Question

Worst Controller Ever

  • 28 November 2017
  • 15 replies
  • 638 views

Userlevel 1
I used to rave about SONOS a few years ago when I bought my system. Today, I regret it! The controller is the most unreliable piece of carp I have ever bought in my life. It crashes for no reason; it stops playing for no reason. It does not recognize my music library. It is capricious. I could go on and on...:@

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15 replies

I am sure you could go on and on. But the app itself cannot stop playing because it is effectively a remote control and doesn't actually play anything in the first place.

That doesn't make your issues any less real and frustrating, but it does affect how you go about resolving the problems with your system. I would suggest running a system diagnostic and posting the confirmation number back here. Or work with Sonos Support via social media.
Userlevel 1
I have done both multiple times... Complete frustration
Do you mean previously or with current issues?
I find the new app clumsy to use and unintuitive, especially since I have five rooms. The old apps were much easier. For example with the new app you can choose a room and then have real problems figuring out to change to music there. Please revert to previous app.
Sorry I thought your problem was drop outs, you didn't say anything about difficulties selecting rooms or music. Perhaps this will help with that aspect

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mI9AOixsZpxDrxVnsnzYQbPZ23bSV-EG
Userlevel 2
There have indeed been beter version then this v8.x. I also see that most family members are very confused in what room they are actually changing the music, with teenagers in house not always easy. There should be a clear indication at all time in what room you are actually controlling the music.
There have indeed been beter version then this v8.x. I also see that most family members are very confused in what room they are actually changing the music, with teenagers in house not always easy. There should be a clear indication at all time in what room you are actually controlling the music.That is a good suggestion. In the meantime, the following may be helpful:
1. If the 'Now Playing' screen is showing, the room being controlled is that named towards the bottom of the screen.
2. On any other screen the tab bar is visible, and by touching the Rooms button you can see which room is active in the controller - it is whichever room is highlighted. To control a different room, tap that room once to select the room and tap it again to get back to the Now Playing screen.

Note: the active room in the controller at any given time is not necessarily one in which music is playing.

I hope that helps.
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I must second the comments... each update seems to bring a lower-quality experience.

With the forced update to 8.2.1, the streaming STOPS between tracks randomly. We use three (3) iOS devices to control our music. Mostly stream from Pandora. Sometimes from our server-based home music library.

At first we thought is was as we were getting text-messages, but have debunked that theory. So--our music stops, and we have to press the play button again! Sometimes have to wait for a bit for the app to respond.

This is continual and frustrating.

Dear Sonos--please allow us to revert to the previous app version that worked!!!???
I must second the comments... each update seems to bring a lower-quality experience.

With the forced update to 8.2.1, the streaming STOPS between tracks randomly. We use three (3) iOS devices to control our music. Mostly stream from Pandora. Sometimes from our server-based home music library.

At first we thought is was as we were getting text-messages, but have debunked that theory. So--our music stops, and we have to press the play button again! Sometimes have to wait for a bit for the app to respond.

This is continual and frustrating.

Dear Sonos--please allow us to revert to the previous app version that worked!!!???
The Sonos app is not a music player, it is a remote control. You have problems with your system but such symptoms cannot be caused by the app. Submitting a system diagnostic might be a first step in getting your problems resolved. Blaming the app for this sort of thing will never resolve them
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I wouldn't say the controller is crap but the soundbar and play 3 I have definitely are. Constant drop outs, just went down to my shed and for some reason my play 3 is no longer a part of the network. I used to have both devices connected wirelessly but that was just not practical. Constant drop outs, sometimes the device would not show up on the controller, skipping songs. Ended up cabling both devices to my network but still have skipping and missing device issues. Have submitted 3 diagnostics so far to sonos and have only received a reply from one. Yes I sent my diagnostic number in each time as well. I have to say I do regret spending the $1300 + on these. Now looking for something less susceptible to interference and with a bluetooth connection capability.
As I type, I was running the Add Player sequence to re-add my play 3 and guess what........It is now telling my it cannot find my product or it is a long way from the router. The bloody thing is connected to my computer via a lan cable grrrrrrr
Well, all of that actually points to a problem with IP addresses, if it's connected to the same SSID as the rest of the system.

The quick and dirty fix is to unplug the Sonos devices, then reboot your router. Once the router is back up, plug in the first Sonos device, preferably the one that is wired. Give it a minute to boot up, then move on to the next one and plug it in. Wait for it to boot before moving on to the next, and repeat for as many Sonos devices as you have.

There's a longer term fix, which requires you to reserve IP addresses for all of your Sonos devices in your router's IP address table, but that usually requires a check of the manual for the router.
Userlevel 7
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You don't want to wire it to your computer either. Wire it directly to the router
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It was only connected to the computer so I could re add it to the network. Once this was done it was connected back to the router via Ethernet.

After this it worked for a while but then was skipping songs again. I left the area and therefore the network for a while, came back and connected my phone to the network again and what do you know, the play 3 is not showing up again. Very frustrating

I hadn’t heard about reserving ip’s for a sonos device before but will give it a go and see how it fares (once I re add it to the network)
The new Sonos app is absolute rubbish. It's far less reliable than the old version.

I often find issues when trying to select or deselect rooms. The tick box says it's on/off but the speaker doesn't respond until you do it a second time. Yes my software is updated, no it's not a problem with my networking infrastructure.
I quite like the newest release of the revamp. I had issues initially months ago, but this last one addressed quite a few issues of mine.