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Persistent playback issues

  • 4 September 2021
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72 replies

ratty

If the Play:5 is somehow dodgy it could be affecting the entire group. 

G
Badge +2

If the Play:5 is somehow dodgy it could be affecting the entire group. 

Ah. Nevermind. I switch off the play 5, and to no benefit. The speaker in polly's room is currently cutting in and out mid track. And when I skip track every speaker except the living room cuts out for a while. This is still with hue off

 

On a positive though, the matrix looking lovely and green with no play 5 or hue! 

 

buzz

Are you running S1 or S2?

One room name is listed as “undefined” in the network matrix. What type of device is this?

The orange Network Matrix cells on the right are indicating low, but not impossible signal levels. Including these rooms in a Group could be an issue from time to time.

The Network Matrix is static. By this I mean that, if conditions change, this will not be reflected in the current contents. You should refresh the page from time to time to review current conditions.

Noise Floors are very good. ANI levels in the yellow cells could be better. I can imagine that the Main Bedroom could get into trouble from time to time if conditions deteriorate, especially if part of a Group.

What type of wireless devices are near the yellow ANI cells? Moving one of these units a little could help.

By the way, I lived in a 1780’s house for a while, but I could connect most units to the wired network. Fortunately, the nearest neighbor was a few hundred feet distant. Now I’m in a dense urban area and interference is a major issue. From time to time the left column in my Network Matrix can be mostly red and there can be issues.

As an experiment, move the relatively portable wireless units, such as the PLAY:3 or ONE to various locations and attempt to improve signal strength to the low signal areas. If this is an improvement, then placing a wireless BOOST at this location will help.

I share UKMedia’s opinion with respect to EoP (Ethernet over Powerline) devices. They are my last choice for networking, but occasionally they will be the magic bullet. The very latest EoP devices are much improved compared to older units. EoP does not usually travel well  between multiple circuit panels and can be disrupted if there is surge suppression in the panel. Circuit panels are arranged in columns. Generally, EoP works best for outlets in the same column. Sometimes, outlets in the other column will be problematic and large appliances, such as air conditioners can cause issues when they switch ON. Surge suppressors will usually block EoP. Don’t connect an EoP device through a surge suppressor and performance is usually degraded if the EoP device is using the same outlet as a surge suppressor. Even with all of my negative comments, EoP would probably be worth a try in your situation.

ratty

Well, without a deeper look in the diagnostics -- to which only Sonos Support is privy -- it’s a bit hard to see where things are choking. The SonosNet connections are a bit weak in places, but look they should hold up with only a Spotify stream.

You could always try WiFi mode as an experiment. Configure in the Orbi’s WiFi credentials, power the Boost off, then wait 5-10 mins while everything sorts itself out. 

buzz

The other guys type a little faster than I. Your latest Network Matrix is somewhat blurred, but I think that the left column is generally better than the prior posting, but I think that the Utility Room is showing an ANI of 6, which is a little worse than before.

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Goteamtom 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

You’ve been given some very solid advice, but it seems you’re still having trouble with grouping. Please recreate the playback issue, then immediately submit a diagnostic and reply here with the number given. Thanks.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
G
Badge +2

Hi @Goteamtom 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

You’ve been given some very solid advice, but it seems you’re still having trouble with grouping. Please recreate the playback issue, then immediately submit a diagnostic and reply here with the number given. Thanks.

57396493 is a diagnostics

 

Hi all, apologies I've been away. Thanks for your support. Frustratingly nothing has improved, there are still things I haven't yet tried but I've already invested far too much time in trying to rectify it. 

 

My play 5 has now disappeared from the app completely. Despite being in the same room as the wired boost. Hopefully sonos can help! 

 

Again, thank you for all your help, if I get anywhere I'll update! 

 

 

ratty

My play 5 has now disappeared from the app completely.

Its wireless could have finally given up the ghost. If you wire it to the Boost’s second port does it reappear?

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Goteamtom 

Thanks for that.

First, as was said before, we’d recommend wiring more than one Sonos device to ethernet. When creating large groups (in the diagnostic, you have 10 rooms grouped), this is a must. Ideally, these wired units would be spread out through your home. As mentioned previously, wiring to mesh nodes isn’t ideal.

The Boost is reporting a lot of failed transmissions. Boost, Main Bedroom, Dining room, Utility and Polly’s Bedroom are all reporting high interference. I recommend you try to isolate these devices from any possible sources of interference. There’s a guide to spotting sources on our reducing wireless interference help page. 1m space will suffice.

