Hi Guys,
Let me start off by saying I love you guys. I have a Playbar, Play 5, Play 3, Connect, and am looking to complete my Playbar setup with a couple of Play 1's and a Sub soon.
I also have an Amazon Echo and it is awesome. In fact, it's a bit too awesome and I find myself asking Alexa to play music just because if I want to hear a song, all I have to do is ask; I don't have to bust out my phone. The problem is the speakers on the Echo are mediocre at best. I would much prefer the sound to come out of my Sonos system. With the "internet of things" really starting to take off - integration is going to become more and more important.
Amazon Echo has sort of a plugins-type interface called skills. https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/getting-started-guide
It would be amazing if you guys could create an skill for Sonos. Something like "Alexa, tell Sonos to play *playlist*." or music by _____ or x from pandora.
I've done some searching and this comes up on this forum a lot. I think it's time you started listening to your community. With skills you no longer need much help from Amazon so its on you to keep your customers happy. Please do not start your own voice recognition or anything silly like that. Stick to what you're great at. Just use what is already available and on the markets and integrate with them.
Thanks
-Collin
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Userlevel 7
+22
See this thread https://en.community.sonos.com/controllers-software-228995/amazon-echo-controller-6512658
Before posting I had searched the forums and seen this thread. I know the integration is currently possibly (even if a bit jerry-rigged). What I'm asking for is for Sonos to actually get onboard and create an Alexa Skill for their customers. It's pretty clear people want it.
Userlevel 7
+22
Yea I give that 0% supporting a 3rd party device with limited market. Just sayin'. Third party using Sonon API is only way way your going to see integration.
It would just be another controller... no different than supporting iOS or Android third party devices as controllers. The market is limited but growing and the "buzz factor" for having voice control capability with minimum development (compared to a totally homegrown solution) could be quite attractive to marketing.
It would just be another controller... no different than supporting iOS or Android third party devices as controllers. The market is limited but growing and the "buzz factor" for having voice control capability with minimum development (compared to a totally homegrown solution) could be quite attractive to marketing.
I'm not sure Amazon would enjoy having a third party speaker manufacturer using their voice activated speaker as a voice activated controller. Then again, Amazon and Sonos seem to have a cordial working relationship.
Userlevel 7
+22
I personally want Sonos to devote no effort to this. There are plenty of other wish list items to work on and spend development time on that are not niche device support (better suited to third party development through API)
Unless you own and have used Alexa (Echo) you may not get what Collin is saying. It is so wonderful just saying "Alexa, play the Beatles" and the Beatles play. If Amazon, or anyone else, comes up with a HiFi system along the lines of Sonos that is properly integrated with Alexa, I would drop Sonos like a hot potato.
I have been using Sonos for 7 years, and love it, but Alexa is so good that I am willing to move from Sonos to get proper integration.
I have been using Sonos for 7 years, and love it, but Alexa is so good that I am willing to move from Sonos to get proper integration.
Userlevel 7
+23
How is Grouping supposed to work though? "Play the Beatles in the Kitchen and group that with the Dining Room and ungroup the Bathroom". Ug. Sonos is a multi-room system, adding speech support to that isn't as trivial as some seem to think. And that's just in English: Sonos support ~14 languages, the grammar rules for grouping I'm sure vary.
Just as a clarification to anyone reading this thread, Sonos has never said "Echo support is coming.", so asking "when" it is coming is a little premature. The title is a little like standing at a street corner asking "When is the bus coming?' in a town that has no mass transit system.
Userlevel 2
I want to control Sonos with Echo too!
Userlevel 2
me: "Alexa, Play Born to Run by Springsteen on Sonos in the Kitchen"
Alexa: the Kitchen is in a group containing Living Room and Office. Shall I UNGROUP or Play in that group?"
me: ungroup
Alexa plays Bruce in the Kitchen and all is well!
@sonos
Just get on with it a write that simple skill before I do it myself.
https://github.com/rgraciano/echo-sonos
The extent to which people will go to hack the setup to get something acceptable doesn't stop there... check out what this Dutch techie did
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQ5h1jPsqjI
Now, @sonos... if you're even listening. I created a skill within 2 hours (first time) that allows Amazon Echo to play audio via my Sonos system. I'm a bit more technical than the average bear and the instructions are all in the GITHUB so, all I ask is that you take action and satisfy this growing community before they abandon you for greener pastures. just sayin'
Per the GitHub instructions, this requires exposing your home network, incoming, to the Internet. No thanks.
I don't know if Sonos will ever support control from an Echo but Amazon is rapidly expanding their partner base with great success. I just recently added the ability to control my lighting via Echo using a fully supported solution... no hacks, and it works amazingly well. I can see Echo becoming the primary user interface in our household for all whole-house technologies (lights, heat, reminders, music, etc.) If Sonos doesn't want to play in that integrated whole-house space then I'm sure Amazon will find other partners who do or they may even develop whole-house music abilities into future "Alexa Enabled" products of their own.
Userlevel 1
I created an account simply to upvote and comment here: this is a huge miss on Sonos' part that a full year after Echo is GA and has dozens of other partnerships that Sonos remains out of the ecosystem. It's great someone has done some creative hackery on github to link the two, but this needs to be officially supported by Sonos.
