Sonos Music Library on Move via Bluetooth

It’s semantics, but you’re music library isn’t specifically Sonos.  Sonos is just reading the files on your home computer/NAS.  Also, if you have no WiFi in the garden, you won’t have access to airplay, since airplay uses  WiFi.

As far as addressing the problem, I would look into the feasibility of expanding your routers WiFi coverage to the garden area.  Yes, that may cost more money, but may give you a lot of benefits beyond just using Sonos Move over WiFi in the garden.

If course, that doesn’t do anything for your airpods or when you are away from home and can’t use home WiFi.  For that I would consider getting Plex music service.  With this, you essentially can access your home music (as well as movies and other siimilar media) through the Plex app to play anywhere, including Sonos.  You will not need to worry about syncing files between your phone and home network.  That said, I don’t have an iPhone and can’t say how well Plex works on iPhones or whether file type is an issue.

Overall, I think that you should expand your WiFi coverage. How large is your garden? This could be as easy as adding an access point to a window facing the garden or adding a weather proof access point outside.

Melvimbie and Buzz,

Thank you both for your replies.  Frankly, I would really like to avoid tinkering with my wifi network, if at all possible.  I currently have a 5 node Linksys Velop mesh and that in conjunction with the Move does not make for an easy life.  In fact, had I known the problems of running a Move in a less than perfect wifi setup, I doubt I would have bought it.

However, I won’t dwell on that, since I am where I am.  Regardless of the difficulties with the current wifi setup, I don’t really need/want wifi access at the far end of the garden (except perhaps to run Sonos), especially when that still wouldn’t give AirPod access.  In that context, I am definitely able to play a subset of my music library direct from the iPhone to the Move without wifi - isn’t the link between the 2 Bluetooth as opposed to wifi? - and all I want to do is extend the range to include the .wma files in the library.

Thanks for the tip about Plex.  I had never heard of it and am now trying to get my head round it.  It seems to be mainly targeted at video streaming, so am having a bit of difficulty getting to grips with the music side.  I use a relatively low-end Synology NAS (DS218) and Plex cautions against using a NAS with insufficient cpu power, so that may not be an answer.

I have also recently come across a product called dBpoweramp, which claims to convert the album art along with the music files and offers a “batch” conversion option.  Before I download it and give to a try, has anybody heard of and/or got any hands-on experience with this product? 

dBpowerampp is a good product. I’ve been using it as a ripper for years.

Unfortunately, as I just discovered, dBpoweramp doesn’t support .wma files on a Mac.  it’s a Windows only feature!

As wma stands for Windows Media Audio this is perhaps not a total surprise.  I’m not sure dbpoweramp works on a Mac a all, though.

Edit: there does now seem to be a Mac version

The Sonos Music Library only exists as a set of filepaths accessed through the Sonos app, and the Sonos app has no role when playing via BT.

Thanks for your insightful comment.  Is that how you got to generate 17,797 replies.  Maybe you could find something better to do with your time. 

There is a MacVersion, which is how I discovered that .wma files are not supported.

I don't understand your updated comment about the Sonos Library.  The Sonos library is just a set of files and directories like any other data.  What has this got to do with BT and the Sonos app?  I am playing from an Apple Music library when I play on the Move via my iPhone.  I would just like to have the exact same music available on the Move whether it is playing via the Sonos app or via BT and Apple Music.

Full disclosure: I’m not a Mac person.

Since this is likely a once and done project, perhaps you have a friend with a PC that could help out with this chore. Depending on the number of files this could take a while to complete. 

Buzz, I was a dyed in the wool Windows man for many years until forced to give up Win/XP some years back.  Since then I have been running various Macs using Fusion to run a virtual Win/XP machine to support the one Windows app I can’t live without.

Unfortunately, I mothballed that Mac some years ago as the Fusion upgrade path required a hardware change, which was just too expensive.  I now use Crossover to run the Windows app, but I am pretty certain it will not support something as “technical” as dBpoweramp.

Largely due to inertia, I never got rid of the Fusion Mac, which is sitting in a cupboard somewhere.  I have very occasionally been forced to go back to it for one reason or another and it usually boots up ok.  So unless there is another option I guess I’ll try to start it up and install a WinXP version of dBpoweramp.

Failing that it might well be a case of borrowing a mate’s Windows pc!