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Speaker visibility all over the place on Android App S2 & Desktop Windows App (different)

  • 10 December 2021
  • 5 replies
  • 134 views

Hello folks

I seem to have a horrific experience of keeping my 5 sonos devices visible to whatever UI I am using.  I’ll try and list out the situation here and see if any of you kind souls have any ideas.

Devices: 3 x S1, 1 Playbar & Sub (not used with any of the S1’s)

  • Home WIFI is dualband with seperate 2.4 and 5Gh networks
    • SONOS is aware of the 2.4 GH network
  • SONOSNET is active (I have 2 devices on ethernet, all devices show as WM:0)
    • S1 on ethernet (Hall)
    • S1 on ethernet (Bedroom)
      • This is a powerline type solution rather than a single run of ethernet from LAN to room (so it is router to powerline - then over wiring to powerline receiver - then ethernet to speaker)
    • S1 on sonosnet (Dining room)
    • Playbar and Sub on sonosnet (Lounge)
  • On Sonos Desktop App (windows)
    • I can see Hall, Dining Room and Lounge.  I am currently playing on the Hall
  • On Sonos Android App (2)
    • On 2.4 network
    • I can see devices depending on where I am in the house. 
      • Standing in the middle of the house now - I can only see dining room and lounge devices, it cant see the Hall despite it playing right now started from the desktop.  Can’t see bedroom.
      • If I go to bedroom - can see bedroom only mostly
        • Occasionally other rooms will appear, but simply not in any kind of reliable, predictable and therefore usable manor, including the other ethernet connected speaker..
  • Wait for the zinger - On Spotify App
    • I can see all the Devices and route audit via play on device - does not matter where I am.

So here are some of my thoughts and confusions:

  1. Its a big house, and old and the bedroom is a real issue for sonos signal.  So I get that signal strength is an issue here.  But I thought by using ethernet then that should really make the device visible everywhere - surely the sonosnet and LAN are bridged in some way?  This fundamentally seems wrong, is the Sonos App tied to wireless only? 
    1. Do the devices connected to ethernet only do so to allow music services to fetch music, is it a one way thing and my notion of a bridged network just wrong?
    2. What happens if I ethernet everything, would the android app see devices then or would sonosnet still play a part or does the mobile app just see it all because its part of the router, and the mobile is wifi connected?
  2. Whats with spotify seeing things when Sonos App can’t, from the same device - this would be a modern samsung mobile
    1. I keep all software up to date
  3. It was never this flakey on Sonos App 1, and I no longer have any devices that are not Sonos App 2 compatible.  
  4. Is disabling wireless on the ethernet connected speakers going to help?
  5. Seemed stable for a bit but always felt spotify and sonos apps where fighting each other - I tend to send podcasts straight from spotify’s app to the speaker, then sonos getting back hold of it seems a struggle.

Any thoughts here on solutions? 

  • I can quite happily buy an expensive mesh wireless product and take my router wifi and sonosnet out the equation, but will it actually work - I guess everything would be in WIFI mode then?
  • I have read good thing about modern powerline solutions that incorporate a mesh network (devolo kit) but not specfically about use with SONOS. 
    • Aint cheap but its cheaper than a mesh WLAN business product.

I’m going to rip it apart this weekend and see what I can find out but any experience and ideas welcome.

 

Thanks folks ;)

 

 

5 replies

G
Userlevel 7

The powerline adapters could be causing your problems. How do your Sonos speakers do on a strictly wireless setup? Do you have the ability to wire one of your Sonos speakers (not the Sub) directly to the main router with an ethernet cable? If not, just for testing purposes, try wiring one of the Play:1s directly to the main router and see if that makes a difference. If it does, you might consider getting a Sonos Boost and connecting it directly to the router.

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
C

How did you get on @Sonny A ? I am having a similarly frustrating time keeping Sonos devices visible/usable in the Sonos (S2) App, due to WIFI signal range, and am currently considering what to do.

For your issue, I saw this note on Sonos community about Develo default channel frequency and potential interference with SonosNet. (Also this standard article from Sonos about reducing WIFI interference)

I interpret that I have at least a superficially similar case to you, where WIFI from my broadband router does not reach my furthest Sonos devices, and that is giving issues with configuring and controlling via the Sonos (S2) App. I use Apple devices to control, and don’t currently have any AirPlay compatible Sonos devices, therefore I can’t yet control Sonos from other apps such as Spotify.

My original Sonos system configuration worked fine with Ethernet from my broadband router to a Sonos Bridge, however I took that out of the system to enable update from S1 to S2 firmware and app.

After removing the Sonos Bridge, my Sonos system continued to work fine with a Devolo dLAN 1200+ WiFi Powerline Adapter in the living room. I was using the Devolo dLAN purely as a WIFI extender, and never plugged Ethernet from it into any of the Sonos devices. However after several years of good service, the Devolo dLAN device stopped working a couple of months ago. We now have a BT WIFI Disk (range extender), so I removed the defunct Devolo and chose not to replace it (yet).

