Allow controllers to pair with multiple home systems

Think this feature has been under consideration for too long!? Vote for this: https://ask.sonos.com/sonos/topics/implement_customers_good_ideas_more_quickly

Apart from being a great home system sort of the whole point with the system is that you so simply can connect to friends' systems and queue songs on parties, at work etc. All this falls to pieces when you have to reset the controller every single time... Please fix this!!!

I've got 97 houses and 531 pieces of equipment. I spend several hours each day at every house, so it's totally essential for me to have this solution. If you don't implement it before the end of the week, I'll throw my expensive Sonos gear in the river and feed the cats tuna for a month.

I've got 97 houses and 531 pieces of equipment. I spend several hours each day at every house, so it's totally essential for me to have this solution. If you don't implement it before the end of the week, I'll throw my expensive Sonos gear in the river and feed the cats tuna for a month.
Okay. I'll give them tuna for 2 weeks and dandelion leaves for the rest of the month. Is that better? The bottom line is that there is a very small group of people for whom this is a slight inconvenience. There is a workaround. Cumbersome and not very elegant, but it exists. So you're right. For a small minority of users it would be a convenience improvement if one controller could control two or more systems without them having to register the controller to the network they happen to be at.

To Sonos: Making it more convenient for users to have multiple Sonos networks controlled from a single controller will make it more likely for users to buy more zones. I regretfully had to dissuade some friends from buying Sonos because they each were interested in controlling zones across two homes. This is a real issue when I demonstrated the method how to roam between networks. Airplay and Airport express units work considerably easier across multiple homes. Apple TV and Airport Express are considerably easier for large networks and multiple-locations. I'm not polluting the mailing list, but trying to explain to Sonos that this is not a small minority of users – it is a big issue for a lot of people. Further, you are losing potential customers keeping customers to small networks. In an earlier post I suggested a method Sonos could use to easily patch the controller. Surprisingly I learned recently that the Sonos Zones do not actually authenticate to the controller as it appears they do– in other words, the association with a zone is a one-way action that is only limited by the controller software. Even if you don’t authenticate (with the associate button) you can get a list of all Zones on the current network and control them. I was able to prove this with coding a simple controller app using Python scripts on my Macbook to prove it. I moved my Macbook between home and office, without the Sonos controller ever authenticating or being installed on my Mac, and was able to list all zones and control the playlists, etc … There is no reason the controller cannot already control multiple networks. This would be an easy fix which makes it even more frustrating. Jason

I've got 97 houses and 531 pieces of equipment. I spend several hours each day at every house, so it's totally essential for me to have this solution. If you don't implement it before the end of the week, I'll throw my expensive Sonos gear in the river and feed the cats tuna for a month.
This is a feature suggestion message thread. All who are following are supportive of the idea of making the lives of Sonos users who wish to control multiple networks much easier and seemless. If you do not support this concept, stop following the thread.

I've got 97 houses and 531 pieces of equipment. I spend several hours each day at every house, so it's totally essential for me to have this solution. If you don't implement it before the end of the week, I'll throw my expensive Sonos gear in the river and feed the cats tuna for a month.
I was referring to the post from Adam who was complaining about your posts. Seems ridiculous to follow a suggestion thread and then complain about seeing suggestion comments. But that's just me.

To Sonos: Please do not implement what Jason has explained. It seems pretty horrible if anyone with an iPhone could walk past my house and take control of my Sonos network. If the security is really as lax as Jason describes, then please focus attention on improving this, rather than on implementing a solution to control multiple networks from a single controller. Of course... doing that would mean my cats would end up tired of tuna, and my Sonos equiment would learn to swim. But I guess that's a small price to pay.
If your Wi Fi network is insecure, such that I can associate to your network, I CAN ALREADY control your Sonos. That is the point. But alas, I sincerely doubt you would be so unwise as to leave your Wi Fi unprotected and without a password. Sonos zones do not require authentication. I'll prove it to you now. Download the remote app on your Iphone called "Roomie" - you can control any DLNA device on your network (mine includes 8 zones and 4 Direct TV set top boxes.) You will not need to associate to any zone. But of course you WILL need to be on your protected Wi Fi network already.

Please promote this idea. It is severely needed, and is beginning to make it very hard for me to suggest sonos as my install system of choice. In my immediate circle I have 12 friends with sonos systems in 2 or more places (some up to 4) We place an iPad in each home, but the ability to control with their iPhone without reseting each time is a must. this is not a minority issue. Once you have sonos you want it everywhere...... You should be able to pair you phone/ipad with multiple systems, and that pairing should automatically be selected based on witch wifi the device is currently connected to. The day this happens - i will immediately order 30+ zones to expand other clients systems that have been withholding because of this reason. (its sad when an airport express system is becoming more practical)
Hey Rick, try using some of the third party controller apps. They aren't as nice as the Sonos app, but they do let you control any zone so long as you're on the same wi fi network - NO PAIRING REQUIRED. From an iPhone i'm using Roomie control my zones successfully. Bonus is Roomie also controls My Direct TV boxes and my Smart TV. Although it would be so much better if Sonos would just disable the pairing function in their app to permit control via DLNA of any zone on the associated network. Alternately, allow the pairing to multiple networks.

Please promote this idea. It is severely needed, and is beginning to make it very hard for me to suggest sonos as my install system of choice. In my immediate circle I have 12 friends with sonos systems in 2 or more places (some up to 4) We place an iPad in each home, but the ability to control with their iPhone without reseting each time is a must. this is not a minority issue. Once you have sonos you want it everywhere...... You should be able to pair you phone/ipad with multiple systems, and that pairing should automatically be selected based on witch wifi the device is currently connected to. The day this happens - i will immediately order 30+ zones to expand other clients systems that have been withholding because of this reason. (its sad when an airport express system is becoming more practical)
Agreed, just trying to help! If you have indigo then u know U can link insteon keypad link buttons to control zones using AppleScript or python. Just figured that one out myself.

I've commented before and felt that Sonos didn't appreciate getting feedback they didn't like. The lack of response from Sonos stopped me from a plan I worked out with our A/V provider to switch my house from a failing Elan system to Sonos, which we very much enjoy in our vacation home. Up to this point, I've held Sonos up as an exemplary company. I now think otherwise. There are competing products and every day Sonos has more competition. While I've invested heavily in Sonos and given Sonos products as gifts, lack of constructive response to this clear product weakness has called a halt to my endorsement. I've gone from a "promoter" to a "distractor"--the worst thing you can have happen to your customer base if you subscribe at all to the approach of "net promoter scores" as a measure and predictor of corporate success. I have actively talked people out of buying Sonos, whereas I used to strongly endorse. I guess I don't believe Sonos when they say there's just not that much interest in being able to control multiple systems. Even if credible market research had been conducted to determine the number of customers who would care, it's extremely important to look at who does care. If it's the people who most strongly support your products and services, that should outweigh the simple percentage of people who care. Anyway, initial buyers don't know they'll want this. It's those of us who have continued to expand our systems and number of installations that are running ahead of other buyers. Sonos should act appreciative of the feedback (at the very least) and find a solution. I agree with others, the technology for this is not that difficult to put in place given the current architecture. Sad. REALLY sad.

To Sonos: Please do not implement what Jason has explained. It seems pretty horrible if anyone with an iPhone could walk past my house and take control of my Sonos network. If the security is really as lax as Jason describes, then please focus attention on improving this, rather than on implementing a solution to control multiple networks from a single controller. Of course... doing that would mean my cats would end up tired of tuna, and my Sonos equiment would learn to swim. But I guess that's a small price to pay.
Thanks for the clarification. I have learnt something new today.