However, it’s Penelope’s Bedroom, Office and Living Room that the Boost is reporting failed transmissions to - I recommend never putting these in charge of a group (selected first). This doesn’t appear to be due to range or poor signal, so must also be interference. 

What channel is your 2.4 GHz WiFi on? Your SonosNet is on channel 1, so if your WiFi is on a channel number less than 6, then there will be overlap and this can cause more problems than if they are on identical channels (when on the same channel, WiFis “time-share” the available bandwidth). 1,6 and 11 are the only non-overlapping channels.

The missing Play:5, on the most recent diagnostic where it is present, was reporting issues with STP, meaning that some networking packets are being routed back to itself - this is likely why it’s dropping off the system. Why this is happening isn’t entirely clear, as the Boost is running STP so should being doing so without issue. Physically, the unit seems fine. Do you have a router in addition to your Orbi mesh, or is the main Orbi node your main router? If you have a router in addition to the mesh system, then I recommend wiring Sonos to the main router and ensuring that Orbi is in Bridge mode - instructions are here and you should reboot your main router after doing so.

If none of this helps, I recommend you call our technical support team on 0800 026 1526 so they can gather full details of your network and try various things in real time with you. You may want to refer them to this post, to save some time. I’ll PM you your case number (I’ve added some notes to the case).

I hope this helps.

 

 

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
ratty

The Boost is reporting a lot of failed transmissions. Boost, Main Bedroom, Dining room, Utility and Polly’s Bedroom are all reporting high interference.

The OP reported having Hue everywhere. 

I find that getting up to switch the light on and off yields a more benign radio environment. 

G
Badge +2

Hi @Goteamtom 

Thanks for that.

First, as was said before, we’d recommend wiring more than one Sonos device to ethernet. When creating large groups (in the diagnostic, you have 10 rooms grouped), this is a must. Ideally, these wired units would be spread out through your home. As mentioned previously, wiring to mesh nodes isn’t ideal.

I ran ethernet cables to 4 units across the house from my main router, it improved nothing

The Boost is reporting a lot of failed transmissions. Boost, Main Bedroom, Dining room, Utility and Polly’s Bedroom are all reporting high interference. I recommend you try to isolate these devices from any possible sources of interference. There’s a guide to spotting sources on our reducing wireless interference help page. 1m space will suffice.

I’ve previously spent hours to days steadily isolating each individual speaker. Take the dining room for example, that is mounted to a wall 8ft in the air. Metres from anything else. And across the room to the boost with literally nothing in the path between the two. With exception of placing this one into the garden, i don’t know how to further isolate it from interference! 

However, it’s Penelope’s Bedroom, Office and Living Room that the Boost is reporting failed transmissions to - I recommend never putting these in charge of a group (selected first). This doesn’t appear to be due to range or poor signal, so must also be interference. 

when i tested the grouping over the weekend, the most consistent playback I achieved was from the Living room being placed in charge of grouping...my concern is there is no pattern to the issues. whichever speaker is best one day, may well be worse the next

What channel is your 2.4 GHz WiFi on? Your SonosNet is on channel 1, so if your WiFi is on a channel number less than 6, then there will be overlap and this can cause more problems than if they are on identical channels (when on the same channel, WiFis “time-share” the available bandwidth). 1,6 and 11 are the only non-overlapping channels.

i’ve previously used a wifi analyzing app to ensure SonosNet went on the clearest channel, furthest away from everything else

The missing Play:5, on the most recent diagnostic where it is present, was reporting issues with STP, meaning that some networking packets are being routed back to itself - this is likely why it’s dropping off the system. Why this is happening isn’t entirely clear, as the Boost is running STP so should being doing so without issue. Physically, the unit seems fine. Do you have a router in addition to your Orbi mesh, or is the main Orbi node your main router? If you have a router in addition to the mesh system, then I recommend wiring Sonos to the main router and ensuring that Orbi is in Bridge mode - instructions are here and you should reboot your main router after doing so.

unfortunately I only have a modem, and my main router is an orbi router. the play 5 is still currently not being discovered..

If none of this helps, I recommend you call our technical support team on 0800 026 1526 so they can gather full details of your network and try various things in real time with you. You may want to refer them to this post, to save some time. I’ll PM you your case number (I’ve added some notes to the case).

my concern is i’ve tried the technical support twice before. the first time i was advised to further isolate the speakers (which i’ve now done), the second time was a 45 minutes phone call that entailed longer periods of silence and being placed on hold whilst the agent perused my error code. I was advised it’s all fine, and to plug more speakers into the APs. Which i’ve now established is the wrong thing to do..i’m therefore somewhat reserved to ring them again

I hope this helps.

