Thanks, I am reconfiguring the TP-LINK switches to only have STP active on SONOS connected ports and the TP-LINK ports.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !!!! 

I have everything reconfigured and the SONOS network is once again stable. I have some questions related to the Network Matrix:

1. Colors of first column White, Green , Yellow, Orange and Red. I am unable to determine what the white color represents. I have been able to identify Green = Best, Yellow = Fine, Orange = Mediocre and RED = Worst.
    
2. Signal Strength - What is the range.
    
3. NOISE FLOOR - Some of the items in the Network Matrix have four numbers and others have three or one. It my understanding that a lower number is better. What is  the range?
    
4. OFDM-ANI - Interference Rejection ?? Range: 0 -- 9 with 0 being the best and 9 being the worst.
    
5. OFDM- Weak Signal Level - Is this the same as OFDM-ANI?
    
6. NODE Reference - I see references to both Secondary and Tertiary in my Network Matrix. What does this represent?
    
7. Inbound - I see blocks with both a single number and two numbers. What does this represent and what is the range?
    
8. Outbound -  I see blocks with both a single number and two numbers. What does this represent and what is the range?
    
9. STP State: I see mostly blocking and forwarding in my network matrix.
   
    

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !!!!

1. The colour reflects the ambient noise level and the amount of rejection by the wireless card. The latest wireless modules don’t return such data is a form that’s compatible with the matrix, hence the white cells.
2. 0 to somewhere over 80. I’m unsure what the upper limit is these days. In the low 20s a connection may start to struggle. Below 20 can be nonviable.
3. There are 4 zeroes from the latest radios, which as I say are incompatible with the matrix display. The earliest radios (which also display OFDM Weak Signal Level) have a single figure, the later ones three. I’m unsure of the range, but I’ve not seen anything much below -120dB.
4. Correct.
5. Similar, see above.
6. Secondary nodes are those directly connected -- in STP terms -- to the root bridge. Tertiary is everything else.
7. Again, it depends on the generation of radio. The oldest version has two signal strength figures, the others one. As for the range see 2 above.
8. Ditto.
9. Open virtual ports are in the ‘forwarding’ state; those that are closed to avoid loops are ‘blocking’. Read up on the basics of STP. Google is your friend.

Good evening all,

Unfortunately, my initial issue is back. After having read the entire thread, I believe I'm also facing the “STP” issue. When playing Spotify or watching movies, no glitches whatsoever occur. 

(the playbar, sub and ones work flawless)

When playing vinyl via the Port, the glitching starts...playback is interrupted and also the Sonos app (on my iPhone) sometimes states that it can't connect anymore.

After it reconnects, I see (sorry for the Dutch screen) that the connected system (gekoppeld product) has changed. Previously it connected to IP 192.168.1.150 (which is my UTP connected PORT); Now it seems to be connected to 192.168.1.114 which is my 'wireless’ connected playbar.

I've already switched to sonosnet channel 6, have added a delay of 2000ms but all is in vain. 

My current setup (playbar, sub, 3 one's and 1 one SL are not connected via UTP. Only the port is UTP connected)

Any idea what might be causing this glitch?

Thanks a ton upfront and best wishes for 2021!

Sven

Hopefully my "matrix” sheds some light to the matter :-)

I somehow doubt it. You go on to state that your Port is the only wired device. There can be no “STP issue” under such circumstances.

That sounds like straightforward packet loss. Often the culprit is intermittent wireless inteference. Indeed your matrix shows evidence of heavy ambient noise (the red cell) on the one node capable of displaying this info. 

You can ignore all that. The ‘Associated Product’ is just the first player the controller finds when it starts. The controller uses it to obtain information about the system. It doesn’t have to concide with the player that the controller is actually focussed on.

Hi Ratty

Thank you for your quick response. Regarding:

. Often the culprit is intermittent wireless inteference. Indeed your matrix shows evidence of heavy ambient noise (the red cell) on the one node capable of displaying this info. 

Any idea what I can do to resolve?

The red cell is linked to the Playbar...as I don't own a separate LF and RF...only 2 One's who act as LR and RR.

Just did a quick check. I've opened my Ipad and switched it from guest network to my regular wifi network. As soon as I did this, the SONOS glitch appeared and the sound dropped for 5 seconds

After 5 seconds everything started working as usual/expected.

Currently I have many devices using my home network. Would it therefore be wise to switch the SONOS from the home network to the guest network?

And if so: How to do so?

And will this work if all non wired Sonos items (playbar, sub, one's) are on the guest network, while the port is wired...and thus on the regular network?

Thanks again for your support! Highly appreciated!

Sonos is not supported on a guest network. In general guest networks use client isolation, which prevents Sonos from working at all.

Also, guest networks are on a different IP subnet, so by design they’re isolated from the main network. 

