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Answered

Another Playbase user with WiFi problems

  • 26 November 2022
  • 22 replies
  • 433 views

Hello,

My playbase has been unable to connect to wifi for well over a year now, so effectively I’ve had to connect it directly to my router which means it is not controllable via the app or useful for anything other than the permanent connection to the TV. I can no longer connect it to the network to use it for Spotify or other services. I’ve gone through all the troubleshooting procedures but have never been able to reconnect the system wirelessly.

I notice from this forum that this is not an unusual problem. What options are available to me at this point?

 

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22 replies

N
Userlevel 7
Badge +19

Firstly, I’d suggest you generate a diagnostics report and contact Sonos to see whether a problem shows up and whether they can offer a resolution. But if your wifi and network are the same environment, I would have thought the Playbase can be used for streaming sources, music library, etc? 

D
Badge +1

Thanks Nik. My wifi network is created by a MESH system which is connected to the same router but anything connected directly to the modem/router is outside this MESH-created wifi network (the router creates a separate wifi network). It’s possible I could set up the MESH as a repeater which might solve the problem but there are other reasons I don’t want to do this. I really need wifi connectivity from the Playbase to get full functionality.   

J

Hi.  Which mesh system?  Does the primary mesh device have an Ethernet LAN port?  Which device is acting as the DHCP server?  Is the router WiFi network really still running alongside the mesh WiFi?

Maybe your Playbase has a faulty WiFI card.  Or maybe your network is set up sub-optimally.

D
Badge +1

Thanks John - It’s a Deco Mesh. The primary has an ethernet port but I need to use that to hardwire one of the remote Deco units. The main wifi and DHCP comes from the Deco system. Yes, the router wifi is still running - I use it occasionally. The router/modem is a Zyxel VMG8623 for the record. If I connect the playbase to the Zyxel router via ethernet and connect to the Zyxel’s wifi I can then see the playbase alright, but that’s not very practical, and it means it’s on a separate system to my other Sonos speakers around the house (all of which connect to the Mesh network). I could of course connect the entire system to the Zyxel wifi but that is not practical either. What I want is for the Playbase wifi to work! 

 

 

D
Badge +1

I ran a diagnostic on the playbase btw - 1413646936. Where am I supposed to send this exactly?

 

J

What I think you should do (and what everybody else does) is turn WiFi and DHCP off on the router, wire a Sonos device (might as well be the Playbase for you) to the primary mesh device (using a cheap unmanaged Ethernet switch if more ports are needed) and connect everything to the mesh.

I say everyone - I mean almost al those who don’t go down the alternative route of putting the mesh into bridge mode.  You seem to have a halfway house that creates unnecessary problems for Sonos.

D
Badge +1

Thanks John - I realise I can do what you suggest but why is this the best solution?

I’m not aware that the Zyxel wifi or its DHCP is interfering in any way with the Mesh. The main Deco unit needs the router and its DHCP to get the internet connection. The mesh then uses its own DHCP to connect clients - its setup is entirely within the Deco recommendations.

The Playbase is supposed to have wifi connectivity and it doesn’t work. I don’t want it to be hardwired. I don’t understand how my setup creates problems for the playbase?

J

You may need to keep the DHCP on the router just for the primary DECO, which I assume is wired to the router. But if the router WIFi is still on, what stops other devices picking up an IP address from the router? What stops the Playbase getting  an Ip address from there?

Where is your controller device getting its IP address? To which WiFi signal is it connecting?

For Sonos to work all speakers and controllers must be on the same subnet. How are you ensuring this with 2 DHCP servers and 2 WiFis running? 

D
Badge +1

No other devices can pick up an IP address from the router wifi because it’s password protected and only I know the password.

In addition to that, what stops the playbase getting its IP from the router WIFI is the fact that the playbase wifi does not appear to be working. 😉

The controller normally connects via the mesh wifi. The whole home network is off the mesh.

However I’ll have a go at turning off the router wifi and see if that makes any difference to the playbase’s ability to connect to the Mesh (not optimistic!)

