Account optional again?

There is no need to reset and add a player back to the system when it "drops off the network". If this is happening frequently, you have some networking problems. Consider a network refresh followed by reserving IP addresses in your router setup.

And PS - These network problems will cause the same issues with any multi-room system, Bluesound, Denon, etc. If the network is not fixed, eventually you will run out of competitors for your "or the bunny gets it" threats.

Hi,

Thanks for replying but I wait for the official reply.

I consider myself quite knowledable in network setups and agreed the network should be stable for any multi room system, but Sonos makes has made it very complicated to reset things. Especially when the system is used by about 10 people and part of our business depends on reliable operation and quick fixes in case of an issue. The account and password is in the way so the question is it considered to remove it again? There is no purpose for it, at least not for me the user.

Again, there is absolutely no reason you should be "resetting things". You should only be adding a Sonos device once. If you are having to add and re-add devices on a regular basis, you have a network problem. I have 9 total Sonos devices going back 10 years and have never had to re-add them to the system. Not once.

As to the last question, Sonos has stated that the authentication process is here to stay. It is not optional and not going away.

Hi,

Thanks for replying but I wait for the official reply.


Sonos does read the user community forums, but you're likely to get a faster reply if you PM one of them directly, email, or call tech support.


I consider myself quite knowledable in network setups and agreed the network should be stable for any multi room system, but Sonos makes has made it very complicated to reset things.


If by 'reset' you mean 'factory reset', then as jgatie said, it's unnecessary. His advice was solid, and Sonos staff will tell you the same thing. You may also want to create a diagnostic and provide that to Sonos (in this thread or elsewhere) which will give greater info on possible reasons for the issue.

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/141?language=en_US


Especially when the system is used by about 10 people and part of our business depends on reliable operation and quick fixes in case of an issue. The account and password is in the way so the question is it considered to remove it again? There is no purpose for it, at least not for me the user.

Your question presumes that the account and password are necessary to resolve network issues. It isn't.

Yes, hardly ever necessary to do a factory reset. A simple off/on/reboot will solve most things especially if the sonos speakers IP address is reserved by the user in the local routers DHCP Reservation Table (which I strongly recommend). Hopefully the new update to 9.2 out today will be good for most problems too.

Thank you all for replying. Still waiting for the official reply.

The point is we use the system with 10 employees and we need music on the spot as part of our service to our customers. The issues are mostly caused by overcrowded WiFi broadcasting and interference. When a speaker drops out and disappears from the app we need it back online asap. It’s a long story but with 10 people involved with all different levels of technical knowledge a system that requires a password to start a function called “add player” all kind of things can happen. Especially if power cycling does not bring the player back. And yes, all players have reserved ip addresses.

So if the account is there to stay (but again, still waiting for the formal reply), this system is too complicated for use in our situation. Especially since I found and experienced systems available that are easier to set-up and troubleshoot.

I'm not sure what you wish Sonos to do. The authentication is necessary for security issues now that Sonos' API is open to the world.

Hi jgatie, I would wish for Sonos to push the account requirement back to the place where actually services require it. I’m also a Bluesound user and there is NO account or registration. The only check the players do is checking for software updates. And Bluesound also is an open API supporting a wide variety of services. I don’t see how that is different for Sonos.

I'm pretty sure that once you've authenticated with Sonos, you could take your Sonos system offline (read: disconnected from the internet) and it should still work just fine with a local music library from a PC/MAC or NAS. I've used my Sonos system to play music from my NAS when my internet connection has been down due to maintenance/service issues, so I know this is possible.

Hi Joehoe, I'm happy to provide an official reply for you, and the forum regulars suggested, we don't have any plans to revert the changes to the account requirement. We're constantly working to add new features and improve the Sonos experience, and it's just good practice to have a security step in place when it comes to making changes at the system level. We've just added the ability to add a max volume and turn off the wireless on players, two settings that are behind the login credentials for more obvious reasons.

As more settings get added, the need for security will continue to stay on our minds. Since you have so many different people using the system, if security isn't high on your concerns, you could set up a new account for your players, and put the login credentials on the bottom of the player, or write it down somewhere, so that everyone knows it. Not something we'd recommend, but perhaps it's the best way to go for you.

If players are dropping, we'd love to help you get the system up and running to the point where that doesn't happen, and from a personal note, the Add a Player option doesn't do much troubleshooting wise that a reboot doesn't do. For that matter, it'd be great to just get to the heart of the issue, instead of having to deal with a dropping room.

If your wireless setup is terrible, and can't be improved, you may even consider wiring a Sonos device or two into the network. There's a lot we can help sort out before that though, so if you have a chance, I'd recommend that you give us a call on our support line to take a look at why speakers are dropping off.