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mushroomhunter
Avid Contributor I
June 8, 2022

How change from wired to wireless with only a single Play1?

  • June 8, 2022
  • 26 replies
  • 1492 views

All my Sonos devices but a Play1 are in storage since we are moving.

I initially connected the Play1 wireless at the airbnb we were at to the wireless network just fine, but it was intermittent due to a weak signal so tried to connect to the other available network but could not.

I got a wireless extender for a stronger signal, but I am still unable to move it to another primary wireless network or to an extended wireless network, or even to the original wireless network.

I can run fine only if I plug the Play1 into the enet port on the wireless extender.

If I use Sonos2 to ‘Manage Networks/Update Networks’ and say YES when asked to add a trusted network, then hit ‘Find System’ I am prompted again to make sure all products are powered on and to ‘Find System’ again, but nothing is ever found.

Is there any other way to change the old wireless network to a new wireless network? Even if I set the S2 app to the old wireless network it no longer works. Since I only have the one Play1 at present, I would prefer to not factory reset the Play1 and lose all my data. Seems if I’m working hardwired, there should be some means to change the wireless settings! Any suggestions? Thanks, Dave

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26 replies

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mushroomhunterAuthor
Avid Contributor I
June 20, 2022

No, WiFi extenders are something totally different. 

A travel router is a device which attaches to any network (usually wirelessly but some can also be wired) and sets up its own private subnet. In terms of network topology it looks to Sonos the same as a conventional home router. 

Thx. I do think they have a bug though when moving a single Play1 as the entire SONOS system, to a new wireless network. I did this with Sonos 1 a while ago multiple times. Personally, I’d make the Sonos2 app smarter to deal with this scenario.

Airgetlam
Airgetlam
June 20, 2022

Not sure what ‘bug’ you’re talking about, or for that matter, what a Sonos 1 is. There are Sonos PLAY:1s, and Sonos Ones, but there are no Sonos 1s. And as @ratty has said, from the perspective of the Sonos speakers, a router signal, travel or ‘standard’ looks exactly the same, and there are hundreds, or perhaps thousands of people who have set them up as WiFi connected without issue. 

Bruce
mushroomhunterAuthor
Avid Contributor I
June 20, 2022

Sonos1 == the V1 app / Sonos Play1 is my single speaker I have with me. Bug is that you cannot move a single Play1 using the Sono V2 app to a new wireless system w/o using a enet cable. I’ve not been able to so this w/ resetting the speaker AND the V2 app. Not debating the usefulness of a travel router as suggested...

Ken_Griffiths
Ken_Griffiths
June 20, 2022

Sonos1 == the V1 app / Sonos Play1 is my single speaker I have with me. Bug is that you cannot move a single Play1 using the Sono V2 app to a new wireless system w/o using a enet cable. I’ve not been able to so this w/ resetting the speaker AND the V2 app. Not debating the usefulness of a travel router as suggested...

You simply take the Play:1 from Network A to Network B, wire it ‘temporarily’ and add the new SSID/credentials to the speaker and then it will work on that wireless network without a cable, or as an alternative, you can either:

  • Setup the Network B credentials to match Network A and then no cable is required at the destination.. or…
  • Change the Network A credentials stored in the speaker to match Network B before transporting the speaker to the destination.

There are a variety of ways to achieve the transfer to a different network, without factory resetting the speaker.. I personally carry a MiFi travel router device with me when travelling and that allows me to transfer a speaker/system (HH) to any nearby compatible WiFi network once the local credentials are established. 

I don’t personally believe there are any ‘bugs’ in the current software, as it does appear to work fine… just easier ‘perhaps’ if you have an Ethernet cable with you, but not always essential.

mushroomhunterAuthor
Avid Contributor I
June 20, 2022

Believe me I tried those instructions and followed the prompts and sometimes it seemed it was going to work but then it would start over to “finding the system” again. I’m a software engineer so tried every possible scenario based on what I could imagine were the state machine of the UI. Try it with a one speaker Play1 system that was factory reset, added to a new Sonos system via wireless only, then try to change wireless networks w/o an enet cable. I could not…

P.S. when should join (pause+plus) be used? What exactly does it do? Putting the speaker into this mode during some of the variations of triggering finding the system did not help or seem to make any difference.

