Drop outs and errors with Sonos Boost system

  • 7 October 2020
  • 8 replies
  • 1452 views
S
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I have 5 Sonos speakers (2 stereo pairs of  Sonos Play 1’s and a single Sonos One) on a Tenda mesh network (because of the stone walls) with a Sonos Boost (set on Channel 1 with no other traffic on Channel1). Our house is a 200 year old stone cottage with thick walls The music sources are a Cocktail Audio streamer (acting like a NAS) and from Plex. The system has become virtually unusable, with constant drop outs and error messages saying the network speed is too slow to buffer, and that the system cannot access the Cocktail Audio or Plex on the network.

I am using the S1 controller.

The system was working fine, but suddenly it has become awful. Internet in our rural area is so-so (around 10 Mbps with the occasional drop out) but generally usable for most things.

Does anyone have any thoughts on what might be happening and if there is anything I can do to help matters. I thought the Boost would fix things, but seemingly not.

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8 replies

S
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Diagnostic sent: 389338542

Rowena B.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @Snakeplex, thank you for reaching us and welcome to the Sonos Community. I appreciate you for letting us know about your concern and for submitting the diagnostic. Let me check it.

Upon checking, there's a communication problem between your Sonos speakers and your network.  You're right, the Sonos Boost will create a SonosNet for a stable connection. The diagnostic also shows an audio drop out caused by not enough bandwidth. Also, there's wireless interference in the network that might be causing this issue. Sonos system requires high speed wired internet connection.

Let me suggest the following basic troubleshooting steps to see if this would work for you.

  • If you have access to your router settings, below are the settings that need to be verified. You can contact your Interner Service Provider or router manufacturer for assistance.
    • The auto channel must be set to Off
    • Choose the best non-overlapping channel (1,6,11)
    • Set channel bandwidth to 20MHz
    • Both 2.4GHz and 5GHz should be enabled
    • UPnP should be enabled
    • 802.11 bands should be set to b/g/n
    • Airtime Fairness should be disabled (if applicable)
  • Wire another speaker to the router to check if it will improve the connection
  • Move your speakers closer to the router

I after performing the steps above and you're still experiencing the same on the Sonos app,  I recommend contacting our Sonos Customer Care support to remotely access your device to further check on this. Also, please provide your full network setup including the make and model for each device when you contact them.

If you need help with any other information, please be sure to let us know.

We're here to answer any further questions you have.

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S
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The wireless on my modem is turned off (to avoid interference) and the modem is connected to the primary node of the Tenda MW6 mesh system by ethernet cable. I have other Tenda nodes throughout the house (because of the thick, stone walls) and the Tenda app reports “Excellent” reception throughout the house.

The Tenda MW6 is fixed on Channel 6 with both 2.4GHz and 5GHz enabled, UPnP enabled and the 802.11 is set to b/g/n (default). I have tried wired connection between speaker and Tenda MW6 node and that seems to make no difference. Moving speakers also seems to make no difference.

What does seem to have a bearing is the number of speakers in operation at any one time: the system will run one stereo pair plus the single speaker in the kitchen, but if you add the second stereo pair this is when the problems begin. Maybe it’s a bandwidth issue?

Latest diagnostic 1714931592

Rowena B.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @Snakeplex, thank you for a detailed response and for submitting the diagnostic. Let me help you with this.

Upon checking, there's a communication problem between your Sonos speakers and your network. I see the same error from the previous diagnostic that you sent us. Let me suggest the following steps to see if it would help.

  • A sequential reboot means that we need to do this in order.
    • Unplug your network devices (modem, router, any wireless access points on the network) from the power and wait for 60 full seconds before you plug it back in.
    • Once the router is back online, unplug all your Sonos devices from the power. Please wait 15 seconds before you plug back them back in.
    • Force close the Sonos app from your iOS or Android device.
    • When the status light on your Sonos speakers are solid white, get back on the Sonos app and check if you're connected.
  • Change SonosNet Channel
    • On the Sonos app, go to Settings > System > Network > SonosNet Channel > Change it 11 or 1

After performing the steps above, You may reach our Sonos Customer Care support to remotely access your device to help you out on this.

Please feel free to reach out in the future if you have any other questions.

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S
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Firstly Rowena, many thanks for your help and guidance - much appreciated!

I tried connecting one of the speakers by ethernet cable, and the result was amazing - no drop outs at all. I then carried out a sequential reboot as you suggested and this caused one or two problems: I lost all ability to play any media - my library, Plex, even internet radio, none of them would work. So I did another sequential reboot and fingers crossed it seems to be working now.

Latest diagnostic 1369667855

Thank you again for all your help.

 

Rowena B.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi @Snakeplex, thank you for keeping us posted on this and for submitting another diagnostic report. We really appreciate it. I'm glad that it's working now.

Upon checking the report, I see that the wireless channel has been changed. Also, I can see that the ethernet cable on your Sonos Boost was detected a faulty cable and you may need to look at it for some damage or breakage - try to replace it with another ethernet cable if you have one available.

Kindly monitor the performance of your Sonos system if you will encounter the same issue. If you do, it would be best for you to continue working with us over the phone to expedite the process. 

You may reach our Sonos Customer Care support and with your full network setup including the make and model for each device when you contact them.

If you need help with any other information, please be sure to let us know.

We're here to answer any further questions you have.

Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question.
H
Userlevel 2
Badge +2

I’m also on a Mesh Network (Deco M5) with a Boost plugged into the router.  I’ve been having serious drop outs when playing from my Library (radio and streaming were fine) and it’s been driving me Mad.  I went over to the TP-Link Fourm and started digging around.   Bottom line, I made a couple of changes to the router settings and all fine now:

  1. Turned Off Beamforming
  2. Turned Off Ping From Wan
  3. Reserved a static IP address for each device
  4. Used a feature on latest Deco Firmware and App called “Network Optimizer)
    it scans the network looking for congestion then does 2 things, changes channels and moves each device to the best node on the system.

I dont know what features are on other Mesh Networks but it seems to have fixed my issues today.

S
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Thanks for your helpful comments, holsen. My mesh system (a Tenda AC1200) doesn’t seem to have the same options your TP system has. The Sonos system has behaved better recently (mainly, I think due to separation of the wifi channels). however, it still occasionally suffers drop outs for no apparent reason. Only a complete system reset helps on these occasions.

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