I own an Echo. I don't own Sonos today, but I'd very much like to own Sonos. It looks like a great system and leaps and bounds ahead of your competition in this space (for now). However, a Sonos that doesn't communicate with my Echo is useless to me. Smartphone apps are nice and all - but I just TALK to my Echo and it plays music I like. Investing in a pricey Sonos system that can't tie into this feature is a step backwards.
Short story: Integrate with Echo, earn an eager customer. Don't integrate with Echo, or come out instead with some standalone lock-in Sonos-only Echo competitor, and my money will go to your first competitor that offers Echo integration.
I own an Echo. I don't own Sonos today, but I'd very much like to own Sonos. It looks like a great system and leaps and bounds ahead of your competition in this space (for now). However, a Sonos that doesn't communicate with my Echo is useless to me. Smartphone apps are nice and all - but I just TALK to my Echo and it plays music I like. Investing in a pricey Sonos system that can't tie into this feature is a step backwards.
Short story: Integrate with Echo, earn an eager customer. Don't integrate with Echo, or come out instead with some standalone lock-in Sonos-only Echo competitor, and my money will go to your first competitor that offers Echo integration.
I agree. I've only had it a few days, and I always prefer to ask Alexa to turn my lights on and off ( via WeMo switches ) than to find my phone, open the WeMo app, and then toggle the desired lights on or off. Grouping adds additional convenience since I great multiple switch groups that match my use case. For example, in the morning I turn all lights on, so I have an 'all lights' group. when I study, I might just have office light on and the other off, so I have a "study" light group. Etc.
Where Sonos is concerned, I use my iPhone to send to an Airport Express that is plugged into a Play 5 for "whole house" audio. If Amazon Echo could be the go between for either iTunes library to Airport express, or directly to the Sono speakers, I would be happy!
Let me start off by saying I love you guys. I have a Playbar, Play 5, Play 3, Connect, and am looking to complete my Playbar setup with a couple of Play 1's and a Sub soon.
I also have an Amazon Echo and it is awesome. In fact, it's a bit too awesome and I find myself asking Alexa to play music just because if I want to hear a song, all I have to do is ask; I don't have to bust out my phone. The problem is the speakers on the Echo are mediocre at best. I would much prefer the sound to come out of my Sonos system. With the "internet of things" really starting to take off - integration is going to become more and more important.
Amazon Echo has sort of a plugins-type interface called skills. https://developer.amazon.com/public/solutions/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/getting-started-guide
It would be amazing if you guys could create an skill for Sonos. Something like "Alexa, tell Sonos to play *playlist*." or music by _____ or x from pandora.
I've done some searching and this comes up on this forum a lot. I think it's time you started listening to your community. With skills you no longer need much help from Amazon so its on you to keep your customers happy. Please do not start your own voice recognition or anything silly like that. Stick to what you're great at. Just use what is already available and on the markets and integrate with them.
Thanks
-Collin
So, can we tell Alexa to start our sonos via our phones??
Userlevel 2
Another Sonos customer here that would love to be able to use an Amazon Echo to control my home music system. Please!!!
Wanted to add my support for Echo integration. An isolated, strictly proprietary solution will only let you go so far in the market. I own several Sonos products and love them. I'm sure Echo support could not replicate the Sonos app experience or full functionality, but basic functionality would be welcome and may even open Sonos to new customers.
Same here an Echo support would be great, just started using echo and sometime find listening to music so much easier on it, if support for echo is provided would be using my sonos system more frequently.
As a compromise you might consider getting an Echo Dot and connecting it to the line-in of your Sonos player in the room or rooms you most often listen to music in. This would give you both the convenience of Echo plus the sound quality of Sonos. You could also share the Echo Dot sound with other rooms via Sonos and still use Sonos in the traditional old fashioned app control way if you wanted to listen to your local music library.
Userlevel 2
Amazon Echo's do not (yet) synchronize between multiple devices on the same network. Once this happens, Sonos is in trouble. In anticipation of future developments, we have in-ceiling speakers installed on our outside deck, in the garage, in the kitchen, and in the master bathroom (I enjoy music while in the shower) - all driven by four (4) Sonos Amps. I like Sonos, but the convenience of saying something like "Alexa, play my jazz playlist in the kitchen" is irresistible - all without having to find my phone or iPad, clean my hands, etc. I've thought about it, and will put in whichever networked devices that make accessing content easier.
Please Sonos - integrate your excellent products with this future technology.
Please Sonos - integrate your excellent products with this future technology.
I was thinking about buying another Play:1 for my garage, but instead I just bought two Echo Dots.
I completely agree! integration with Amazon Echo is critical. I also agree with the user above who said they would drop Sonos like a hot potato if someone else figures this out and Sonos doesn't. I'm a fairly new customer to Sonos but have had an amazon echo for about a year - I'm very disappointed that Sonos isn't listening to their community on this need.
Userlevel 7
+22
We don't know if Sonos is listening regarding or not. They do not comment on future plans.
We also still don't know if Amazon are interested in allowing third parties access to their voice control technology.
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