 

 

my also run an extensive hue set up across the house. two bridges. dozens of bulbs and dimmer switches etc.

 

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Goteamtom 

Compounded problems can be difficult to solve - you might fix one issue but still experience playback problems due to other issues, and therefore think you’ve fixed nothing at all.

Wiring Sonos devices to mesh nodes can help, but only if the nodes have a good backhaul connection. As this is done over 5GHz which, compared to 2.4GHz, has a low range and is unable to penetrate your walls as well, you need to make sure that they are located well. The nodes shouldn’t be placed where you have poor main WiFi reception, but in locations where they get a good 5GHz connection and their transmissions reach out to the areas with poor reception. Wiring Sonos to them is certainly not as ideal as a wiring solution that doesn’t depend on WiFi, but if they are well placed, it can help.

I recommend powering everything off - the router, the mesh nodes, all smart home hubs and Sonos. Then, turn on the router only (not the mesh nodes) and once you have WiFi access, turn on the Boost. Once the Boost has a solid white light, turn on the other Sonos units one at a time, keeping an eye on the Sonos app (which will only work when in range of the main router) as to which units show up. I’d start with the Play:5. With the full Sonos system up-and-running, test fully - with the mesh nodes and smart home hubs off, does Sonos operate reliably? If so, please turn on the mesh nodes and test again. Finally, turn on the smart home hubs too and test once more.

This should, at the very least, inform you of where the problem is coming from.

Regarding interference, all I can say is that it is there - the speakers aren’t making it up. Keep in mind what may be on other sides of (even thick) walls, not just what’s in the same room as speakers, and also keep in mind that the sources of interference may not be WiFi devices - it could be baby monitors, electricity smart meters, microwaves, or even close-by metal or glass surfaces.

Do you have dimmable LED lights in the house? These also may cause interference, though it’s rare. Test with lights on and with lights off, to compare.

If you have a longer ethernet cable, can you test the system with the Boost well away from the router and Hue hubs? Proximity of the Boost to other devices is the single most common interference problem, as the router, Boost and other Hubs all tend to live in one location, and really need to be apart.

Also, apologies - I was looking at an older diagnostic when I said SonosNet was on channel 1. Your most recent shows channel 6. 11 might be worth testing, but I’d check your Orbi settings and see if you can doubly-make-sure that automatic channel selection is off for 2.4GHz, as this could cause a problem.

Have you tried using your Sonos system without any devices wired to ethernet? It might be worth a try. You’ll need to teach the system the WiFi password first: Settings » System » Network » Manage Networks » Update Networks. Once done, turn off the Boost. Turn the Boost back on to revert back to SonosNet.

Finally, when using SonosNet, a network switch with IGMP filtering/snooping positioned between the router and Boost may help matters with the Play:5. If other devices on your network are erroneously multicasting to Sonos, it could be causing problems for the Play:5 and one of these devices would fix it. If, after turning everything off as described above, you find that other devices on your network are part of the problem, then this will probably help. Search “igmp switch” on Amazon and you’ll see some for around £30. If it doesn’t help, you can always return it for a refund.

I notice you’re in the UK - me too, and we don’t normally get “only a modem” over here. What device do you have, please?

 

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
G
Badge +2

Hi @Goteamtom 

Compounded problems can be difficult to solve - you might fix one issue but still experience playback problems due to other issues, and therefore think you’ve fixed nothing at all.

this is a very good point!

Wiring Sonos devices to mesh nodes can help, but only if the nodes have a good backhaul connection. As this is done over 5GHz which, compared to 2.4GHz, has a low range and is unable to penetrate your walls as well, you need to make sure that they are located well. The nodes shouldn’t be placed where you have poor main WiFi reception, but in locations where they get a good 5GHz connection and their transmissions reach out to the areas with poor reception. Wiring Sonos to them is certainly not as ideal as a wiring solution that doesn’t depend on WiFi, but if they are well placed, it can help.

I recommend powering everything off - the router, the mesh nodes, all smart home hubs and Sonos. Then, turn on the router only (not the mesh nodes) and once you have WiFi access, turn on the Boost. Once the Boost has a solid white light, turn on the other Sonos units one at a time, keeping an eye on the Sonos app (which will only work when in range of the main router) as to which units show up. I’d start with the Play:5. With the full Sonos system up-and-running, test fully - with the mesh nodes and smart home hubs off, does Sonos operate reliably? If so, please turn on the mesh nodes and test again. Finally, turn on the smart home hubs too and test once more.

