Hi @Neurorad.

Welcome to the Sonos community and thanks for reaching out to us.

I would recommend, If you can get at least one Sonos device connected directly to the router via ethernet cable and make it work with the Sonos app (by-passing any firewalls, security, and any feature that might interfere with the Sonos device communicating to the Sonos server, Sonos app, and Music service), you can create a daisy chain (connecting a Sonos device to the Sonos device connected to the router and then connecting another Sonos device to the Sonos device connected to the Sonos device that is connected to the router, etc,). Description of which could possibly be Router » Sonos Port » Sonos Amp » Sonos Amp » Sonos Amp … etc. this would allow you to by-pass the Netgear Prosafe.

I hope this helps.

We may also want to consider reaching out to other members of the community and see what might their feedback on this. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you still have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,

Thanks, Paul. 

How high should I stack the Amps in a rack? Some pics I’ve seen of racked Amps show spacers.

https://media.wired.com/photos/5b85e9c2cde746582fe9ff39/master/w_1600%2Cc_limit/ampracks.jpg

Hi @Neurorad.

Thanks for the detailed and immediate response. 
I would like to share with you a topic in the community that confirms and shows how small and what margin can be used to stack the Sonos Amps.  The reply came from one of our previous co-workers who posted a sample picture on how to stack the Sonos Amp.

I Hope this helps.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you still have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,

Thanks, Paul. I haven’t seen them stacked higher than 3 Amps high.  Any guidance from Sonos directly?

Hi @Neurorad.

Thanks for the immediate response.

There is no limit to the number of Amps that can be stacked. Please feel free to visit this link about the Sonos Amp user’s guide. In the guide, It is indicated there:

Rack mounted

• Amp mounts perfectly in any electronics rack.

• Place two Amps side by side in a 2U rack.

• Place four Amps in a 3U rack.

The only thing to consider is stability and ventilation if you are not considering to use an electronics rack.

I hope this helps.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you still have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,

I’ll stack 3 tall, thanks.

Hi @Neurorad.

Thanks for the update and response.

I’m glad everything is going to work out. 

Please do not hesitate to reach out or create a topic if you still have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,

Back to the original question…

Can all Sonos Amps in a rack be hardwired, or do I need to enable wireless on a single component?

Having trouble adding Sonos Amps to my system, with hardwired Ethernet, connected directly to my router.

Thanks!

All can be hardwired.

I’d consider leaving the WiFi enabled unless you have an issue with it. Then I’d disable all but one, leaving the one with the best signal enabled. Eliminates interference but still gives you another node on the SonosNet mesh.

Currently, I do not have wifi enabled. Is it required?  I really don’t need Sonos collecting my wifi data too.

The WiFi enable/disable is a long standing Sonos issue that they have never bothered to address. It is not WiFi that you are enabling there but the internal radio. That radio is used for the SonosNet mesh when not in WiFi mode and it won’t be using your WiFi. Actually you shouldn’t have your SSID entered in the app in wired mode.

Radio isn’t required but I’d recommend it.

TS explained that I need to enable wireless on the single existing device (Connect) in order to add more devices (Amps).

I enabled wifi on the Connect, added the Amps, no problem.

Of course, now that I have 3 devices, at least one of them needs to have wifi enabled. Connect worked fine without wifi enabled, hardwired to a switch, controlled from phones and tablets.

I wonder why this is the case. Anyone?

If you disable the radios on all wired devices you won’t be able to connect any wireless devices to SonosNet. You could add a Boost but with other devices available that is usually an unneeded expense. If you try to run some in wired/SonosNet and some in WiFi (not wireless) mode you are likely to see issues from mixed mode operation.

Been a while since I added a device, there may be a need to have the radio enabled to add a new Sonos. Not sure if wiring the new device would bypass that need.

I’m curious why you seem so determined to run your Sonos in a manner the manufacturer warns against. What are you expecting to gain?

I have not seen any warning against hardwiring everything.

I don’t want to add any wireless devices to Sonosnet. All Amps will be hardwired in the rack.

I haven’t had any issues so far with just a Connect in the rack, for the last several months, without wireless.

But, c’est la vie. I understand the need for wireless. If owned Sonos, I would do the same, for the additional revenue stream of selling wifi traffic data. It’s just a shame that I pay so much for their equipment, that Sonos feels the need to collect the additional data.

I’ll put in a ticket to complain, but it won’t keep me from using Sonos. Granted, this is conjecture, but it’s based on my somewhat limited 6 month exposure to Sonos, so far. I come from a 12 zone system (old Legrand Nuvo setup) that didn’t collect any data; prob why Legrand stopped supporting this outdated design.

Edit - and thanks for helping, Stanley - very much appreciated.

Joe

If you read their privacy statement, I think you’ll find they don’t sell your WiFi traffic data. 

Not a warning about hard-wiring everything but against turning off the radios unless necessary.

Easy enough to play with, turn all your off and see if anything glitches, if it does turn one radio back on.

With devices hardwired the wireless traffic from Sonos is so minor I can’t detect it using my admittedly crude tools here. Unwired are much more visible when in use.

Long read, quite detailed. But, a lot of data is still collected, and the data is open for sale when Sonos is sold/acquired.

“We may share your personal information in the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets.” 

Just like every other company with a EULA. That data is worth a lot, and adds to the purchase price of the company.

I understand this is how it works everywhere, with everything, currently.

I certainly am enjoying the Sonos experience, so it’s the Cost of Doing Business.

To be honest, there’s nothing particularly wrong with the Netgear GS108 (I’m assuming you’re using the unmanaged version, not the GS108E).  These days, pretty much any unmanaged gigabit switch will work fine for wired music streaming.  Not sure what the concern with the ProSafe switches is, but if you’re having streaming issues, it’s almost certainly not your switch.

You're also going to be better off - from a packet flow perspective - having a single 16-port switch with all of your AMPs connected to it than you’d be with the AMP’s daisy-chained or some weird combination of those two things.

Sonos has posted a warning that Sonos gear has issues with some 108 versions. No clue what they are but don’t expect a lot of help if you want to use one.

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/41?language=en_US

Below is a list of networking equipment that is incompatible with Sonos. These have been tested and confirmed as incompatible with no known resolution or workaround.

I don’t think ‘share’ and ‘sell’ are the same in this context.  It’s understandable that if Sonos merged with say Bose for example, then Bose would have access to the data that Sonos collected.  There would not be some sort of effort to partition off the data somehow.  I don’t think that means that the new Sonos-Bose hypothetical company would then be legally clear to sell your personal information to some other entity.  It could decide to change the privacy policy and sell data going forward, but it cannot sell data that it previously said it would not sell.  But then again, I am not a lawyer.

Do you play one on TV?

No, only on the internet and in the bedroom.