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I have this set PC speakers with a great remote, it's just a dial that doubles as a button and it has almost the exact same set of functions as the touch controls on sonos products.

But as a remote it just sits on the desk waiting for me to hit it, no having to pick up my phone etc etc…

 

I had a quick look around and I see a couple of options for sonos remotes but curious to know what successes people have had, and also failures.

Control for the sonos Five and Amp are what I'm most interested in.

There are multiple choices for simple volume/play/pause. A few also offer Favorites selection. None offer anything as useful as full-featured apps. So the answer really depends how many features you are looking for.


It’s easy to hobby build a Sonos remote control with a computer (e.g., a Raspberry Pi), an IR receiver like a FLIRC, and an IR remote (or remotes) of your choice. Can be programmed to execute arbitrary Sonos commands (and sequences of commands), directed to any speaker(s) you like.

See:

https://github.com/pwt/SonosKeyController

https://github.com/avantrec/soco-cli

https://flirc.tv/more/flirc-usb

I use mine with a Harmony IR remote and a Sonos Port connected to my main AV system.


For UK / EU users who have Philips Hue…

https://violet-ultra.co.uk/


I went the lazy way, bought an extra Play 1 to group with my office Room. Instant pause for incoming phone calls instead of the 30 second wake-up time for my Android app.


Cheap option would be the IKEA remote: SYMFONISK Sound remote, white - IKEA

Be aware it needs a Tradfri Gateway too.


There’s also a great Raspberry Pi Solution posted by Chicks.

Also like the Violet Ultra posted above.

 

I used to us a Scenic Nuimo but that is not working and needs fixing by the manufacturer.