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I originally put down an intermittent failure of the Sonos controller app to connect to my PLAY:1 to wifi issues and (while not happy) just lived with occasionally not being able to play.



I have recently moved the PLAY:1 right next to my wifi router and have been working next to it for the last couple of weeks. Generally all good, but occasionally the Sonos controller will report "Sorry, we can't connect to Sonos". I have the app installed on two iphones and both report the same issue.



However, if I press the Play button on top of the PLAY:1 the player works just fine (streaming the last radio station I was listening to) - I can pause and restart the stream no problem at all, but bother phones report no connection.



Having previously been round the loop of switching off/on wifi, restarting/resetting router, re-installing controllers, physically connecting the PLAY:1 to thr router - all to no avail - the 'no connection' issue just reoccurs randomly, there is clearly something else odd going on.



Has anyone come across this before? And how do I stop it happening? As it stands today I can listen to a streaming radio station, but can't get the controller to see the PLAY:1 to play something different.



Great kit - massively flaky connectivity between app and speaker... 😞
There is nothing flaky on the Sonos side. If you have 'wifi assist' enabled on your iPhones it would be best to switch it off. It may be worth limiting your phones to connect only over 2.4GHz not 5GHz if you have a dual band router.
Thanks for your quick response - I'll give both of those a try. I'm a little unsure why that would make a difference (as clearly one of the phones is streaming the audio to the player already, just the controller doesn't want to acknowledge the fact) - but very willing to give anything a shot!
No that is totally incorrect. The controllers are controllers and do not stream anything. The speaker is instructed to fetch the music and once started you could smash your phones to pieces with a hammer and the music would continue.
Thanks for your quick response - I'll give both of those a try. I'm a little unsure why that would make a difference (as clearly one of the phones is streaming the audio to the player already, just the controller doesn't want to acknowledge the fact) - but very willing to give anything a shot!



You stated that the Play 1 will resume a previously playing radio station. So in this scenario NOTHING is streaming from a phone (Flush both down the toilet to test (don't do that by the way!)).

The only time that the phone would stream would be when you play music "On this phone" from the Sonos controller and since you say that it isn't connected that isn't the case.



You mentioned that the Play 1 is now "right next" the router - I suggest that this isn't ideal as this could very well promote interference - this might be more of an issue if the Play 1 is wired to the router and also right next to it. You could try wiring it again but moving the Play 1 further away from the router, ensuring that your router is set to use a fixed channel, setting the SonosNet channel to a different one to that of the router (1, 6 or 11) and removing your Wi-Fi credentials in the Sonos controller (This assumes you can connect using a PC or Mac).
Maybe try smashing the phones with a hammer first and then flush them down the toilet 🙂
Thanks John B and Stuart_W - I'm certainly learning a little more about how it all works 🙂 - not feeling the need to trash the phones just yet!! :)



So....



- this isn't a new problem - been happening since I received the PLAY1, several months ago (and looking at other posts its quite a common issue).

- I've had the PLAY:1 wired, and on wireless in other rooms all with the same symptoms from the controller. Bizarrely, until today, the controller has worked flawlessly for the last two weeks with the PLAY:1 near the router - with the PLAY:1 further away from the router (including wired connection) the controller loses the PLAY:1 once or twice a day.

- I also frequently lose connection to the PLAY:1 when playing music "from this phone" - in this scenario the music also stops (understandably and as you suggest).

- usually

- if the PLAY:1 is pulling down the stream then presumably it is connected quite happily to my network?



I have no other wifi connectivity issues with these phones (or any other devices in the house) - including streaming between IP security cameras and other wifi connected devices, so while I'll be going off to try the things suggested (thanks again), this still feels like a lot of hard work for something that fails (and recovers itself) apparently at random.