I’ll try this this evening!

This should, at the very least, inform you of where the problem is coming from.

Regarding interference, all I can say is that it is there - the speakers aren’t making it up. Keep in mind what may be on other sides of (even thick) walls, not just what’s in the same room as speakers, and also keep in mind that the sources of interference may not be WiFi devices - it could be baby monitors, electricity smart meters, microwaves, or even close-by metal or glass surfaces.

with this in mind, I have to assume it is in the wall. Because there is nothing either side the wall

Do you have dimmable LED lights in the house? These also may cause interference, though it’s rare. Test with lights on and with lights off, to compare.

I have hue dimmer switches, but no hardwired dimmer switches. only bulbs used are hue. i’ve tried Sonos with the hue bridges off previously

If you have a longer ethernet cable, can you test the system with the Boost well away from the router and Hue hubs? Proximity of the Boost to other devices is the single most common interference problem, as the router, Boost and other Hubs all tend to live in one location, and really need to be apart.

at present the boost is in another room to the router. When I first moved in I had an ethernet socket hardwired as to allow a wired connected between rooms to ensure the bridge is isolated from all possible interference

Also, apologies - I was looking at an older diagnostic when I said SonosNet was on channel 1. Your most recent shows channel 6. 11 might be worth testing, but I’d check your Orbi settings and see if you can doubly-make-sure that automatic channel selection is off for 2.4GHz, as this could cause a problem.

whilst I do not remember the exact Channel I set it to, I have switched off ‘automatic selection’ on the Orbi for both 2.4ghz and 5ghz. I used a wifi analyzer to ensure each were set to the clearest channel 

Have you tried using your Sonos system without any devices wired to ethernet? It might be worth a try. You’ll need to teach the system the WiFi password first: Settings » System » Network » Manage Networks » Update Networks. Once done, turn off the Boost. Turn the Boost back on to revert back to SonosNet.

no i haven't tried this. is hall as a plan b to the aforementioned plan

Finally, when using SonosNet, a network switch with IGMP filtering/snooping positioned between the router and Boost may help matters with the Play:5. If other devices on your network are erroneously multicasting to Sonos, it could be causing problems for the Play:5 and one of these devices would fix it. If, after turning everything off as described above, you find that other devices on your network are part of the problem, then this will probably help. Search “igmp switch” on Amazon and you’ll see some for around £30. If it doesn’t help, you can always return it for a refund.

I actually have a switch between all hardwired devices and the router or APs. i have tried to hardwire as much as I can to limit wifi traffic, so all TVs, computers, smart hubs etc. are all hardwired to orbi via a switch

I notice you’re in the UK - me too, and we don’t normally get “only a modem” over here. What device do you have, please?

I’m with Virgin, so using their Superhub 3.0 in modem mode. as a router it was not strong enough to get out the room it was in

 

thanks, i’ll try the above

 

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Goteamtom 

 

Finally, when using SonosNet, a network switch with IGMP filtering/snooping positioned between the router and Boost may help matters with the Play:5. If other devices on your network are erroneously multicasting to Sonos, it could be causing problems for the Play:5 and one of these devices would fix it. If, after turning everything off as described above, you find that other devices on your network are part of the problem, then this will probably help. Search “igmp switch” on Amazon and you’ll see some for around £30. If it doesn’t help, you can always return it for a refund.

I actually have a switch between all hardwired devices and the router or APs. i have tried to hardwire as much as I can to limit wifi traffic, so all TVs, computers, smart hubs etc. are all hardwired to orbi via a switch

I notice you’re in the UK - me too, and we don’t normally get “only a modem” over here. What device do you have, please?

I’m with Virgin, so using their Superhub 3.0 in modem mode. as a router it was not strong enough to get out the room it was in

 

 

Is it a IGMP switch specifically? If not, replacing it with one may make a difference.

Please ensure your Virgin router has a red light at the bottom - if it is white, then it’s still in router mode.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
G
Badge +2

Hi @Goteamtom 

 

Finally, when using SonosNet, a network switch with IGMP filtering/snooping positioned between the router and Boost may help matters with the Play:5. If other devices on your network are erroneously multicasting to Sonos, it could be causing problems for the Play:5 and one of these devices would fix it. If, after turning everything off as described above, you find that other devices on your network are part of the problem, then this will probably help. Search “igmp switch” on Amazon and you’ll see some for around £30. If it doesn’t help, you can always return it for a refund.

