Question

Sonos occasionally disappear from Airplay, but keep being connected to the Sonos app

  • 17 October 2020
  • 5 replies
  • 1766 views
H

I have a pair of sonos five and iphone xs. Both are updated to the latest version. 
 

My problem is that sonos occasionally disappears from air play. Strangely, while it disappears I can still play music from sonos app (but cannot with apple music app as it is not on air play)


Please help with this. Thank you in advance. 

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5 replies

AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

Hi @honeysyd 

You’ve posted twice before on a similar issue that was answered by @John B. As this appears to be a recurring issue please provide more information:

  1. Is your Sonos wired or wireless?
  2. What is your network setup (i.e. router/modem or Mesh)
  3. Are there range extenders or access points in your network?

 

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
H

Hi @AjTrek1 

Thank you for the reply. 

Yes, I posted the similar issue in the past. That time, I could not add Sonos on my Air Play list. As advised, power off and on of Sonos  makes them appear on my Air Play list. 

 

However, this time Sonos occasionally disappear from Air Play. Every time, I have to unplug and plug the power of Sonos to make them appear on the list. 

 

  1. Yes Sonos is wirelessly
  2. Modem/router
  3. As I am not a technician, I do not understand your question. But I can tell, I am living in a small apartment and has only one modem/router, which can cover much larger space than my apartment. A distance from mode/router to Sonos is only 4~6 meter. 
AjTrek1
Userlevel 7

Hi @honeysyd 

Thanks for the update. You are definitely experiencing some type of interference. The sources of interference can be:

  1. Microwaves
  2. Security camera base stations
  3. Baby monitors
  4. Other wi-fi devices
  5. Other wi-fi networks 
  6. Out of date Firmware on your router
  7. Out of date software on your iPhone
  8. Out of date software on Sonos
  9. Crowded SonosNet
  • Item 1 can be resolved by not having your microwave turned on when using AirPlay2
  • Items 2 thru 4 can be mitigated by removing those devices from within close range of Sonos
  • Item 5 can be mitigated by selecting a less crowded Wi-Fi channel *
  • Item 6 can be resolved by opening your routers Admin Page to check for updates *
  • Item 7 can be resolved by checking for updates on your iPhone (Settings > General > Software Updates)
  • Item 8 can be resolved by updating  Sonos (Settings > System > System Updates > Check for Updates)
  • Item 9 can mitigate interference by changing the Sonos channel (Settings > System > Network > SonosNet Channel > Select a number different than the one that is checked)

You can also submit a Diagnostic to Sonos and post the Reference ID in this forum by following the instructions in this link.  FYI, changing Sonos to a Wired setup will not resolve the issue with AirPlay2 as it would still use your home wi-fi. Please let us know how things sort out.

 * These may require the assistance of a knowledgeable friend or your Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Cheers!

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.
H

hi @AjTrek1 

I am sorry for the delay in reply.

I needed time to see if the problem persists after following instructions. Unfortunately, the problem is not solved. 

To answer your suggestions, please see the below. 

  1. microwaves are away from Sonos. 
  2. I do not have those devices at home
  3. I do not have baby monitors
  4. no wi-fi devices are around Sonos
  5. only 3 devices are sharing a channel with the Sonos 
    • I can see Sonos in an attached device list in my modem/router configuration, even when Sonos are not shown in Airplay.
    • As it is in the attached device list, my girlfriend can play music with Sonos and I can play with Sonos app. 
  6. I did update my router/modem
  7. I did update my iPhone software
  8. I did update my Sonos
  9. I cannot change the channel. ‘SonosNet Channel’ is greyed out and so I cannot click on. 

I have submitted a diagnostic to Sonos. The reference ID is 123691550. 

It is very frustrating to unplug and plug every time to connect Sonos with Airplay. Please help with this. 

 

Many thanks, 

 

 

Rowena B.
Userlevel 5
Badge +16

Hi folks,

@AjTrek1, thank you for your assistance. We really appreciate it.

@honeysyd, thank you for reaching us in the Sonos Community. Your frustration is completely understandable. Let me check the diagnostic that you submitted.

Based on the diagnostic, there's interference in your wireless network that may be caused by wireless congestion or low wireless range. This might be causing the issue of why Sonos speaker occasionally disappears from AirPlay.

Let me suggest the following 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)

After performing the steps above and you're still experiencing the same problem, wire one speaker to your router and test Sonos' performance. If there's no improvement, I recommend contacting our Sonos Customer Care support to perform in-depth troubleshooting and understand your full network setup including the make and model of each device. Our phone support has the tools to check what's going on in your system and to remotely access your device to provide the best option for you.

Please feel free to reach out in the future if you have any other questions. You're always welcome here.

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