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PhilSkill
Enthusiast II
February 13, 2018

Android Controllers and Setup, past the CR100 brick

  • February 13, 2018
  • 112 replies
  • 8635 views
As many of us are being thrown off of our CR100's, and forced onto an external third party device, please use this thread to say what device you will use or have tried, and advise what settings and configurations make it work.

Please keep it on topic, use the "Save the CR100" thread to put the world to rights on the bricking of our functioning devices.

Life must go on, The CR100 will die, lets try to help each other find our best solution.

To start,

I have just purchased a Lenovo Tab 7 Essential, 7" screen so similar overall size to the controller, ordered through Tesco Direct, very fast service available in 3 hours from ordering.

Tesco added a discount so got it for £62, although They advertised it as the Tab 4 7" which is actually a different unit with slightly higher res and should retail at £99 rather than £69 anyway its fine at the right price. both run Android 7.0

So set it up with no security as I don't want a pin entry each time I pick it up.

Installed Sonos from Google play and allowed Sonos net connections and connected straight to my system.

Then set the sonos options to "Show lock screen controls" and "Show Volume on Home screen"

Set the Android screen saver to Clock (its a bit too small compared to the Controller) but can be shown when docked (charging), so leave the unit on and it blacks out to a clock, can be digital or analogue.

One downside of this particular device is the micro usb charging port is not central, so Belkin docks wont work, so the cradle/dock could be an issue!? Any ideas?

Leave the Sonos app running and it comes out of the lock screen into Sonos.

Without a proper cradle its not so easy to directly compare, sometime touching the display unlocks, othertimes I need to press the side power button.

If you touch the button it goes to the home screen, which needs a swipe to unlock, a nice touch, if sonos is playing and running, then the home screen wallpaper is the artwork.

On the home screen are quick access play,stop and skip but no volume, there is a tiny expander arrow that opens up a menu that has a button to change volume, but thats way too complex, easier to double tap the quick access area and it opens the sonos app to show you the zone with volume control, art, queue etc.
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112 replies

ratty
February 14, 2018
Do all Android tablets have the ability to connect via SonosNet?
They should do. The controller simply writes the SSID/key of the hidden SonosNet SSID into the Android WiFi settings. iOS doesn't permit this manoeuvre.
PhilSkill
PhilSkillAuthor
Enthusiast II
February 14, 2018


Actually what I meant was " screen pinning" the Sonos App. This is a feature available on android devices running Lollipop 5.0 and above. It means that the pinned app is the only one available on the device. You have to enter a PIN to get to any OTHER apps you might have on the device, but not to get to the pinned app.

The Sonos support note on how to do this:
https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/3241/kw/Guided%20access

doesn't tell you that actually it won't work on the Amazon Fire 7 (because Amazon have played about with the OS). If it works on your Lenovo Tab then it could be pretty useful.


Oooh sounds good, Ok this new to me so I will have a play tomorrow!
Enthusiast II
February 14, 2018
Do all Android tablets have the ability to connect via SonosNet? Or is there something in the specs I will have to check, if so what is that?

I currently only have iOS Controllers (and CR100 + 200). Since I'm freezing my system and taking it off my regular wifi I'm interested in a solution where I can control it via Android and SonosNet since not all settings are available in the CR's.

These are three tablet's I've read about but I'm not sure if the can connect directly to SonosNet:
Amazon Fire
lenovo Tablet
Nexus 7


My amazon fire does connect to sonosnet. But you can’t pin app to lock or home screen. Best you can do is set it not time out for 30 mins. After that screen locks and you have to reopen app.
Owner since 2006: Legacy System(8.4):3*CR100:1*ZP80:4*ZP100:1*Play 5. - S1 System:1*ZP100:1*Z120. - S2 System:5*Amp:1*Port:2*Five:1*Arc,1*Move:1*Play Bar:1*Subwoofer:5*Play1 : Long live the CR100!
PhilSkill
PhilSkillAuthor
Enthusiast II
February 14, 2018
Amazon Fire 10 and Lenovo Tab 7 Essential (Android 7) both definitely connect to Sonos Net, I'd be surprised if the Nexus didn't.
February 14, 2018
Amazon Fire 10 and Lenovo Tab 7 Essential (Android 7) both definitely connect to Sonos Net, I'd be surprised if the Nexus didn't.I agree. Really any Android device should do - it was only because I had trouble with the Fire, and the Fire's Android is a bit non-standard, that I wondered if there might be issues. It seems even that might be something local to my setup.