 

J

So which wifi credentials are currently in your Sonos system?

D
Badge +1

Not sure - probably none, I’d imagine as I’ve factory reset it a few times after it started failing to connect. How would I find out?

 

J

Given that Sonos cannot connect to WiFi without these details there must be something in there. (Although Sonos devices may connect via SonosNet when one device is wired).

In Settings, go to System, Network ,Manage Networks. 

J

Please don't factory reset. It hardly ever helps and usually makes things worse.

Ken_Griffiths

I have a similar setup with a WiFi mesh system and it’s configured just like @John B mentions.. my ISP provided router has been placed in modem-mode (but ‘bridge’ mode is fine too) and the primary mesh WiFi hub is connected to a port on that router/modem.

From the other Ethernet port of the primary mesh WiFi hub, I have connected a 16 port switch and everything then runs off that switch, or the mesh WiFi hubs placed around the Home. (I don’t wire anything to those satellite hubs).

The ISP router WiFi is disabled in my case and of course I don’t use its DHCP server, all the network addressing and NAT is done by the primary mesh hub. That all works perfectly for me and of course the Sonos product(s) can be wired back to the switch mentioned. That’s definitely an ideal setup for Sonos, it works really well here in our Home.👍

D
Badge +1

Please don't factory reset. It hardly ever helps and usually makes things worse.

Just followed the procedures recommended by Sonos. It didn't make anything worse - the playbase had gone offline and could not reconnect. The problem predates the mesh network btw.

This seems to be a known issue with Playbase - there are several threads about it already.

 

D
Badge +1

PS I inadvertently marked this thread as answered but that was an error - hopefully I can find a way to revert that!

D
Badge +1

I have a similar setup with a WiFi mesh system and it’s configured just like @John B mentions.. my ISP provided router has been placed in modem-mode (but ‘bridge’ mode is fine too) and the primary mesh WiFi hub is connected to a port on that router/modem.

From the other Ethernet port of the primary mesh WiFi hub, I have connected a 16 port switch and everything then runs off that switch, or the mesh WiFi hubs placed around the Home. (I don’t wire anything to those satellite hubs).

The ISP router WiFi is disabled in my case and of course I don’t use its DHCP server, all the network addressing and NAT is done by the primary mesh hub. That all works perfectly for me and of course the Sonos product(s) can be wired back to the switch mentioned. That’s definitely an ideal setup for Sonos, it works really well here in our Home.👍

 That all sounds great - not that different to my own setup, except I have no need for the switch. I am aware that I COULD add a switch to connect the playbase, but I’d prefer to exhaust the possibilities first around the Playbase’s wifi. For instance, can Playbase wifi card be replaced? There must be an official procedure as this has been reported before.

D
Badge +1

Hi.  Which mesh system?  Does the primary mesh device have an Ethernet LAN port?  Which device is acting as the DHCP server?  Is the router WiFi network really still running alongside the mesh WiFi?

Maybe your Playbase has a faulty WiFI card.  Or maybe your network is set up sub-optimally.

I’m definitely leaning toward the faulty WIFI card part of this answer - I didn’t notice that part of your response originally. That has always been my assumption that the card is fried.

D
Badge +1

Please don't factory reset. It hardly ever helps and usually makes things worse.

Thanks John - how does a factory reset as a last resort make things worse, especially after many attempts to reconnect via the normal procedures have failed?

 

J

Factory resetting destroys diagnostic info, for a start.

It is indeed a known issue that WiFi cards can fail. However, it is unlikely that a user would come on here to announce that their wifi card hasn't failed.

It is quite likely that your WiFi card has failed. There is no replacement if so. 

It is also quite likely that your network is not set up well

I think I have helped as much as I can here - which is probably very little.  Good luck.

D
Badge +1

Thanks John - you’ve confirmed my suspicion that the card is not working. My network works well - we haven’t identified any issues with it on this thread anyway.

Many thanks for your willingness to make some suggestions to help. 

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @Denis Murphy 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

Your Playbase has a fault - please contact our technical support team for a resolution.

"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." - Albert Einstein
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