I actually have a switch between all hardwired devices and the router or APs. i have tried to hardwire as much as I can to limit wifi traffic, so all TVs, computers, smart hubs etc. are all hardwired to orbi via a switch

I notice you’re in the UK - me too, and we don’t normally get “only a modem” over here. What device do you have, please?

I’m with Virgin, so using their Superhub 3.0 in modem mode. as a router it was not strong enough to get out the room it was in

 

 

Is it a IGMP switch specifically? If not, replacing it with one may make a difference.

Please ensure your Virgin router has a red light at the bottom - if it is white, then it’s still in router mode.

The switch was not IGMP, which I've now replaced with a switch that is.

 

The virgin router is definitely in modem mode

 

So, I turned everything off as suggested. Started just turning back on the modem and orbi router, leaving the orbi satellites turned off, and both the hue hubs are off. I then turned one sonos on at a time starting with the boost. The dining room still can't be found...and having got all the other speakers to connect and tested the music...playback is worse than it ever has been! With two or three speakers at a time cutting out together and the odd speaker cutting in and out every few seconds

 

I've moved some bits and pieces further from the speakers where I can, but generally speaking everything is as isolated as I can make it.

 

New diagnostics code is 928932889

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Goteamtom 

The new diagnostic shows an excessive amount of multicast flooding on the Boost - which is exactly what the switch was supposed to prevent. What model did you purchase please? And please verify that the switch is wired to the main Orbi node and that the Boost is wired to the switch. Thanks.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
G
Badge +2

Hi @Goteamtom 

The new diagnostic shows an excessive amount of multicast flooding on the Boost - which is exactly what the switch was supposed to prevent. What model did you purchase please? And please verify that the switch is wired to the main Orbi node and that the Boost is wired to the switch. Thanks.

Hi

 

I bought a tp link TL-SG1024D. And yes, it is between the Boost and main Orbi node. Any suggestions what next? 

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Goteamtom 

According to TP-Link’s own info page for that product, it is not an IGMP switch:

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/business-networking/unmanaged-switch/tl-sg1024d/#overview

If you need the 24 ports, one such as this would do:

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/business-networking/smart-switch/tl-sg2424/#overview

Please note that I am not recommending that particular unit - it’s just the first one that came up in a search for TP-Link 24 port switches with IGMP.

 

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
G
Badge +2

Hi @Goteamtom 

According to TP-Link’s own info page for that product, it is not an IGMP switch:

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/business-networking/unmanaged-switch/tl-sg1024d/#overview

If you need the 24 ports, one such as this would do:

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/business-networking/smart-switch/tl-sg2424/#overview

Please note that I am not recommending that particular unit - it’s just the first one that came up in a search for TP-Link 24 port switches with IGMP.

 

Darn. Was an old one I had and thought it was. The switch you didn't recommend arrived yesterday, I've set it up this morn and will leave it until tomorrow to test it. I'll update tomorrow..

 

Thanks for your help so far

G
Badge +2

Hi @Goteamtom 

According to TP-Link’s own info page for that product, it is not an IGMP switch:

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/business-networking/unmanaged-switch/tl-sg1024d/#overview

If you need the 24 ports, one such as this would do:

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/business-networking/smart-switch/tl-sg2424/#overview

Please note that I am not recommending that particular unit - it’s just the first one that came up in a search for TP-Link 24 port switches with IGMP.

 

All set up as per previous instructions. The most recent diagnostics code

1425467908

 

The dining room speaker still hasn't returned to the app, which is frustrsting

 

I've also uploaded the most recent matrix which is looking good

 

The speakers haven't dramatically improved  with some still dropping out, particularly after skipping songs

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Goteamtom 

I’m still seeing multicast flooding at the Boost, which really shouldn’t be happening with an IGMP switch installed. Most strange. I highly recommend you investigate what the source of the multicast flooding is. Whatever is causing the multicast flooding is also causing increased WiFi utilisation and therefore interference, and this became evident in the diagnostics between 6 and 7 minutes before the diagnostic was submitted - WiFi utilisation went from 15-20% to 45-50% in those 6 to 7 minutes, and multicasting went from none to tens of thousands of packets in the same period. If you can find out what happened 7 minutes before you submitted the diagnostic, then you’ve found out what’s causing the majority of the problems. I am puzzled by the lack of improvement that came with the addition of the switch, however - please stay aware of your refund period just in case you need to return it.

