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Contributor II
November 3, 2018

No More Sonos for Me

  • November 3, 2018
  • 54 replies
  • 3442 views
My reason for buying a multi-room Sonos system was to enjoy my large PC-based music collection throughout the whole house. Removing functionality from the Windows PC controller makes this a lot less enjoyable because now I need to both use my computer and keep a phone or tablet with me all the time. I own 6 Sonos speakers now and was interested in upgrading to newer models, but now I've changed my mind because functionality is being removed for desktop users, rather than improved. Restore and improve desktop functionality or kiss my thousands of dollars' worth of business goodbye forever.
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    54 replies

    November 19, 2018
    Indeed, if @davidjohnnewman has factory reset speakers (I hope not), then the chance to change routers in a hassle-free way has gone.
    Paulw123
    Virtuoso
    November 19, 2018
    Could he have gave his new router the same "SSID and password" as the old one, I read that on here, not that it means diddly squat to me 😞
    Lyricist III
    November 19, 2018
    I have 2 wireless Sonos 5, two Sonos 1 in my system, connected via Wi-Fi
    I have changed my BB provider and connected to router fine for Internet.
    Installed new app for Windows from the official site.
    (as I was instructed to do when I rebooted everything.)
    Although it is true that the new app "sees" the speakers above it does not let me set them up.(no option)
    I selected "Reset controller" from the very small number of options in the main menu, because of this.
    Resetting did not help - was this a mistake? If so what should have been done?
    If I do not need to, as you suggest, then how do I use Sonus without a controller?
    eg before I had BBC stations saved etc and now there is nothing?
    I have always controlled my music from the PC and now cannot
    November 19, 2018
    Could he have gave his new router the same "SSID and password" as the old one, I read that on here, not that it means diddly squat to me :(That is often suggested, and logically 'should' work for a system in Standard (wifi) set up. But it seems it works sometimes and sometimes not, to judge by reports on here. It isn't necessary in Boost mode.
    November 19, 2018
    I am not suggesting you can use Sonos without a controller. I am saying you don't need to do anything with the controller to switch providers. Please do the following:
    1. Power all your speakers off.
    2. Wire one speaker to your new router by Ethernet.
    3. Power up that speaker. Wait a couple of minutes.
    4. Power up another speaker (wireless).
    5. With your PC linked to your new network, see if you can use the desktop app to play music. If you reset the controller that does not matter, but once you have your speakers up and running choose 'connect to existing system' if you need to.

    Please then post back to say what has happened and we'll take it from there.

    You do not need to 'set up' your speakers.
    Paulw123
    Virtuoso
    November 19, 2018
    davidjohnnewman - since sonos v9.2 you cannot set up a new system with just a pc or mac. It is now a condition that you will need an Ios or android device.
    Is there nobody in your family or a neighbour with a phone or tablet who could come round to help set it up, just to get it going?
    You really then need to buy a mobile device or use an old phone from a relative etc...
    November 19, 2018
    davidjohnnewman - since sonos v9.2 you cannot set up a new system with just a pc or mac. It is now a condition that you will need an Ios or android device.
    Is there nobody in your family or a neighbour with a phone or tablet who could come round to help set it up, just to get it going?
    You really then need to buy a mobile device or use an old phone from a relative etc...
    This is true, and good advice. But it is not necessary here to set up a new system, and in fact would be potentially damaging (e.g. lost playlists etc)
    Lyricist III
    November 20, 2018
    Hi John B
    ok , I did what you suggested and the controller said "connected" but the desktop app still does not work. eg the "settings" option is still greyed out ? What to do now?
    November 20, 2018
    Hi John B
    ok , I did what you suggested and the controller said "connected" but the desktop app still does not work. eg the "settings" option is still greyed out ? What to do now?
    The desktop controller does work but is no longer fully functioned. The settings are supposed to be greyed out. You will never again have a desktop controller with settings menus available. Just select a room in the controller and try to play a station from TuneIn.
    November 20, 2018
    Further note: I am assuming that you now have one speaker wired to your router and at least one other powered on and wireless.