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F.A.Q.

BT Smart Hub 2 - Connection Issues (April 2021)

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
April 22, 2021
261 replies
54358 views

Update - 11th June 2021:

BT have confirmed that the firmware update that contains a fix for this original issue has been rolled out to the majority of users. Therefore, we can consider this issue closed.

If your BT Smart Hub 2 router is still running the affected firmware (V0.26.03.01286) then please get in touch with BT directly.

Anyone that still experiences issues on the latest firmware, please create a new topic or get in touch with Sonos Customer Care.

Update - 7th May 2021:

BT have issued a new statement:

“We’re aware that a very small number of customers are experiencing an issue with their BT Smart Hub 2 connecting with multiple streaming devices on their Wi-Fi network. Any customer who experiences this should get in touch with BT who will update their device remotely as soon as possible. BT will be rolling out an update to all devices later this month. We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused.”

Original post - 22nd April 2021:

Hey everyone,

We’re aware of an issue affecting Sonos users with BT Smart Hub 2 routers that causes problems with connecting to players in a wireless configuration. This is caused by a bug in the BT Smart Hub 2’s firmware (version V0.26.03.01286) which prevents devices on the 5GHz band from communicating with devices on the 2.4GHz band, and vice versa. Most of the affected users have iPhones running iOS version 14.4.2, but we have seen other types of controller, such as Android devices, affected by this issue as well.

The most consistent workaround we have discovered is to disable the 5GHz band on the BT Smart Hub 2. You can learn more about how to do this using these steps:

Please be aware, turning off 5GHz could affect the speed at which other devices connect through the network and should only be considered a temporary workaround.

Steps taken from a post on the BT Community.

1) Open a new web browser on a device connected to your Hub and type 192.168.1.254 in the address bar. This will open the Hub Manager.

2) Click Wireless. This will open the Wireless Settings page.

3) Select ‘Change settings’

4) Enter the Admin password. This is found on the back of the router and on the removable card. Click ‘OK’

5) Toggle 5GHz OFF

6) Click 'Save'

7) Click 'Yes' at the warning prompt.

8) Wait for your devices to reconnect. You may need to reboot your Sonos devices by powering them down for 30 seconds and powering them back up.

Alternatively, some users have been able to work around the issue by wiring a player directly to the router, though this doesn’t work in every case. Systems that have a Sonos Move or Roam on them will also not be helped by this change, so disabling 5GHz would be best for those households.

We recommend that you report this issue to BT with the following information:

“Devices connected to the 5GHz band are not able to communicate with devices connected to the 2.4GHz band and it appears the connections are being erroneously isolated.”

You don’t need to specifically mention Sonos devices when reporting this issue to BT as the information alone will be enough for them to recognize the issue you’re facing.

BT are indeed aware of this issue and are actively investigating and working to resolve it as quickly as possible. We’ll update this post with any further news as and when we receive it.

This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

Show previous replies

Airgetlam

It wasn’t that the Sonos devices were having trouble using it, it was that your controller device, which most frequently was connecting to the 5Ghz side, was being blocked by the router in communicating with any 2.4Ghz connected devices, Sonos included. You don’t have to have your Sonos devices connected to 5Ghz...and some can’t. The key to this situation is that BT needs to allow a command coming in on 5Ghz to be sent back out on the 2.4Ghz side.

Bruce

M

Mal1974

Trending Lyricist I

It wasn’t that the Sonos devices were having trouble using it, it was that your controller device, which most frequently was connecting to the 5Ghz side, was being blocked by the router in communicating with any 2.4Ghz connected devices, Sonos included. You don’t have to have your Sonos devices connected to 5Ghz...and some can’t. The key to this situation is that BT needs to allow a command coming in on 5Ghz to be sent back out on the 2.4Ghz side.

im aware of the problem. Aware my Sonos uses 2.4Ghz. I’m talking about using the Sonos app on a device using 5Ghz.

J

Jason_40

Lyricist II

Got this update yesterday. Restarted the hub and so far so good 👍

W

westiepark

Contributor I

All working fine for me too

C

ClausN

It wasn’t that the Sonos devices were having trouble using it, it was that your controller device, which most frequently was connecting to the 5Ghz side, was being blocked by the router in communicating with any 2.4Ghz connected devices, Sonos included. You don’t have to have your Sonos devices connected to 5Ghz...and some can’t. The key to this situation is that BT needs to allow a command coming in on 5Ghz to be sent back out on the 2.4Ghz side.

im aware of the problem. Aware my Sonos uses 2.4Ghz. I’m talking about using the Sonos app on a device using 5Ghz.

Have you tried restarting your router and devices?

M

Matt.hutch1966

Enthusiast I

Update

BT Engineer called me again tonight, he fully described the issues that we have been seeing and said that they firmly believe they will have done a firmware update by the end of the week. He advised me to keep a close eye on the BT Community forum as they will let us know when its released and then as soon as it is, i have to do a complete factory rest of the hub using the pin hole at the back

Fingers x’d

M

Mal1974

Trending Lyricist I

It wasn’t that the Sonos devices were having trouble using it, it was that your controller device, which most frequently was connecting to the 5Ghz side, was being blocked by the router in communicating with any 2.4Ghz connected devices, Sonos included. You don’t have to have your Sonos devices connected to 5Ghz...and some can’t. The key to this situation is that BT needs to allow a command coming in on 5Ghz to be sent back out on the 2.4Ghz side.

im aware of the problem. Aware my Sonos uses 2.4Ghz. I’m talking about using the Sonos app on a device using 5Ghz.

Have you tried restarting your router and devices?

Yes reset iPhone network settings. Every device is still using 2.4Ghz. It’s like my 5Ghz is still switched off, it’s not though.

Airgetlam

Sonos doesn’t have any control over what network/channel/frequency your iPhone is using, you have to set that yourself in Apple’s settings. The controller will use whatever channel the device is using to contact your router, your router than is supposed to route the data to whichever channel the Sonos system is connected to. And there’s no correlation between what channel your iPhone is using, and what channel the speakers are using.

Bruce

S

Sanda5506

Lyricist III

Has the latest firmware v0.26.04.04227-BT solved the problems for anyone please? I am still having issues although when 5ghz band is back on occasionally my sonos system appears, I can then play a track or two before it disappears again.

L

Leigh_4

Avid Contributor III

BT complaints called today and whilst there wasn’t an update on when things would be resolved, the guidance was it was being treated as an unprecedented situation and there was teams working on a fix. They were unable to give an estimate timescale for resolution. However they did agree to a bill credit towards the cost of purchasing a Sonos Boost. I don’t have an option to wire any of my speakers, as the router is in the top of a utility cupboard.

Seperately, Sonos support emailed today to say they had had an update from BT that they were anticipating a fix in 4-5 weeks time. They asked for details of my router firmware version, when it was updated, and the serial. They advised they were passing this on directly to BT to ensure Sonos users could be prioritised for a fix being pushed out.

Interestingly seeing the same, date of last firmware update has changed from 8-Apr-2021 to 4-May-2021, however the version is still unchanged. The issues also persists, so I don’t think anything has changed.

You have done well there, I just spoke to BT & the guy on the other end hung up the phone, telling me that there isn’t a problem with BT…. :drooling_face:

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Update - 11th June 2021:

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