Question
Desktop software connects to wrong network
My desktop has both a wifi local network, where my Sonos system resides, and an Ethernet connection to a larger building network. When searching for a Sonos system, the Sonos software seems to default to the Ethernet connection, where it finds another Sonos system. There is no way to select which Sonos network I want to connect with. How can I connect with my home Sonos system?
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More info: My desktop controller knows my home wifi Sonos system. If I unplug the Ethernet cable, it finds and connects to that system. But, when I plug the Ethernet cable back in, it disconnects from my home system and will only connect with the other system.
+10Hi branstrom - welcome to the Sonos Community!
I may be misunderstanding your situation, but I'll offer a few comments and maybe that will help you get to your solution or explain what I *think* you want to do isn't going to happen.
The Sonos Controller software is ... gee how do I say this... a fairly ... generic... tool. It will connect to any Sonos system that is on the network I am connected to.
So If my buddy has Sonos gear at his house and I go to his house and my cell phone connects to his wifi in his house, I will see his system and could control his system using my controller on my cell phone... when I come back home, my phone connects to my wifi and I control my system.
You cannot control any Sonos system from "outside" the network. (I can't drive away from my home and realize I left music on, open the app while 15 minutes away from my house and shut off the music in my house.)
So, when you plug in your ethernet and are connected to the "larger building network"... you can't connect to your Sonos system unless your network is a part of the larger building network you are connected to. Obviously it isn't, and I think what you *may* be expecting is that the controller is keyed to *your* system somehow... but it isn't. It will control any Sonos system on any network your computer connected to. (true example... I go to a Chiropractor that uses Play5s throughout his office space.... If I could connect my phone to his wifi, I'd be able to control his system with my controller app. and I'd see the services he has installed on HIS system inside the app. This causes all sorts of headaches with students who share a home and wifi and then one purchases a Sonos device and wants to not let his housemates turn it on at 4:00am... the system can't stop them.. the solution is for them to build their own secured wifi.)
Hope this helps?
I may be misunderstanding your situation, but I'll offer a few comments and maybe that will help you get to your solution or explain what I *think* you want to do isn't going to happen.
The Sonos Controller software is ... gee how do I say this... a fairly ... generic... tool. It will connect to any Sonos system that is on the network I am connected to.
So If my buddy has Sonos gear at his house and I go to his house and my cell phone connects to his wifi in his house, I will see his system and could control his system using my controller on my cell phone... when I come back home, my phone connects to my wifi and I control my system.
You cannot control any Sonos system from "outside" the network. (I can't drive away from my home and realize I left music on, open the app while 15 minutes away from my house and shut off the music in my house.)
So, when you plug in your ethernet and are connected to the "larger building network"... you can't connect to your Sonos system unless your network is a part of the larger building network you are connected to. Obviously it isn't, and I think what you *may* be expecting is that the controller is keyed to *your* system somehow... but it isn't. It will control any Sonos system on any network your computer connected to. (true example... I go to a Chiropractor that uses Play5s throughout his office space.... If I could connect my phone to his wifi, I'd be able to control his system with my controller app. and I'd see the services he has installed on HIS system inside the app. This causes all sorts of headaches with students who share a home and wifi and then one purchases a Sonos device and wants to not let his housemates turn it on at 4:00am... the system can't stop them.. the solution is for them to build their own secured wifi.)
Hope this helps?
branstrom
You say the controller finds the system on the Ethernet side. Tell it to forget that system. If that doesn't work, reset the controller and when it asks for buttons to be pressed do so on your WiFi Sonos.
If all that fails, your Sonos controller is binding to the incorrect network interface. Try using ForceBindIP to steer the controller to the WiFi NIC. (Disclaimer: I've not had to use this so can't vouch for its efficacy. Feel free to check it against VirusTotal.)
You say the controller finds the system on the Ethernet side. Tell it to forget that system. If that doesn't work, reset the controller and when it asks for buttons to be pressed do so on your WiFi Sonos.
