Speakers in a Group drop out when audio switches


Userlevel 2
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Well, this one is annoying. I have a Yoga Studio and have 6 Play 3’s mounted on the walls, when you switch tracks or playlists or even when they songs run themselves and switch to the next track at least half of the speakers drop out, but within 30 seconds they all reconnect.

 

Internet speed is 300MB+ and I did try turning off the modem and router (just those 2) and for a short time afterwards the audio was switching perfectly no dropouts at all. Then today we are back to speakers dropping out again. 

 

In conclusion, the audio will drop from certain speakers and return within 30 seconds without intervention, the system consists of 6 Play 3’s, 2 SYMFONISK’s, a Connect, and a Boost.

 

If anyone has a solution or idea please share, one of my teachers ditched this epic Sonos system to use a JBL BT speaker for a class “because it works”, so please any help here is huge

 

Best!


47 replies

Userlevel 7
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I believe that is how it would work.

I think the travel router also offers a Bridge mode, it has several options, but you want the Router mode.

Userlevel 2
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So correct me if I am wrong, can I connect this travel router to Starlink's WiFi band then have the Sonos connect to it? So I wouldn't plug in anything via Ethernet, just connect wirelessly?

 

Is that considered a bridge?

 

Thanks!

Userlevel 7
Badge +22

As soon as you add an extender you are in “unsupported by Sonos” networking territory.

I’d try the travel router plugged into the Starlink and see how it works, you could always add a longer Ethernet cable and move it to where it would work.

Another option is a HotSpot (WiFi in and out) capable travel router that you can place anywhere it can connect to the base’s WiFi and your client devices.

(haven’t used this one just a suggestion)

https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wireless-Travel-Router-TL-WR902AC/dp/B01N5RCZQH/ref=sr_1_6

Page 90: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/D1hwLqTgBPS.pdf

Userlevel 2
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So the Starlink router is on ceiling so plugging a travel router up there may lose its signal before reaching the speakers. What if I plug in the travel router via Ethernet to one of the Netgear extenders in my lobby, could that work?

Userlevel 7
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Sonos doesn’t like extenders, they seem to cause issues rather than solve them.

A decent travel router will let you do simple things like assign static/reserved IP addresses.

Userlevel 2
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A travel router? Wouldn't that be exactly the same as using the Nighthawk wifi extender? The Nighthawk creates its own network too, and I have all the Sonos devices connected to just that extender and its own network.

Userlevel 7
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Worst case if Starlink offers no other choices would be a travel router, connect it to your Starlink and then connect your Controllers, Sonos devices and music library (if you have one) to it.

Userlevel 7
Badge +18

This issue has been going on for more than a year: are you out of contract with your service provider? If so see what router you can get from alternative providers. 
Or, another consideration: can you hang a travel router off your Starlink router and use that to control your Sonos devices? Perhaps others on this forum can comment on that as a solution? 

Userlevel 2
Badge +4

Some have said it takes minutes to setup reserved IP addresses, sadly I still cannot do this can anyone walk me through? Sonos support says to reach out to SpaceX and SpaceX does not have a phone number to call and emails refer to their manual that talks about reserved IP addresses and that Starlink router only reserves them for 30 mins. 

 

Can anyone help me set that up?

 

Meanwhile this is one of my lobby speakers hardwired to Ethernet...now imagine what you are about to hear is happening with 6 Play 3's in a full workout class environment, take a look and listen for yourself 😬:

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BE5kT1VDCHqxwShx6

 

Has to be the worst sound glitch ever...

Userlevel 7
Badge +18

You say “I installed the speakers again anew and things seemed perfect”. Do you mean you did a factory reset and then re-installed them? If so this lends weight to the issue being duplicate ip addresses. The router will have had to issue new ip addresses during setup. 
If so, I fear that new Eras will be prone to the same problem. 

Userlevel 2
Badge +4

I am not able to make reserved IP addresses, Starlink is not clear how this is possible, cause I can’t login to the router directly like a normal router. The app allows for some pretty detailed functions but no reserved IPs

 

With that being said I was able to plug a Symfonisk bookshelf via ethernet that was in the lobby, I installed the speakers again anew and things seemed perfect in fact one Play 3 could not connect and flashed a rare LED error so I though that I really solved the problem with a bad piece of hardware, it resolved the issues where speaker drop out in that first 30 seconds, so I thought it was good to go, I was very excited….however that was short lived...the audio started to skip again.

 

Like dude the speakers are next to Mesh 6 routers and still issues, honestly doesn’t make sense. Sonos customer support says there is some sort of interference, but there is no business to my right and the Starbucks to my left has terrible wifi that barely makes it here and they are closed in the evenings with Wi-Fi off so I know there is literally no interference unless we are now counting cell phones, even then if its just my phone the issue happens.

 

Unless I missed solution, after 2 years of audio issues, I now need to make a change….time for 6 Era 300s and 2 Era 100s and Sub Gen 3. This will resolve the issue on many fronts, eliminate Sonos Net which seems to hinder more than help, add Wi-Fi 6 support for much better Wi-Fi signal, but most importantly we will have Bluetooth backup now, which is a critical added feature. I need a consistent solution as we open more studios.

Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Yes for ones set to use DHCP (IPv4 and IPv6) to obtain addresses from the ISP’s servers.

There are other methods that are used, mostly on legacy or specialty connections.

 

Do note that the above is your public IP, which has nothing to do with your internal LAN’s IPs. Sonos uses internal IPs to communicate and the router is used to connect them to the external/public IP.

Userlevel 2
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This the same deal for all other routers?

Userlevel 2
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When I try to log into Starlink directly via 192.168.1.1 I get this:

 

Userlevel 2
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Tried but there is no setting in the app to setup reserve IP addresses, when I asked Gemini I got this:

 

 

Userlevel 2
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It does have its own network, so I should put the Gen 3 Starlink Router in Bypass mode, Roger that

So I am using the new Gen 3 Starlink Router, then I plugged the Netgear Nighthawk Mesh extender with main unit plugged into Starlink Router and the 2 extender cubes in the lobby and Studio. Sonos is connected to the Netgear Nighthawk (better range then Starlink router by itself)

 

Do I do all this in the Nighthawk app?

 

Thanks!

 

In the Nighthawk app.  Also make sure that your Starlink router is in bypass mode, and not transmitting it’s own wifi network that device might be trying to connect to.

Userlevel 2
Badge +4

So I am using the new Gen 3 Starlink Router, then I plugged the Netgear Nighthawk Mesh extender with main unit plugged into Starlink Router and the 2 extender cubes in the lobby and Studio. Sonos is connected to the Netgear Nighthawk (better range then Starlink router by itself)

 

Do I do all this in the Nighthawk app?

 

Thanks!

Userlevel 7
Badge +18

As said, allocating ip addresses is usually quite straightforward. If you give us the router details, someone here may be able to help. It’s usually detailed in the user manual, too. 

Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Play the good playlist for a while then submit a diagnostic, data doesn’t go too far back so maybe 30 minutes of playing first. Note the diagnostic number.

Play a problem playlist and when it glitches send in another diagnostic, soon is good, less than 10 minutes or so.

Call Sonos with both numbers and ask what they see in the internal data we can’t see.

 

On the different lists, any chance the music formats on the lists are different? Heavily compressed MP3s play well even in problem environments, full resolution FLAC music is a bit pickier and if you try any of the “Better than your ears can hear” high resolution stuff it can be even more demanding of a clean RF environment.

Userlevel 2
Badge +4

100% agree with setting up with IP addresses, this will be done today.

 

So the question of why didn't I already do this, well a very good question but here is the answer, thought it was a lengthy process and that everytime I was going to do that the audio seems to start to work, so I kept saying leave well enough alone. Well that was not a good idea clearly.

 

Taking all that info, there is still something I can't square and setting up the IPs might not answer this I don't believe, we have a playlist called "Yin Yoga" on Sonos and whenever I play that playlist, there is never an issue not a single one. Then I switch to basically anything else and it goes south and fast immediately. Why would  a certain playlist be ok while others are not?

 

Still not sure how to setup the IP addresses, but I'm sure it's not rocket science so I will do that and report back with the results. 

 

Thank you for the feedback everyone 💯

Userlevel 7
Badge +22

Took me five minutes to set my Sonos addresses to static/reserved from my router’s DHCP server settings page and it ended several very frustrating issue.

 

It is worth the time to try it, even if it doesn’t help it hurts nothing and takes a whole class of potential issues off the table.

Userlevel 7
Badge +18

I’ve just looked at the other thread you started on this topic, a year ago. In it, you say the problem goes away when you restart the whole system. This does add to the likelihood of duplicate ip addresses being the problem; allocating ip addresses will eliminate the occurrence of duplicate ip addresses. If it doesn’t solve your problem it will at least take one unknown out of the equation and get you one step closer to a resolution. 
 

You also say, a year ago in that other thread, that you will try setting ip addresses…

Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Please try setting allocated ip addresses. It’s a step that’s  fixed problems for so many folk…
 

Following your power outage it’s also worth powering down all your Sonos devices and your router. Restarting them should ensure “clean” ip addresses for your system. Reboot the router first and be sure to wait until wifi is fully established before starting Sonos devices one at a time. 
 

Why come on these forums and ask for help if you’re not willing to try what’s suggested? 

Power outage certainly lends credence to the issue being caused by duplicate IP addresses, as the Sonos being handed ‘dirty’ IP addresses by the router when they were being rebooted. Is there a specific reason why you’ve chosen not to assign IP addresses in your router for the Sonos?

I don’t think your download speed has anything to with this issue, it’s the ability for the speakers to connect to your router which is the main concern here. Which means either duplicate IP addresses, or some sort of wifi interference .

There is always the extremely low chance of a hardware failure, which is why the previous recommendation for the diagnostic and a call to Sonos to discuss it. 

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