Hi Ratty,

On my TPLINK router (configured as access point), I've disabled guest network isolation.

But if SONOS on a guest network is not the way forward, do you perhaps an alternative?

What can I do to prevent the glitching?

If changing the SonosNet channel, ensuring that SonosNet and WiFi are at least 5 channels apart, and that WiFi has 20MHz width don’t improve things you’ll need to try and locate the source of what appears to be quite severe interference. Look for non-WiFi wireless, such as wireless security cameras, baby monitors, Philips Hue (Zigbee) or even strong Bluetooth. Also space the wired Port at least 50cm from other electronics.

Hi Ratty

Thanks for above suggestions. I will implement them and get back with the results.

By the way: I do have 4 wireless security camera's and roughly 40 HUE devices active...(and tablets, laptops and phones)….and my router has channel:auto and channel width:auto.

Does sonos connect to the 2.4 Ghz or the 5 Ghz network? (Do I have to change both, or only the 2.4 Ghz)

Thanks again for sharing all your wisdom

SonosNet uses 2.4GHz. 

Start by controlling your unruly router. Auto channel selection is asking for trouble, as it often fails to detect SonosNet. And auto channel width is almost certainly using the greedy and damaging 40MHz. Always use 20MHz at 2.4GHz. 

You don't need to fiddle with 5GHz. 

Made some adjustments…..will keep you posted on progress
 

I've put sonosnet on channel 11, just to be sure….

One small question...as I've learned that the SONOS app is working like a ‘remote’ for the Sonos system. Should my iPhone now also connect to the 2.4Ghz wifi? ...as it currently (automatically) connects to my 5 Ghz wifi. (The SSID for 2.4Ghz and 5 Ghz are currently the same)

It doesn’t matter, as your system is in SonosNet/’wired’ mode*. A controller on either band should work fine. In fact, in view of your apparent 2.4GHz interference issues it would help to keep as much as possible on 5GHz.

(*With a system in WiFi/’wireless’ mode it can sometimes matter as a few routers don’t correctly forward certain types of traffic between their WiFi bands. A controller on 5GHz may therefore have difficulty seeing Sonos units attached to the 2.4GHz WiFi.)

Damn….Unfortunately the issue remains :-(

Vinyl is playing but the music drops….quickly opening the SONOS app shows this:

So all connections seem lost…..except the one from the PORT (which is wired via UTP)

Can this (interference) be caused by 

as it shows RED in the matrix? 

(This my playbar which has no other electronic devices in its proximity...the Sub gen3 is roughly 1,5 meters away from it….can the sub be causing this?)

In other words: What tooling can I use to find out what is causing the interference?

The About display not populating is a symptom of packet loss. 

The red cell is a symptom of interference, not the cause. 

You mention wireless sources other than WiFi. I suggest you turn them off in an attempt to determine which could be responsible. 

..and might it help if I would relocate the PORT. Place it closer to my record player….and further away from other electrical devices? 
If this would be the case, then I need to unplug the UTP from the PORT (as I don't have UTP present nearby my record player) and plug one of my ONE speakers to at least have one SONOS device have a wired connection.

Will this make a difference...as the PORT is then no longer wired...but wireless

You mention wireless sources other than WiFi. I suggest you turn them off in an attempt to determine which could be responsible. 

Sorry for all the questions….

If I would turn off a (wireless) device which I believe might cause the interference and then check the network matrix, will it immediately show a difference (eg colour no longer red) if the device I turned off was causing the interference?

Wait a couple of minutes. The interference stats integrate over the previous minute or two. 

Hmmm… not the result I'd expected. I see a small change on notice floor. Going from -111 to -110

Would you also be so kind to elaborate on

might it help if I would relocate the PORT. Place it closer to my record player….and further away from other electrical devices? 
If this would be the case, then I need to unplug the UTP from the PORT (as I don't have UTP present nearby my record player) and plug one of my ONE speakers to at least have one SONOS device have a wired connection.

Will this make a difference...as the PORT is then no longer wired...but wireless

Thanks a ton….again!

It's roughly been two months and I've tried a lot in the meanwhile. Relocated the port, removed other wireless devices (google nest) and connected a One SL via a LAN cable
Unfortunately, I still encounter music drop outs. (Only when playing vinyl via the port. All else is working flawless)

Would adding a sonos boost do the trick?

Is this even with the Line-In delay at maximum, and/or using compression?  

Hi Ratty

Unfortunately, it is….

But only when PORT is used. When watching television, no fall out. Only the port is causing this issue, even with a max delay of 2 seconds active.

So I'm quite lost and out of options….listening to vinyl is not doable like this….
So really wondering if a boost would do the trick?

(Eventhough I have a wireless hotspot already active in the room. (The router in bridge mode which had been set to channel 1...see some posts above)