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seven-worlds-collide
Avid Contributor I
January 24, 2021
Answered

NAS drives and what to buy?

  • January 24, 2021
  • 23 replies
  • 1012 views

Hi, I have a huge collection of live music sitting on a standard hard drive (none of which is available to stream) and understand that I need a NAS drive to be able to play any of this through Sonos. 
unfortunately, that’s where my knowledge stops… could I please have some recommendations as to what to buy, makes and model numbers etc that are known to work. I’ve done a little research, but I’m more confused than when I started looking. 
I have a very basic knowledge of computing, but can usually get things working if I have the right equipment and software. Sorry if the question has been answered many times before, but there is lots on information online which is too complicated for me to grasp...

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Best answer by ratty

How much music (in GB)? And does your router have a USB port, with the ability to share storage onto the network?

23 replies

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ratty
ratty
January 24, 2021

Okay...3-4 TB of music is a different matter. A thumb drive would not be practical.

By all means experiment with a few tracks on a thumb drive to check Sonos can see and play them, but it sounds like you’d have to wire your Seagate drive to the router as suggested. If that’s no good, it’s back to the idea of a separate NAS.

seven-worlds-collideAuthor
Avid Contributor I
January 24, 2021

Thanks, I’m putting a few tracks on a drive now to see if I can get Sonos to see it…

 

seven-worlds-collideAuthor
Avid Contributor I
January 24, 2021

Set the path to my router and the music folder…. says Sonos product cannot connect… why is everything so complicated…

 

ratty
ratty
January 24, 2021

What path did you use? It has to be a network path, not one using a mapped drive letter.

seven-worlds-collideAuthor
Avid Contributor I
January 24, 2021

Hi, thanks for all of your help, but I think this is the point where I have to accept my limitations.…

I’m putting in \\192.168…..\usb1\Music and it’s telling me “Computer 192.168…. refused to let Sonos connect to it

amun
January 24, 2021

...and sorry… I meant TB, not GB… but if the principle is the same...

If you’re talking 3-4 TB of MP3 files, then you will be way, way over Sonos limits - Sonos would only be able to index a tiny fraction of your tracks.

Unless all of the tracks are very long, perhaps?

ratty
ratty
January 24, 2021

That path looks correct. Could there be any access controls (username/password) on the USB stick’s folder?

The other thought is that the BT hub is not enabling SMB/CIFS version 1, the sharing protocol which Sonos still requires. You could have a poke around in the relevant section of the router config pages. It may need to be explicitly enabled.

    seven-worlds-collideAuthor
    Avid Contributor I
    January 24, 2021

    Thank you, but that’s way over my ability. It’s a shame as I use my iPad pretty much all the time, especially for controlling Sonos, so this was more for everyday convenience. 
    It is unfortunate that Sonos makes connections from any external source either so complicated or so expensive. I think it might be time to look at other brands who are more embracing of retrospective equipment and music libraries accumulated over many decades. 

    106rallye
    106rallye
    January 24, 2021

    Sonos has a limit of only 65.000 tracks. You probably have way more, so you need a NAS that runs Plex (that regrettably from the Sonos app has no folder view). You can also run the Plex app on you iPad an play them to your Sonos with Airplay if your gear is airplay enabled. Not sure you need a Plex Pass subscription for any of this.

      ratty
      ratty
      January 24, 2021

      It is unfortunate that Sonos makes connections from any external source either so complicated or so expensive. I think it might be time to look at other brands who are more embracing of retrospective equipment and music libraries accumulated over many decades. 

      Sonos ‘embraced’ my ripped CD library 13+ years ago, itself accumulated over 15+ years, without problem. I did however choose to put it on an entry-level NAS that cost around £100, if memory serves. 

      I hate to say this, but there will be technical issues of some kind or other, whichever network streaming system you’re using.

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