Initially I thought all was still well, but over the last few weeks we have had multiple issues with Sonos devices not visible or not responding through the Sonos (S2) App. Yesterday I had a very frustrating time when I wanted to play seasonal music around the house but most of the Sonos devices were missing, re-setup didn’t work, and factory reset and installation was horribly flakey too. Through sheer persistence and repetition I eventually managed to get all but the Playbar added back. The Playbar just couldn’t see enough WIFI to complete setup, even with multiple attempts, so I did have to take it physically closer to the broadband router (WIFI) to complete the installation, and then take it back to the living room once done. That was such a frustrating and time-consuming process that I want to resolve the network issues now, so I don’t have to go through that again.

I see that Sonos network requirements says they don’t support WIFI range extenders, so together with my other observations over this issue, I interpret that my problem is due to WIFI from my broadband router not covering the whole house, and Sonos not accepting the extended WIFI from my BT WIFI Disk (range extender). I am puzzled why my system worked fine with WIFI from Devolo dLAN, but not with WIFI from BT WIFI Disk, especially since the same Sonos network requirements link as above also says they don’t support ethernet over power and that sounds very much like what the dLAN does, though I do see also encouraging notes like this from others who still use Sonos over Devolo powerline devices.

I think my options now are probably:

  1. Buy Sonos Boost (UK ~£100) and plug in to ethernet from broadband router; creates dedicated Sonos wireless network; similar to my original config when I used the now superseded Sonos Bridge
  2. Buy Devolo Magic 2 WiFi 6 (UK ~£200), plug the LAN unit into ethernet from broadband router, and position the WIFI unit in living room to give good signal to furthest Sonos devices. (option to use ethernet instead of WIFI from the Devolo WIFI unit, but my system used to work fine without ethernet last time)

I might be influenced by non-Sonos aspects here, since video calls have been been a little more stuttery in the living room since the demise of my Devolo dLAN, so I am tempted to go for the Develo Magic 2 WIFI option, even though it is double the cost of the Sonos Boost. What is causing me to hesitate is the warning in Sonos network requirements about not supporting ethernet over power. I know I had working system using Devolo DLAN before, but I am nervous in case I walk into new issues with this route and latest products.

I’d be interested to know if you fixed your issues, what option you chose, and how it worked out?

ratty

@colmar.osborne

Sonos doesn’t officially support powerline connections because they can be so unpredictable. This matters more when the powerline connections are between Sonos units. Where the powerline connection simply brings the internet connection to the Sonos system it’s less of an issue. This is the arrangement you originally had. Sonos doesn’t actually know that the connection is being delivered over powerline. 

Extenders are not officially supported, and the system could well object to them. WiFi extenders are not the same as a powerline-connected access point. (If the BT discs were to form a WiFi mesh in conjunction with the router the Sonos system might  be happier -- meshes are supported, whereas extenders aren’t -- but there may be some uncertainty there.) 

The choice is yours between your two options. A Boost would replace the old Bridge, with better performance. You could order from Sonos and return it if it doesn’t do the job.

It sounds though as if you aren’t happy with your BT extenders anyway. If you were to revert to a Devolo replacement for your previous arrangement I’d personally suggest the Magic 1 WiFi kit, not Magic 2. The latter evidently runs hot and, unless you have a fiber connection to the house, the Magic 1 would have more than enough throughput. It’s also cheaper. My entire Sonos system presently gets its internet feed from a Magic 1 connection. 

ratty

@Sonny A 

What make/model of powerline connection are you using? Some aren’t good at forwarding the discovery traffic that a Sonos controller uses to find the players. Also, your current arrangement has the powerline between Sonos units, which can be asking for trouble.

As an experiment you could try disabling the ‘WiFi’ (i.e. SonosNet) on the bedroom player. It sounds like it’s out on a limb so you’d not want the wireless Sonos devices connecting to it anyway.

 

C

Thanks @ratty. Checking further, I see that my BT router + “Complete Wi-Fi Disc” should be providing a mesh network, so should be ok for SONOS, and that I am entitled to up to 2 further WIFI disks if needed to improve coverage, at no further cost, on my existing contract. Therefore I have decided to hold-fire on ordering either Sonos Boost or Devolo Magic, and try to improve my existing WIFI network through BT technology & support first.

I am still interpreting that my issues were due to poor WIFI to my furthest SONOS devices. I am surprised that the signal from my existing WIFI disk was not good enough for the playbar in the living room, but wandering around with a WIFI tester app I do see it is showing weak signal there and also at other Sonos device locations. I am a bit nervous about whether the WIFI signal was really bad enough to cause the SONOS setup issues, and therefore whether this is a robust explanation, but I will try this route first anyway and see how it goes.

I do still have another Devolo dLAN pair taking network to my garage - the modern day trials of even some cars wanting to find a network and do software updates! The Devolo device in the living room had stopped working, but the one in the garage (and study) is still going. So if I don’t resolve all issues through BT WIFI technology then I might come back to replacing with latest Devolo tech, but I’ll take one step at a time and hope the first one works.

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