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Sonos and Asus Zenwifi ET8 connection issue (solved)

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Hi all,

I’ve had problems with my ASUS router/nodes for years and tried most everything (running latest firmware). My topology is Router-Wired AP and separately to another Wired AP from the router. (I have several Sonos zones with multiple variations I’ve tried AIMesh mode and the furthest node would drop regularly. The network would have hiccups regularly.

For me, the problem turned out to be broadcast storms and issues with spanning tree protocol. My version of firmware eliminated the option to turn on STP, which really didn’t matter anyway. That’s because when you SSH into the router it will tell you that STP is on. However, if you use the brctl show command, STP is clearly off. Turning it on fixed the issue mostly - it stablized the network and prevented dropping of the Sonos zone near the most problematic node.

The problem is that it is no longer possible to constituently have that command persist due to security measures in the Asus firmware. Is it dumb for Asus to have a feature that cannot survive a reboot? Absolutely. Did I put a UPS next to the router and node to hopefully protect against reboot? Absolutely. Have I asked Asus tech support about this and only gotten crickets for a reply? Absolutely.

But I decided that I wanted to really solve the problem with my network and no longer worry about this. So I bought a managed network switch (be careful to make sure it actually supports STP and that means it’ll cost $70+). My topology is now Router-Managed Switch-Access point x2. I turned STP on with the switch and changed the priority to 4096 to make sure it controlled the network.

The result is stability and performance across both the Sonos and WiFi networks. Connecting to Sonos through Spotify is now instantaneous across all zones. It just works. This was the issue for me and a quick test for you would be to SSH into your Asus nodes/router (turn SSH on in administration, open an admin terminal window, SSH -p <port> <adminusername>@<local IP address, then type in password), use the “brctl show” command to determine if STP is on or off. It will be off, because that’s just how it is with Asus routers/nodes to my knowledge. Then use the “brctl stp <bridgeport> on” command to turn it on and confirm with “brctl show” that it worked. I did this on the node and main router but probably only needed it at the node.

If you’ve tried all the other tricks without success, then give this a shot.

AjTrek1

Glad you resovled your issue. Just one question…

Are the a access points (satellite nodes) manufactured by Asus or another brand?

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1bitAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

Yes, they are all part of the same Asus Zenwifi ET8 system (AXE6600) with one set as router and two nodes set to wireless access points.

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Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

Assuming you are on newer Sonos and the S2 software, did you try the disable Sonosnet option (not disable Wi-Fi) that has eliminated wired/Wi-Fi connected Sonos issues for me?

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1bitAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

I did not - though this would potentially solve the problem as well because it is most likely that Sonosnet is creating the broadcast storm. However, part of the problem are these Asus routers/nodes in general and I think STP is one of the reasons AImesh fails.

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Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

Still a setting you want to enable unless you are using Sonosnet as it frees up the 2.4 gHz channel Sonosnet is using and with only 3 available that is usually a good thing.

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AjTrek1

As I mentioned earlier I’m glad you resolved your issue. 👍 However, I want to share my experience with ASUS routers.

I have used ASUS routers for over 20 years. I’ve used ASUS AiMesh configuration for the last ten (10) years. Additionally, during those ten (10) years I have progressed through WiFi 5, WiFi 6 and now WiFi 7. My present configuration is:

ASUS GTBE98 Pro (Main Node)

ASUS RT-BE96U x 2
ASUS ZenWiFi BD5 Outdoor
Single SSID for all bands (2.4 Ghz, 5 Ghz and 6 Ghz x 2)

The topology is a wired Ethernet backhaul to each node coming directly off the main node. The encryption is WPA3-WPA2 Personal. The main adjustment for Sonos is Airtime Fairness OFF.

For the most part the ASUS GTBE98 Pro is out of the box configuration. The nodes need no adjustment as all configuration for them is handled by the ASUS GTBE98 Pro during the AiMesh configuration.

I only mention the above as it seems you went through a lot of configurations to get your network in stable condition for all clients (including Sonos). I hope the stability continues.

FYI, regarding my setup. I can have as many as 70 clients/decvices (including 32 Sonos) active at any time. See the visual below. Enjoy your Sonos!

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1bitAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

Great setup and kudos on all the Sonos devices! I also have used Asus products a long time and have gone through multiple iterations. I’m unconvinced that I’ll go to their next offering as I’ve been disappointed with some aspects, including the STP issue that should be configurable. I tried the airtime fairness option and it did not solve the issue. I have 40-50 clients and 10 Sonos devices. My topology is similar, as I mentioned, with the wired backhaul going to each node. I think, though, the problem for me is there is quite a long run to one of the nodes and that creates a speed disparity in the wired backhaul. I tried going fully wireless but I think the Sonos interference was perhaps the issue. I was going to try @Stanley_4 suggestion of turning Sonosnet off and seeing if that stabilized the AImesh network for me. But there’s no real impetus for me to do anything right now as everything is and has been working perfectly for the first time in years.

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