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I would say the vast majority of average people want to disable Wi-Fi on their Sonos because they want their home hardwired and are not comfortable with Wi-Fi.

In my case, I have a dog with a glioma brain tumor which even cancer.org says arises from radiation exposure. He spent most of his life with the Wi-Fi router near his bed  - so I’m attempting to hardwire my home now that he’s back home from treatment.

I was very upset to see, after paying an AV expert $300 to come in and fully hardwire all my Sonos components and set up a router switch, that you guys don’t actually turn off Wi-Fi even though it explicitly says I’ve done so in the app.

Maybe it won’t “work” with Wi-Fi anymore, but it sure as heck hasn’t turned off the ARC sound bar wifi radiation “atomic bomb” which, others have reported many times, is emitting levels of radiation far beyond acceptable limitations for human health as per guidelines. If you don’t agree with me or believe me about this, please look it up.

(Just to head off the inevitable comments: Meter readings have been published online many times showing radiation emission for the ARC soundbar etc. I know the argument is that distance you “typically” sit from the soundbar makes these levels “safe“. But if you get close to it, it’s so far beyond acceptable health limits, it’s absurd. We sit about 6-8 feet away and the meter decreases only slightly, with incessant and repeating “bursts” WAY beyond healthy limits.  I’m not a crazy 5G radiation conspiracy-theorist. But when my dog has a 1% incidence tumor known to be caused by radiation exposure, and all he’s ever had was a router next to him 12 hours a day, I’m going to reduce my skepticism on this topic)

 

Bottom line, i need to fully disable it since Sonos doesn’t, like they say they do   Could i open it up and remove the wifi board perhaps?  

 

 

frustratedly yours,

 

 

First let me say I’m sorry about you dog's health problems. I can understand that you’d rather err on the side of caution concerning radio emissions.

But you do have you be honest about the facts. As I understand the workings of Sonos, when you turn off wifi on Sonos wifi is really off. Wifi does not work anymore. Staing otherwise would mean you need to prove this. Do you have any proof for this statement?

On the more modern devices (like the Arc) only low energy bluetooth stays on. That should not account for radio emissions “far beyond acceptable health limits”. What does your meter say?

Also Sonos needs to conform to legal emissions guidelines. I do not think the way those are measured taking into account you being 6-8 ft away from the device. I also do not agree with your statement that “the vast majority of average people want to disable Wi-Fi on their Sonos because they want their home hardwired and are not comfortable with Wi-Fi”. If that would be the case Sonos would not offer Wi-Fi capable devices. Reading these forums I only see a few people using their devices wired. Most are on Wi-fi or Sonosnet. Most people do not disable Wi-Fi and are nit concerned by radio emissions from Sonos or any other device.

 


I also do not agree with your statement that “the vast majority of average people want to disable Wi-Fi on their Sonos because they want their home hardwired and are not comfortable with Wi-Fi”. 

Indeed. The opening sentence undermines the credibility of what follows.

It never ceases to amaze me how some people can take a sample size of 1, and from that extrapolate an assumed behaviour of the entire user base.


I’m curious about the instruments you are using to measure radiation from the SONOS units, what levels you are observing, the wavelengths, and at what distance.


I would say the vast majority of average people want to disable Wi-Fi on their Sonos because they want their home hardwired and are not comfortable with Wi-Fi.

I would say that you’re totally incorrect, and that the vast majority of people couldn’t care less.

I suspect that a home that doesn’t regularly use wi-fi is a rarity.

Sorry to hear about your dog, of course….


I’m curious about the instruments you are using to measure radiation from the SONOS units, what levels you are observing, the wavelengths, and at what distance.

I’m curious about how such apparently lethal radiation could possibly escape the notice of the FCC. Or indeed how it could escape the notice of all the cat owners who over the years have complained of speakers’ touch controls being triggered by their warmth-seeking moggies. 

I’m also curious as to the motivations of the ‘AV expert’.


Utter nonsense.  If I had to guess, this is an Onion article.  At least I hope so.


What interests me is not what is being done to your equipment to reduce radiation but what are you doing to reduce outside radiation, cell towers, radio and TV, RADAR, not to mention your neighbor’s emissions.

That is assuming you have already gotten rid of your cell phones and checked all your non-Sonos devices for RF leakage.

I found my worst RF emitter was a WD external drive, one with no WiFi or other radio.