Hopefully, if nothing else, this will have raised awareness of this capability in Android controllers.
February 14, 2018
Do all Android tablets have the ability to connect via SonosNet? Or is there something in the specs I will have to check, if so what is that?

I currently only have iOS Controllers (and CR100 + 200). Since I'm freezing my system and taking it off my regular wifi I'm interested in a solution where I can control it via Android and SonosNet since not all settings are available in the CR's.

These are three tablet's I've read about but I'm not sure if the can connect directly to SonosNet:
Amazon Fire
lenovo Tablet
Nexus 7


My amazon fire does connect to sonosnet. But you can’t pin app to lock or home screen. Best you can do is set it not time out for 30 mins. After that screen locks and you have to reopen app.
If you have the Sonos app open on the Fire, do you have a Sonos widget visible on the lock screen, that requires a single tap to return to the open Sonos app, and of itself has play/pause and skip buttons? I do, but I honestly cannot remember if I did anything to put it there or it was just there
ratty
February 15, 2018
If you have the Sonos app open on the Fire, do you have a Sonos widget visible on the lock screen, that requires a single tap to return to the open Sonos app, and of itself has play/pause and skip buttons? I do, but I honestly cannot remember if I did anything to put it there or it was just there
Lock-screen notification/controls are enabled by default. If not required they can be explicitly disabled in Advanced Settings.
February 15, 2018
If you have the Sonos app open on the Fire, do you have a Sonos widget visible on the lock screen, that requires a single tap to return to the open Sonos app, and of itself has play/pause and skip buttons? I do, but I honestly cannot remember if I did anything to put it there or it was just there
Lock-screen notification/controls are enabled by default. If not required they can be explicitly disabled in Advanced Settings.
Thanks @ratty.
I also note that in lock screen mode, with the Sonos app open (beneath the lock screen), Sonos volume is still controllable by the Fire's physical volume control..
ratty
February 15, 2018
I also note that in lock screen mode, with the Sonos app open (beneath the lock screen), Sonos volume is still controllable by the Fire's volume physical volume control..
And with the screen asleep in fact. No need to wake the display to tweak the volume.
Enthusiast II
February 15, 2018
If you have the Sonos app open on the Fire, do you have a Sonos widget visible on the lock screen, that requires a single tap to return to the open Sonos app, and of itself has play/pause and skip buttons? I do, but I honestly cannot remember if I did anything to put it there or it was just there
Lock-screen notification/controls are enabled by default. If not required they can be explicitly disabled in Advanced Settings.
Thanks @ratty.
I also note that in lock screen mode, with the Sonos app open (beneath the lock screen), Sonos volume is still controllable by the Fire's physical volume control..


Mine goes to sleep after 30-minutes, the only way to wake it is to press the hard button near the power input. The screen that appears is just a big Amazon advert, with a little unlock padlock at the bottom. I have the cheaper let Amazon brainwash you version. I believe this can be turned off (for a small cost), do you have the brainwash version or non-brainwash? I don't have a PIN set.

I have everything selected in Sonos Device allowing stuff on lock screens. The volume buttons now do seem to control the app after I have pressed the lock button I am sure they didn't so will have to retest next time it goes 30-minutes and times out to see if still does it then but a manual sleep/lock seems to allow it. This speeds up silencing music when phone rings.

I have a throw away stand that came from an exhibition, it needs more weight as poking the screen starts to tip it over. That is sortable. I have also order two magnetic USB cables being delivered later today.

I have removed the CR100 from my desk so currently using just this as test!
Owner since 2006: Legacy System(8.4):3*CR100:1*ZP80:4*ZP100:1*Play 5. - S1 System:1*ZP100:1*Z120. - S2 System:5*Amp:1*Port:2*Five:1*Arc,1*Move:1*Play Bar:1*Subwoofer:5*Play1 : Long live the CR100!