Skip to main content
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.
This topic has been closed for further comments. You can use the search bar to find a similar topic, or create a new one by clicking Create Topic at the top of the page.

112 replies

ratty
February 15, 2018
now got magnetic USB cable (I like these a lot - will be getting more)
Mind sharing which model you purchased? There are decidedly mixed reviews on Amazon for some makes of such cables.
Enthusiast II
February 15, 2018
now got magnetic USB cable (I like these a lot - will be getting more)
Mind sharing which model you purchased? There are decidedly mixed reviews on Amazon for some makes of such cables.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01M27KINN/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Honest review after an hour or so of ownership. Build quality seems reasonable, fit and finish adequate, nylon braiding tidy, nice organised packaging. Durability is always the key with this stuff though.

There was another I looked at that had three heads for iPhone, micro-usb & usb-c. Leave the heads in the devices and can charge bose headphones and iPhone with the same cable (sequentially) when travelling. If you did all your kit then 5 usb cables would be 5-cables regardless of the device type. Given we have an 8-port rack in the kitchen and still plug stuff in//out this would be great! (sports watches, fitbits, trackers, phones, tablets, headphones, speakers, etc) It needs 5-lightening cables every night!

As a concept its great. And I can't believe Apple are dropping magnetic from the Mac (shakes head).
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!
ratty
February 15, 2018
Thanks.
PhilSkill
PhilSkillAuthor
Enthusiast II
February 15, 2018
Played with the Pinning of the app this evening on my Lenovo, works pretty well, just a screen touch brings up the app with no lock screen and then leave it when charging just drops to the clock dark screen and a touch brings it back again, if its off charge and off, the power button takes you straight to the sonos app too.

To use other apps you just long press the back button and use the tablet, then pin again from the overview button.

Works pretty well, I forgot to try the hard volume buttons while in the clock screen.

Only trouble is the sonos app doesn't consistently go to the same screen each time, so still have to work my way around their app which is a bit cumbersome on the 7" screen, but haven't used it enough.

The Lenovo's charge light when green is quite bright when the room is dark, so may need to tone that down.

So not perfect but getting closer.

Ordered a dock and a magnetic cable, so see how these work.
Enthusiast II
February 16, 2018
Having woken up rather late to Sonos euthenasing the trusty CR100 (no email received despite having the same email since the late 1800s), I'm playing with an Asus Nexus 7 (2013 edition) that was languishing in a cupboard.

Played with the Pinning of the app this evening on my Lenovo, works pretty well, just a screen touch brings up the app with no lock screen...

On my Nexus, I have installed an app called Wake Up Screen which uses the accelerometer to switch the screen on. On its most sensitive setting it mimics the CR100 in coming alive when picked up, rather than needing a screen touch. Small point, but I like it.

The Androir screen pinning feature is a nice touch (I previously had to use a custom app launcher which was a bit clunky). It means that I could conceivably get a couple of other tablets for my kids bedrooms without them being able to use the tablets for nefarious purposes (although probably something other than the Nexus 7 which seems to be available these days only at a special interest price).

I'm also experimenting with one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01MUSK34E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 in order to be able to use the Nexus 7 in a Samsung Fast Charge wireless dock so that I don't have to muck about with another mini-usb cable on the night stand.

This may be a reasonable work around (albeit no hard buttons and not waterproof. Oh, and also not free and already in my house, like the CR100.)
ratty
February 16, 2018
I'm also experimenting with one of these https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01MUSK34E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 in order to be able to use the Nexus 7 in a Samsung Fast Charge wireless dock so that I don't have to muck about with another mini-usb cable on the night stand.
Nexus 7 (2013) has wireless charging built in. You just need a Qi pad.
PhilSkill
PhilSkillAuthor
Enthusiast II
February 16, 2018
Tried the hard volume buttons on the Lenovo, these work when the Device is in sleep mode (Screen Off not charging), and when Awake with the Sonos App, and even when in the clock mode, where they change the volume and awake the screen.

Whilst they are not as easy to podge like the CR100's Volume it's again a nice touch and 1 tiny step closer.

Dr_Tchok1 i'll have a look for wake up screen app, as that would be closer still. Thanks

Now why didn't Sonos write an app that looked like the CR100 panel, it might be a bit crazy but it would have been a great touch! And with all these features in place it could be damn close!

(But of course all this is to find something to replace something I already have!!!)
PhilSkill
PhilSkillAuthor
Enthusiast II
February 16, 2018
Nexus 7 (2013) has wireless charging built in. You just need a Qi pad.

Interesting I have 2 spare QI pad from my Windows phones, that have this charging, and they are soon to be replaced!
PhilSkill
PhilSkillAuthor
Enthusiast II
February 16, 2018
excuse the poor pic, but thought this might help people see where I'm at, dock to come...

PhilSkill
PhilSkillAuthor
Enthusiast II
February 19, 2018
Now with Dock, which has a sliding connector to deal with the off centre charging port of the Lenovo Tab 7.

Slight downside is the hardware volume buttons work, but because the phone is essentially mounted upside down, the volume buttons work, upside-down?!? surely there's an Android setting I've missed? Even my Windows phone gets that bbut right!