I will update!
Just as an aside - I've just reset the controller on one of the phones, re-registered it on the system (pressing play/pause and + buttons on PLAY:1) - all good - nice big green tick on the screen. Controler then tries to connect... and immediately reports it can't do so...
It may be worth submitting a system diagnostic when you have been having problems (but have got back on for long enough to submit a system diagnostic!). Post the confirmation number back here. Do you have a computer with a Sonos controller on? It would be instructive to see what happens with that
I submitted diagnostic to Sonos a few months back but no ideas; I've just installed a controller on my windows laptop. It registered and then said it couldn't see the player - same as phones. I've wired the controller to the router - as soon as I plugged in all devices instantaneously see the player. I've just changed the SonosNet channel and will see how that goes when I disconnect the cable... Will upload another diagnostic here if things continue as is (likely).
OK - so above "wired the controller" should read "wired the player"; the player is back on wifi now and working. I changed the SonosNet channel to channel 6 (was 11) my router is using 1. The issue I'm having was manifested on two phones (one 5GHz connection, the other 2.4GHz) and the controller on my PC (5GHz) - all are now seeing and interacting correctly with the player again... will wait to see if that changes.
Do you have any other Sonos component wired to your router? If not then the instant you disconnect the cable SonosNet ceases to operate and the SonosNet channel is irrelevant.
In fact SonosNet channel is irrelevant when the speaker is wired if it is your only speaker! Well...it could potentially interfere with your router's wifi I suppose....
No other Sonos equipment, full stop. 🙂 still working at the moment.
I see exactly the same symptoms. A single play:1 connected to 2.4Ghz radio of tri-band router; two iPhones, iPad and a Windows 10 Surface (connected via 2.4Ghz or 5Gz of the same router) and all report they cannot see the player, yet the player is streaming a radio station. Been through wiring the player and resetting WiFi settings a couple of times, repositioned the player, uninstalled and reinstalled the apps on iOS yet nothing seems to improve. Could this be a faulty play:1 device ? It was bought brand new from retailer for Xmas. Any advice gladly accepted.
Hi - I still get my original issue - if I leave it for about ten mins I am then usually able to successfully connect as normal. I’ve put it down to the router (BT) ... 😞
I chatted with Sonos support and did a shared screen session tonight. They asked me to disable the "airtime fairness" option on my 2.4Ghz wireless settings. Have had no issues with controllers complaining they couldn't find speaker since.



Later I found this item in a search of the Sonos support site on this page https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/42/kw/incompatible%20hardware:





Though my NetGear R8500 router is not mentioned on that page specifically, I had the same setting enabled on that router too.
I’m having a similar problem. I have 3x Play:1 speakers and they work perfectly through my computer. The phone app works fine to control things once they are playing but I can’t initiate any streaming service. I get the “can’t connect” message if I try to play a station or add a service.

This is a new problem, started about the time they added Audible to the app a few weeks ago. For three months things were fine.

I have tried discarding and reinstalling the app, turning off wifi assist, and made sure that I’m on the right wifi. But I still can’t initiate any streaming from my phone.
Just to clarify, I cannot initiate any Sonos streaming service to play. Everything else is fine.
That’s really odd. I can’t make it work in my head in such a way as to restrict only your phone... so I’ve got a couple of suggestions that might be possibilities that will fix it, without being sure of what “it” is.



First, make sure your phone is connected to the 2.4Ghz signal on your router. Some people use the same name/SSID for both channels, and sometimes the settings of the router can cause complications.



Second, try a simple reboot of the router. Certainly can’t hurt, and it might help.



Finally, if neither of those two things help, try starting a stream from your phone so that you get the error message, then submit a diagnostic of your system and send it in to Sonos. Either post the number of the diagnostic here, or more preferable, call in to them and let them help you figure it out.



Good luck!
Thanks so much! I'll experiment with these over the weekend.

-Cate
I've tried rebooting the router and speakers, deleted and reinstalled the controller for a second time. I'm beginning to suspect it's the wifi. The streaming services are now greyed out on the controller. Also, I can't add streaming services on the controller any more. Plus my TV streaming is has become a little glitchy too.

I'm not sure how to change the wifi -- the two band are only distinguished by one being 5G. I also don't know how to run a diagnostic on the controller, but I expect I can look that up. Any further advice would be appreciated! -Cate
Cate,



I think at this point, you would be best served by calling the folks at Sonos. There’s a certain advantage to a synchronous conversation, plus the ability to grant them access to your system to look at it.



For the record, diagnostics are under More (...) and the settings, and at the bottom. It will give you a number after running it, write that number down, it will help the tech when you call in.
Thanks Bruce!
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