so maybe they are getting up to something when they think no one is watching)...

😃

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