In addition, I’m still seeing transmission fails from the Boost to Penelope’s Bedroom, Study, Garage and Piano Room - I don’t recommend putting any of these rooms in charge of a group.

If you test with a smaller group, or even the rooms I listed above on their own, is there improvement? If you do have to group all rooms, I recommend putting the Living Room in charge.

I suspect you won’t see any real improvement with large groups until more than one Sonos device is wired to ethernet (with the second not being in the same location as the Boost) and interference is reduced. Are you able to relocate the Boost completely?

Finally, as the Play:5 is still missing (and I assume rebooting it doesn’t help) you could try a factory reset of it, then add it back on. If you’ve already tried this before, trying again will not help.

I hope this helps.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
ratty

I’m still seeing multicast flooding at the Boost, which really shouldn’t be happening with an IGMP switch installed.

Does the diag not show the source IP? Otherwise the OP could have to Wireshark it. (I once had a NAS which went rogue, spitting out SSDP repeatedly which in turn provoked a flurry of responses.)

 

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @ratty 

Does the diag not show the source IP? Otherwise the OP could have to Wireshark it. (I once had a NAS which went rogue, spitting out SSDP repeatedly which in turn provoked a flurry of responses.)

 

Unfortunately not, or, if it does, I don’t know where. I think WireShark might be the way to go.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
G
Badge +2

OK..so my (tremendously non technical) interpretation below.. Please correct if I'm wrong

 

Essentially I need to hardwire a couple more speakers. I can do this. This should should help the  grouping

 

Notwithstanding the hard wiring, something on the network is not behaving and causing undue traffic and WiFi. In layman terms, is this correct? Or at least based upon the diagnosis? 

 

Assuming this is the case, I then need to identify the culprit and can do this using  'wireshark'? Again, I assume I can do this.. 

 

And if rebooting the play 5 does not work, do I assume it is simply knackered with no bearing on other issues? Seems unfortunate, its barely 18 months old.. 

 

If I'm missing something or have got something wrong could toy please explain to me like I'm an 8 year old? Always find those sort of explanations easiest.. 

 

Thanks once again

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Goteamtom 

No corrections needed - give yourself some credit! :) I’ll add some details for you:

Essentially I need to hardwire a couple more speakers. I can do this. This should should help the  grouping

Yes. Currently, the speaker (Piano Room) which is in charge of the group is having to broadcast the stream back to the Boost, which is then having to send it on to all Sonos locations simultaneously. This is using more bandwidth than is available in that environment, or taking so many retries to send failed packets that this then goes above the available bandwidth. Adding more wired components will redirect some of that traffic, reducing the amount of WiFi traffic between the speakers and that any one wired unit has to wirelessly transmit. To maximise the effect, I’d recommend always starting a group with a unit that’s wired and adding the rest to it.

Notwithstanding the hard wiring, something on the network is not behaving and causing undue traffic and WiFi. In layman terms, is this correct? Or at least based upon the diagnosis? 

Yes, though I don’t understand why the addition of an IGMP switch didn’t help with this. There are three ways of sending packets on a network: unicast to one destination, broadcast to all destinations and multicast to multiple but specific destinations. Something on the network is sending a lot of multicasts to the Boost, and receiving these (even if it decides to ignore them) uses up bandwidth that the Boost would rather do something else with.

Assuming this is the case, I then need to identify the culprit and can do this using  'wireshark'? Again, I assume I can do this.. 

Yes. Though I’m not exactly sure how, as I’ve never used WireShark personally. Or similar programs.

And if rebooting the play 5 does not work, do I assume it is simply knackered with no bearing on other issues? Seems unfortunate, its barely 18 months old.. 

I would not write-off the Play:5 just yet. The last diagnostic that showed the Play:5 didn’t indicate any issue, so in all likelihood it’s fine but is being blocked: it could be an IP conflict - have you tried assigning static IPs to your Sonos devices? You can find some instructions here: https://kb.netgear.com/25722/How-do-I-reserve-an-IP-address-on-my-NETGEAR-router. Note that the static addresses used should be outside of the range that the DHCP server (a function of the router) pools from. For example, change the DHCP range from 50 to 254, and use the range 2 to 49 for static IPs. Here’s a page on changing the DHCP range: https://community.netgear.com/t5/Orbi/How-to-change-the-IP-range/td-p/1805820

A thought - could you please post a photo of your Boost, and what’s near it. Just in case we’re missing something. Thanks.

 

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
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