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Contributor I
January 7, 2021

Terrible priority. Sonos has serious problems they don't want to fix. Terrible customer service

  • January 7, 2021
  • 17 replies
  • 756 views

For such an expensive brand, problem solving should be high priority, why is this not the case with all the problems the Sonos app has? Especially just fix the damn connectivity issue, most of the time my Speakers are useless. Until Sonos makes this a priority, I will not recommend Sonos nor buy more products.

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17 replies

January 7, 2021

My Sonios has been rock solid for 9 years.  Your problems will be specific to your local network.  They are in 99% of cases.  I suggest you submit a system diagnostic when you are having problems and call Sonos Support with the confirmation number, or post it here  with a description of the problems.  Your system could be as reliable as mine.  There is no general software issue to fix.

Airgetlam
January 7, 2021

In most cases, the issues experienced are a result of local network issues, and not of either the Sonos hardware or software.

Without specifics of your personal concerns, I’d suggest two things. First, review the wifi interference FAQ. The great majority of issues experienced are covered there. Second, perform a simple network refresh, by unplugging all of your Sonos devices from power. While they are unplugged, reboot your router. When the router comes back up, go ahead and plug back in your Sonos devices. 

If neither of those two suggestions fix your issues, I would recommend that you submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this problem, and call Sonos Support to discuss it, or post the diagnostic number here for a Community Moderator to pick up.

There may be information included in the diagnostic that will help Sonos pinpoint the issue and help you find a solution.

When you speak directly to the phone folks, there are more options available beyond just the diagnostic analysis. 

It’s easy to blame Sonos, the simple fact is that most often, that is not where the issue lies, as evidenced by the solutions posted here in these forums.

Bruce
Ken_Griffiths
January 7, 2021

My system is working just fine here too - this is quite a useful video to watch regarding WiFi interference:

Wireless Interference and Sonos

ratty
January 7, 2021

My Sonios has been rock solid for 9 years.

13+ years here.

I’ll just add my voice that there is no “damn connectivity issue” inherent in the Sonos system. Without a decent road a Ferrari cannot perform. The same is true of Sonos and the local network.

jgatie
January 7, 2021

12+ years here.  Reserve IP addresses helps a lot if your network is wonky.

LeBruunAuthor
Contributor I
January 21, 2021

Looking at their trustpilot, its clearly a major problem.

I live in a small apartment, WiFi connectivity or stability has never been a problem.

I've attached a picture of my sonos app, and it's connectivity issues. Which is 9/10 of the times I open the app. 

 

And their trustpilot

 

January 21, 2021

Trustpllot is a joke.  Shall we try and tackle your local problem?  What Sonos devices do you have?  Are any wired to your network?

What about your network - mesh or conventional?  any extenders or access points?

Further question - do you have a VPN installed anywhere, including on your phone?

airforceteacher
Headliner I
January 21, 2021

My Sonios has been rock solid for 9 years.

13+ years here.

I’ll just add my voice that there is no “damn connectivity issue” inherent in the Sonos system. Without a decent road a Ferrari cannot perform. The same is true of Sonos and the local network.

I think this is the best description of the situation ever on this board, but I don’t think it was intentional.

 

On diverse networks, with NASs, computers, TVs and lots of other devices that work fine, Sonos seems to have problems for a substantial minority.  The arguments go back and forth on this board, and invariably the diehards are proven right - it was a network issue, and they go back to sip their brandy in haughty superiority.

 

Yet nobody asks the question - why is the Sonos so much more finicky than any other device on the network?  Why isn’t it more fault tolerant?  Sure, a Ferrari doesn’t handle a Kansas dirt road very well.  But that’s what consumer networks are - messy, ad-hoc, rarely tuned or refined or tweaked.  Why is a device market to the masses (it’s sold at Target and Best Buy, not dusty hifi shops only frequented by the elite) so damned finicky?

 

And nobody here can accuse me of being a Sonos hater - I’ve recommended it to many and love showing off my 7 zone system  at my house.  We can love its good points and still ask why some things haven’t been fixed yet.

ratty
January 21, 2021

why is the Sonos so much more finicky than any other device on the network?  Why isn’t it more fault tolerant? 

Many of the devices typically found on a home network are just one end of an internet connection.

Sonos asks significantly more of the local network, as would any real-time distribution system.

Latency needs to be kept within reasonable bounds for multi-room sync and certain network traffic types, required for peer discovery and stream distribution, have to be handled correctly.

 

In terms of fault tolerance, the SonosNet mesh already makes the system more resilient than on conventional WiFi, with built-in redundancy and low latency. It’s no coincidence that a lot of users’ problems arise when using the system in “wireless” (WiFi) mode, as opposed to ‘classic’ SonosNet operation.

melvimbe
January 21, 2021

My Sonios has been rock solid for 9 years.

13+ years here.

I’ll just add my voice that there is no “damn connectivity issue” inherent in the Sonos system. Without a decent road a Ferrari cannot perform. The same is true of Sonos and the local network.

I think this is the best description of the situation ever on this board, but I don’t think it was intentional.

 

On diverse networks, with NASs, computers, TVs and lots of other devices that work fine, Sonos seems to have problems for a substantial minority.  The arguments go back and forth on this board, and invariably the diehards are proven right - it was a network issue, and they go back to sip their brandy in haughty superiority.

 

 

Really?  I don’t typically think of people who spend their free time trying to assist people with their issues as having a superiority complex.  From what I see, if you come in with an attitude, not asking for help just venting that it’s all Sonos fault, when you really don’t know what’s going on, you tend not to get a warm welcome.  However, these brandy sippers are still offering to help with your issue.

 

 

Yet nobody asks the question - why is the Sonos so much more finicky than any other device on the network?  Why isn’t it more fault tolerant?  Sure, a Ferrari doesn’t handle a Kansas dirt road very well.  But that’s what consumer networks are - messy, ad-hoc, rarely tuned or refined or tweaked.  Why is a device market to the masses (it’s sold at Target and Best Buy, not dusty hifi shops only frequented by the elite) so damned finicky?

 

 

It’s a question with an unknown answer.  Sonos requires a solid IP address and network connection in order to handle the functions it’s designed to handle.  Other devices can handle duplicate IP addresses because they aren’t communicating with other devices on the network.  Other devices can better deal with network interference because playing in sync isn’t a a feature, the are dealing with small amounts of data or they can build up a large buffer to deal with it.  

Look at it this way.  Why do you think other multiroom audio systems typically don’t match Sonos features.  They don’t have an aux input or do TV audio.  They don’t allow you to stream your own music library.  You can’t modify a speaker group ‘on the fly’. This is surely because they don’t want to blatantly copy Sonos IP (any more than they do), but also because these features require more of your network.

 

 

And nobody here can accuse me of being a Sonos hater - I’ve recommended it to many and love showing off my 7 zone system  at my house.  We can love its good points and still ask why some things haven’t been fixed yet.

Perhaps, I’m misunderstanding the issues, but effectively, fixing these issues so they never happen (or even more rare) would mean removing features.  Or maybe some complex configuration, that customers wouldn’t like or possibly even understand, that limits features based on network capabilities.  Or Sonos creates their own routers. 

 

 

Danny