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This is a “retag” on a discussion I started a few days ago when I knew less than I know now, so the topic title is more succinct.

At least for me, I have determined that the S2 Controller running on a iMac M1 (Big Sur 11.5.2) will consistently not load all speakers if that iMac is connected via Ethernet -- although it will often find them if given a couple of hours. Each time S2 is restarted, the app may see different speakers and drop others when the iMac is on Ethernet.

I have a cable modem with a single Ethernet output that drives an Eero Pro mesh router system. The Eero mesh units provides WiFi to the house as well as Ethernet input to a NetGear 18 port Gigabit unmanaged switch. A Sonos Boost is hooked to the switch as is the subject M1 iMac --  and before you jump the gun the Boost is the ONLY Sonos unit connection to the Internet; all Sonos components are in “WM:0” mode. There are other Android and Apple products in the house but they run primarily via WiFi. All have the S2 controller. All phone, tablet, and computer operating systems are current. All Sonos updates are installed.

This is what I have determined:

  1. All WiFi connected devices immediately see all speakers using their respective S2 Controller.
  2. Any Android device, with WiFi off, that is hooked to the switch via Ethernet using the same cable as the iMac M1 immediately see all speakers.
  3. An old Intel-based Mac Air, with WiFi off, using the S2 Controller hooked to the switch via Ethernet using the same cable as the iMac M1 immediately sees all speakers.
  4. A Mac Air M1 running Big Sur 11.5.2 does see all speakers as long as it is on WiFi. When WiFi is off and it is hooked to the switch using the same cable as the iMac M1 it does not see all speakers immediately.
  5. The subject iMac when connected to the switch via Ethernet does not immediately see all speakers. When it is connected via WiFi it immediately sees all speakers. Once the S2 Controller “sees” all of the speakers, WiFi can be disconnected and the Ethernet cable replugged -- at which point all speakers remain visible until the iMac sleeps.

The modem, routers, and switch have been rebooted. All Sonos speakers have been rebooted. “Search for Speakers” does not resolve the problem. I’ve noticed that the S2 Controller App is very slow to boot-up when the Ethernet cable is connected (It’s looking for those speakers I guess!). If the iMac is on WiFi, then the S2 app boots immediately. (So you ask: Why not just leave the iMac on Wifi? Answer: I have my reasons -- primarily the amount of data that I move between the iMac and my NAS that is much quicker through the switch than over WiFi.)

I’ve contacted Sonos support to report a possible bug. Anyone else seen this?

Can you confirm that the “master” or first Eero that is plugged into your router is also the same one which has the switch connected.

I can confirm that. It's modem > Eero master > switch. Both the Boost and the iMac are plugged into that switch. As you are likely aware, Eero Pro units have two Ethernet ports, so there's one CAT6 from the modem to the master Eero and a second CAT6 back to the switch. As a side note, once the servant Eero units were each meshed with the master Eero during the set-up process, they were each connected to the switch for Ethernet backhaul.

As a sanity test I would power off any other Eero device apart from the master and see if that has any effect.

 

Then I would power off the Boost and replace it with any other Sonos speaker (just to test)


The modem, what did you use as a router before you had Eero?

I'm a retired IT guy, so when debugging I try to take steps that narrow the source of a problem. In this case, there is no wireless connection issue. I will happily disconnect the servant Eero nodes once I understand how that relates to a iMac that has WiFi turned off.

With regard to exchanging the Boost with one other Sonos component as the wired connection to the switch, be aware that the Intel Mac Air and an Android tablet both work perfectly when connected to the same Ethernet patch cable as the iMac - that would suggest that the Boost is not the problem.  A wired connection, in general, should be far less problematic than a wireless connection to Sonos. But again, maybe I'm missing something. Can you elaborate?

Hi @CharlesTN 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

I didn’t want to say anything until I had something to say, so apologies for any delay.

In our own testing, we were unable to reproduce these issues. I can only presume therefore that it has something to do with your network setup, or some third-party software.

@CharlesTN - you may find the Best Answer on the this topic interesting:

 

Corry, thanks for the reply. As noted above (Sonos One not working on m1 Mac mini through Airplay) it does appear that others with M1 Macs, using Ethernet, are having similar issues. It’s beyond me if this is Sonos, or Apple, or some sort of weird Rosetta 2 compatibility issue with S2. I’ve got my workaround: Sitting at the iMac M1 with Ethernet, I use my Android phone (WiFi) to start music on a missing speaker. Instantly, the missing speaker appears on the S2 controller on the iMac. After that, it works perfectly -- and in fact, often any other missing speakers will appear as well on the S2 controller.

Years ago (and I now reveal my age range) the systems house where I worked supported a multi-user/dumb terminal system that was crashing randomly and taking down the entire system. We had techs crawling all over it. The customer/law firm was coming unhinged. Problem was finally solved by one of the legal secretaries (remember - I’m old), remarking that the system always seemed to crash when she stretched her legs under her desk. Turns out that the patch cable from the wall to her terminal was in her way, so she looped it up, formed a circle, and tied it up with a couple of wire ties, and threw the coil on the floor. Whenever she placed her high heel shoe (with its steel shank) into the middle of the circle (e.g. steel being passed through a coil), random trash data was being sent to the central processor, crashing the entire network. So…..some things are just odd, but eventually they work out.

@CharlesTN 

I can imagine that took a while to figure out!

I’m glad you’ve found a workaround - from your description, I’d be looking at the router for the cause. I think if it was Rosetta, we’d be able to recreate the issue ourselves.

Follow-up Nov 18, 2021: With Sonos Controller Version 13.4, Build 66423090, the problem with slow-loading speakers, when using Ethernet-connected M1 Mac, has been resolved -- in fact it may have been the immediate prior Build (or related to the most recent system update from Apple), since I noticed all speakers loaded without delay when I logged into Sonos Controller and before the 66423090 update -- but I’ve been out of town so cannot 100% confirm. All appears to be good. Thanks.

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