Ken_Griffiths
Ken_Griffiths
June 20, 2022

P.S. when should join (pause+plus) be used? What exactly does it do? Putting the speaker into this mode during some of the variations of triggering finding the system did not help or seem to make any difference.

I ‘think’ you’re perhaps referring to a case where you are trying to get a reset Sonos controller App to discover an ‘existing’ Sonos system on the local network and where more than one Sonos Household is present on the LAN.

The App invites the user to press those buttons on one of the devices to identify the Household you want the controller App to connect to.. if so, it’s not really relevant to the discussion here of adding a speaker to a different network… unless you are just adding another controller to use with the Household. 

mushroomhunterAuthor
Avid Contributor I
June 20, 2022

Ok. Just recently noticed my host apparently had some Sonos speakers as they were not mentioned during any app msgs before. Only during certain scenarios but tried so many I forget how to describe here accurately.

 

In any event, having two wireless systems to choose from, neither via an extender, I’m unable to get the Play1 speaker to use the other wireless network that my phone wi-fi switches to away from the one it was using with the Sonos device. At least I think I’m supposed to switch the phone to the new wireless SSID before trying to move the Play1 there via the Sonos V2 app...

Ken_Griffiths
Ken_Griffiths
June 20, 2022

Ok. Just recently noticed my host apparently had some Sonos speakers as they were not mentioned during any app msgs before. Only during certain scenarios but tried so many I forget how to describe here accurately.

 

In any event, having two wireless systems to choose from, neither via an extender, I’m unable to get the Play1 speaker to use the other wireless network that my phone wi-fi switches to away from the one it was using with the Sonos device. At least I think I’m supposed to switch the phone to the new wireless SSID before trying to move the Play1 there via the Sonos V2 app...

Only switch the mobile controller device/App to the new WiFi network if you have already wired the speaker to that network or have ‘already’ added the new WiFi network credentials to the speaker. You would need to be on the ‘old’ network (SSID/Credentials) to do that - do you have a ‘mobile hotspot’ with you (note it cannot be the same device as the one hosting the Sonos controller)? If so, set that hotspot up with the old WiFi network credentials and then go onto add the new local WiFi network credentials to the speaker. 

mushroomhunterAuthor
Avid Contributor I
June 21, 2022

Only switch the mobile controller device/App to the new WiFi network if you have already wired the speaker to that network or have ‘already’ added the new WiFi network credentials to the speaker. You would need to be on the ‘old’ network (SSID/Credentials) to do that - do you have a ‘mobile hotspot’ with you (note it cannot be the same device as the one hosting the Sonos controller)? If so, set that hotspot up with the old WiFi network credentials and then go onto add the new local WiFi network credentials to the speaker. 

Will give that a try later today when I get a chance. Thx.

    mushroomhunterAuthor
    Avid Contributor I
    June 22, 2022

    WAP#1 is a Cradelpoint using U.S. Cellular

    WAP#2 is HughesNet satellite.

    No exenders.

    My Android Sonos V2 app and Play:1 are both on WAP#1 w/ a decent -66 dBm signal and work fine.

    Sonos “Settings/Update Networks/Yes (add or change network)/Find system” searches and then goes back to Find System again w/o having found anything. Should it not be able to find its own system? Sitting right next to the speaker. Location and BT on.

    Switching the V2 app to the WAP#2 network, then duplicating the above scenario, leaving the speaker on WAP#1, the app initially said “Update your network settings”, then later when I tried again said “Unable to find your Sonos system”, but both times got the same results; Find System finds nothing and asks you to find the system again after turning the products on. The Play:1  is on, and usable from the app.

    Got to be doing something wrong...

     

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