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Question about using Bluetooth (Roam/Era) to control older Sonos speakers

  • September 14, 2026
  • 8 replies
  • 80 views
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Hi,

I have 5 older Sonos speakers (Play:1 and Play:5 models) that still sound great, and I'm hoping to add Bluetooth/airplay playback capability to my setup.

My understanding from research so far is that purchasing a single Bluetooth-enabled Sonos device (Roam or Era) would let me stream via Bluetooth to that device, which would then relay audio to all 5 of my existing speakers through the Sonos app/system.

A few questions:

  1. Is this correct, will one Roam or Era let me Bluetooth-stream to all 5 of my existing speakers, or would I need more than one Bluetooth-enabled unit?
  2. Once set up, is grouping the rooms a one-time setup, or do I need to re-group them every time I turn the system on?
  3. If I'm hosting people and want guests to play music through the system, what's the process… do they need to group the rooms themselves, and would they need to download the Sonos app to do this? Or can they just stream from SoundCloud or Spotify direct into the system?
  4. Anything else I should know or watch out for with this kind of setup?

Thanks very much in advance, Anthony

8 replies

Stanley_4
  • Stanley_4
  • Grand Maestro
  • September 14, 2026

If they all use the S2 app you should be able to group them all together. 

Groups usually stay together unless something, network or power usually, disrupts them.

Not sure on tne Bluetooth as I don't use it.

    Pools-3015
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    • Pools-3015
    • Prodigy I
    • September 14, 2026
    1. I have an Era 100 that I use to send Bluetooth audio from a projector to a Play 5 Gen 2 and a Play 3 using the group feature. It works well.
    2. Unfortunately, everything in the group separates when I power off the projector and the Bluetooth connection is broken.
    3. As long as your guests can connect via Bluetooth to the speaker you choose, the audio should play through all the grouped speakers.
    4. If you have a large group of people, I would suggest streaming from the app. Humans tend to absorb bandwidth that could make wireless connections unstable.
      AjTrek1
      • AjTrek1
      • September 14, 2026

      Guests don’t need the Sonos app to simply Bluetooth audio to Sonos. Their device just needs to see the request to pair to the speaker that has been set to Bluetooth mode.

       

      Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
        buzz
        • buzz
        • September 15, 2026

        This can work for a single guest, but will be quirky if there are multiple guests present who want to play their music.

        Mr. T
        • Mr. T
        • September 15, 2026

        If you do have a Play:5 (Gen1) as listed in your profile, then no Sonos capable device with Bluetooth sharing support is compatible with your existing S1 system.

        Your Play:1s could be upgraded to run on the latest Sonos app, if you do buy a newer device, but your Play:5 (Gen1) cannot run S2.

        See https://support.sonos.com/en-gb/article/sonos-app-version-compatibility

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          • Tasty
          • Author
          • Avid Contributor I
          • September 15, 2026

          If you do have a Play:5 (Gen1) as listed in your profile, then no Sonos capable device with Bluetooth sharing support is compatible with your existing S1 system.

          Your Play:1s could be upgraded to run on the latest Sonos app, if you do buy a newer device, but your Play:5 (Gen1) cannot run S2.

          See https://support.sonos.com/en-gb/article/sonos-app-version-compatibility

          If you do have a Play:5 (Gen1) as listed in your profile, then no Sonos capable device with Bluetooth sharing support is compatible with your existing S1 system.

          Your Play:1s could be upgraded to run on the latest Sonos app, if you do buy a newer device, but your Play:5 (Gen1) cannot run S2.

          See https://support.sonos.com/en-gb/article/sonos-app-version-compatibility

          Thank you for your reply. I have a playbase and 5x  play 1s that works on the S2 app (my bad I thought it was play 5) will that work with Bluetooth when I add an era 1?

          • kdowling
          • September 15, 2026

          I’m sure you meant Era 100. You can use Bluetooth with the Era 100 and group your other speakers with it.

          Pair Sonos Era 100 with Bluetooth

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            • Tasty
            • Author
            • Avid Contributor I
            • September 15, 2026

            I’m sure you meant Era 100. You can use Bluetooth with the Era 100 and group your other speakers with it.

            Pair Sonos Era 100 with Bluetooth

            Thanks for your help 🙏

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