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Nik of Time
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December 5, 2017
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Is there a benefit to wiring Playbar and Sub in a 5.1 setup?

I have a Playbar, Sub, and two Play:1's for a surround setup at home + other sonos speakers throughout the house.

Currently the only Sonos component wired to my router is my Sonos Bridge.

Since it would not be difficult to wire my Sub and Playbar to my router as well, I've been considering doing this because intuitively it seems like it would simplify my overall network with fewer individual wireless components.

Is my thinking correct? Would there be any benefit?
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John BAnswer
December 5, 2017
I THINK it works like this.

As you have a wired component, the Playbar is currently getting its data via 2.4GHz SonosNet (or optical for TV). If you wired the Playbar it would (almost certainly) prefer the wired connection to the wireless one. Most people would say that however robust a wireless connection is, a wired connection is to be preferred.

Either wsy, the Playbar talks to the other bonded 5.1 components over 5GHz SonosNet while those components remain wireless.

If you wired the Sub too, I THINK the Playbar would still get all the data over Ethernet, then manage the communications with the other components, and the system will probably prefer a wired connection from Playbar to Bridge to Sub to a 5GHz wireless path. That is the bit I am least confident about, though.

I would not necessarily say that simplified anything.

I shall be interested to hear the reliable version if someone from Sonos can supply it!
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2 replies

John BAnswer
December 5, 2017
I THINK it works like this.

As you have a wired component, the Playbar is currently getting its data via 2.4GHz SonosNet (or optical for TV). If you wired the Playbar it would (almost certainly) prefer the wired connection to the wireless one. Most people would say that however robust a wireless connection is, a wired connection is to be preferred.

Either wsy, the Playbar talks to the other bonded 5.1 components over 5GHz SonosNet while those components remain wireless.

If you wired the Sub too, I THINK the Playbar would still get all the data over Ethernet, then manage the communications with the other components, and the system will probably prefer a wired connection from Playbar to Bridge to Sub to a 5GHz wireless path. That is the bit I am least confident about, though.

I would not necessarily say that simplified anything.

I shall be interested to hear the reliable version if someone from Sonos can supply it!
    John B
    December 5, 2017
    I think I should have said 'wired connection from Playbar to router to Sub'....
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