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Sonos One stereo pair won't connect to AirPlay consistently

  • 9 December 2020
  • 4 replies
  • 660 views
R

Hi guys. I have a Sonos one paired as stereo, and use them primarily as computer speakers connected via AirPlay. They function perfectly when used as smart speakers, but the airplay feature seems very shaky.

When I come into the office in the morning it takes multiple attempts to get the Mac to find the speakers over AirPlay, usually resulting in the speakers not found pop up I have seen a lot on these pages. Its almost like after a period of inactivity they go into some kind of sleep mode that they cannot be forced awake from. After a few attempts, the speakers will pop up in the sound section of the menu bar and then they work fine...until they seemingly go to sleep again when the mac is inactive i.e lunchtime. Then the same process has to be repeated until I can get them working.

All the while, the Sonos Controller can connect to Radio stations in the app absolutely fine, so the speakers are connected to the router with no issues. It seems to be the Airplay connectivity it struggles with. I have two macs and the same issue repeats on both - one is running Catalina and the other Mojave.

Anyone else have anything similar? I need to use the speakers as computer speakers for my work, so just running the audio from Sonos controller is not an option. 

I never thought I would miss bluetooth but as it stands, I do!

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Best answer by Corry P 4 March 2021, 14:38

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4 replies

R

Can anyone help with this? I cant use the speakers over airplay at all now. They still work as smart speakers, but airplay connectivity is hopeless...

R

..just in case anyone reads this (or even cares!) I abandoned using the Sonos One’s as Airplay speakers. I went for some AudioEngine’s instead…. never thought I would be so glad to connect via Bluetooth again!

The Sonos One’s are just being used as voice activated speakers in the kitchen, which they work great for.

 

Sonos - ditch the awful Airplay ‘support’!

H

Similar problem on my end!  I have a Sonos 5 (G2) and then Sonos SL paired .  My Macbook & iPhone have always connected easily over AirPlay to both the 5 & 2 SL’s as Stereo pair. All of sudden the SL pair refuses to connect. I now have to start playing the music over the Sonos 5, then go into my Sonos iPhone app to then add the Sonos SL’s to currently playing music over the 5. Super frustrating!! Before it was so seamless. 

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Richy Rich  

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

Sorry for the lack of responses, but as you have replied to yourself this topic wasn’t flagged up as one needing a reply.

In all likelihood, the AirPlay connection problem is induced by your WiFi router - please switch your router and speakers off. Wait 30 seconds, then switch your router back on. Once you get WiFi, switch your speakers back on, wait for the solid white lights and test AirPlay again. This power cycle will refresh the router’s software routines, and thus the communication services on your network.

If you received your router for free from your Internet Service Provider, I recommend you repeat this process (or at least the router reboot) roughly 6 times a year, whether you’re having problems or not. Routers that are bought (apart from the very cheapest ones) need this less often, but a router guaranteed to work flawlessly for years on end is a very expensive device, so even a good router will benefit from an occasional power cycle.

If this doesn’t help, I recommend you get in touch with our technical support team, as AirPlay should work without issue but can be affected by interference - technical support have tools that will allow them to locate sources of interference in your home, using the logs from the speakers.

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