If all that fails, your Sonos controller is binding to the incorrect network interface. Try using ForceBindIP to steer the controller to the WiFi NIC. (Disclaimer: I've not had to use this so can't vouch for its efficacy. Feel free to check it against VirusTotal.)
ratty--
Thanks. I've told it to forget and to reset numerous times. It still connects to the other Sonos system on the network, unless I unplug the Ethernet cable. Then, it has no trouble connecting to my Wi-Fi network. So, I'm thinking you might be on to something, ie, the controller is somehow bound to the wrong IP address. I'll consider your recommendation, but want to do more research first on ForceBindIP--that's new to me.
Bob
ps--Your photo sure looks like a St. Andrews cross!
Thanks. I've told it to forget and to reset numerous times. It still connects to the other Sonos system on the network, unless I unplug the Ethernet cable. Then, it has no trouble connecting to my Wi-Fi network. So, I'm thinking you might be on to something, ie, the controller is somehow bound to the wrong IP address. I'll consider your recommendation, but want to do more research first on ForceBindIP--that's new to me.
Bob
ps--Your photo sure looks like a St. Andrews cross!
SHARKB8T--
Thanks for your reply. I'm not sure how it might help me, though. The controller has no trouble finding both Sonos systems. I just would be able to tell it which one to use, and the controller doesn't have that facility. It simply makes its own decision, picking the wrong system. It has worked in the past, with my Ethernet connection plugged in, connecting to my local Wi-Fi network and the correct Sonos system. It is strange--my desktop is part of my Sonos system and was actually playing music off it from my music library (controlled from my cell phone app), while the desktop controller was refusing to connect to it.
Bob
Thanks for your reply. I'm not sure how it might help me, though. The controller has no trouble finding both Sonos systems. I just would be able to tell it which one to use, and the controller doesn't have that facility. It simply makes its own decision, picking the wrong system. It has worked in the past, with my Ethernet connection plugged in, connecting to my local Wi-Fi network and the correct Sonos system. It is strange--my desktop is part of my Sonos system and was actually playing music off it from my music library (controlled from my cell phone app), while the desktop controller was refusing to connect to it.
Bob
+10Branstorm I misunderstood originally that the system was finding the networked system while simultaneously being connected to two networks at once... that was my comment at the start that I may have been misunderstanding the circumstance since what I figured you wanted to happen wasn't going ti... essentially I thought you were only experiencing them in sequence on separate networks (wired and wifi) and wanted to see them both at once while only on one network...
I see Ratty has it clear (as he typically does) that you need to find a way to force the router to find the system on the wifi.... aside from wondering out loud if the odd experience you are having potentially relates to firewall setup that may be treating the two networks differently (since one is wireless and the other not.... or one trusted, the other not, etc...) but I am really not an expert in that space and having raised the question, I will bow out happy knowing that you are working towards a solution. Remember you can contact Sonos support directly if you need to work though something live in detail with someone...
I see Ratty has it clear (as he typically does) that you need to find a way to force the router to find the system on the wifi.... aside from wondering out loud if the odd experience you are having potentially relates to firewall setup that may be treating the two networks differently (since one is wireless and the other not.... or one trusted, the other not, etc...) but I am really not an expert in that space and having raised the question, I will bow out happy knowing that you are working towards a solution. Remember you can contact Sonos support directly if you need to work though something live in detail with someone...
Thx SHARKB8T. Since my choice seems to boil down to using the Internet thru my Ethernet connection or use the desktop controller, I'll go with the Internet as a short-term solution. But, I'll contact customer support to get it fully resolved. They've always been helpful. I do wonder if this has something to do with the Beta controller I was forced to download.
It's nothing to do with a beta controller (and BTW you're not forced to enrol with beta). The situation arises because of the two active network interfaces. What IP addresses do the two interfaces presently have? I assume they're onto different subnets? Does the wireless interface have a gateway IP configured?
FYI, ratty, there was a point where the controller wouldn't let me go forward without updating. After the update, the splash screen showed up with "beta" on it. I wasn't given a choice. But, more to the point, I think we agree that there are two IP addresses where there are Sonos systems and the controller can see them both. But, you're asking technical questions that go beyond my expertise and time to figure out. For example, I don't know what a gateway IP is. Or why it might matter. So, I will contact Sonos tech support to get their help. Thanks again for your comments.
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