Google Assistant problem content isn't available

Hi Jean, 

Any update here? 

To let you know, I've re-added the boost via ethernet to the router via switch and removed ethernet from the zp80. The same result occurs.

Best regards 

Nathan 

Hi @nathan.a 

Thank you for your response and I apologize for the delay in responding as I have days off as well. 

The reason why I would suggest using the Boost is that it has a more powerful WiFi antenna than the ZP-80 and is easier to locate to a position not hemmed in by other pieces of audio/electronic gear. 

If that’s not feasible at this time, it is possible to plug it back in sans Ethernet cable and allow it to act as a wireless mesh node in Sonosnet, this should be able to keep all of your players on the same page. 

Unfortunately the details of the Google Assistant Logs aren’t posting so I am unable to glean anything useful there. I’m trying to gauge if this is a network communications issue or something lurking in the Google:Sonos interface that needs expert attention. I’m leaning towards both at the moment. 

It sounds simple, but it doesn’t look like your Sonos ZPs have been rebooted recently, can you give them a good power-cycling before we try anything else? 

Hi Jean,

Thanks for your perseverance. 

I've just power cycled all five sonos zones. They were all switched off at the same time. 

I've powered them back on and retried, using the Google home mini in the lounge, outputting to the sonos lounge (itself on wifi, just 30cm away from the boost which is ethernet-wired to the switch (wired to the router)).

The same problems persists. When I deselect the sonos lounge as the output, so that the Google home mini device is the output, it plays jimi hendrix absolutely fine.

Google home activity - apologies for the copy paste - (it's in reverse chronological order) and is as follows, showing the above description. In reverse order below, the command is "play jimi hendrix" . It responds with, "OK, The Jimi Hendrix Experience from Google Play Music. Playing on Sonos Lounge…" then immediately "Sorry, I can't find what you asked for." 

1 minute later, at 2017, once I've changed the speaker from sonos lounge to the Google home mini, I use the very same voice command "play jimi hendrix", which is acknowledged, "OK, playing The Jimi Hendrix Experience on Google Play Music…" and which then plays fine. So, something is going on between the Google home api and sonos api I assume? 

​​​

Said play Jimi Hendrix

OK, playing The Jimi Hendrix Experience on Google Play Music…

20:17 • Details •  • 

Assistant



Said play Jimi Hendrix

Sorry, I can't find what you asked for.

OK, The Jimi Hendrix Experience from Google Play Music. Playing on Sonos Lounge…

If it at all helps, I have just run a diagnostic, number is 1166550202. 

Please let me know if there is anything else I should be doing on my side. 

Separately, which zone player did it look like had weaker signal? I'm intrigued that I don't need the boost (or any zp for that matter) ethernet connected to my router. I could therefore place the boost somewhere equidistant between the weakest zp and other zps. Would be good to know if that boosts connectivity to the weakest zp (which might be the kitchen, being furthest from the other zps). 

Best regards 

Nathan 

Hello again @nathan.a.

Thank you for the updated diagnostic. If you have the Boost wired to your router, is it possible ton move it further than 30cm from your ZP80 and your main router? 1 meter would be sufficient for testing purposes. 

I can see that your Play: 5 came back in with your Boost connection though your system is still in what we call a “mixed-mode” which can cause communications issues. Moving the Boost further away from the ZP-80 may resolve this issue

While you don’t need to have any player wired to your network, a wired connection is generally going to be more reliable. The Boost can help carry information to other Sonos players even if it is not wired in but there must be a wired connection to some other Sonos product in your system, like your ZP-80.

You can learn about the difference between a wired and a wireless set up here.

If you would like to return this to a wireless set up, the Boost won’t help you but the connection would be uniform.

I think the interference in your home isn’t helping but I do not at this point have a reason to believe that it is the root cause of this behavior. This is something we may want to keep an eye on and test the limits of.

Do you use any other music streaming services that could be added to Sonos like Spotify or Youtube Music?

Sure, I'll move the boost a little further away. 

The play 5 came online because I turned it on.

No we don't use Spotify etc. We just have a subscription to Google play music. 

I've moved the boost further away, no difference. 

Thank you @nathan.a, 

How far away were you able to place the Boost?

Were you able to test it with the ZP 80 wired again and the Boost further out by the Kitchen player?  

Can you submit a follow up diagnostic from your system after those most recent changes?

Hi Jean, 

I've done as you suggested:

1 - boost (ethernet) to switch and router, boost moved 2m away from zp80 (wifi), run same voice command ("play jimi hendrix"). Same issue persists. Diagnostic submitted:

729119474

2 - unplugged boost and wired the zp80 via ethernet to switch and router. Moved boost outside of the lounge (midway to the kitchen) and let it connect over WiFi. 

Run same voice command in lounge ("play jimi hendrix"). Same issue persists. Diagnostic submitted:

88579239

Given that Google play music can play the request on the home mini successfully, but, when sonos is incorporated as the output speaker for the same home mini, same voice command, and given what we've tried, I think there must be something amiss with the coding between sonos and the Google api.

Please let me know anything else you want to try on my end. 

Hello @nathan.a,

Thank you for all the leg-work you have done on this matter and at this point I am inclined to agree with you.

Though your current system is not perfect, we’ve exhaustively ruled out network lag in your case as a likely source of this issue. Its entirely possible that a minor change in either software environment could have disrupted this function.

I hope we can find a solution going forward since this is key to how you use your system. 

For right now, monitor the system for any changes and keep us posted. 

Hi Jean, 

Thanks for your reply. Does this mean that the sonos developers are looking into the code to solve this? 

Worth noting, on a Google support site there seems to be other users who have issues with playback when sonos is set as the default speaker:

https://support.google.com/googlenest/thread/40728918?hl=en

Many thanks 

Nathan