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chreg
Contributor I
March 5, 2013

Playbar - Usage of the 2 Ethernet connectors

Hello,

Already owner of a Play-5 I am currently following with interest the arrival of the playbar.

I have 1 question regarding the Ethernet connection of the PlayBar. I could see there are 2 ports and in the specifications it is mentioned :
'A single Ethernet port can connect PLAYBAR to a wired home network. A second Ethernet port can be used to share wireless control.'

My Play-5 is currently connected with Eternet to the router. If I would buy a playbar, it would take the place of the Play-5. the Play-5 would then be moved to another room.

So will the Playbar act as the Play-5 that means be the entry point to the router to then connect other components ?

Thanks for your feedback.

Regards,
Régis
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    21 replies

    Show previous replies
    Anonymous
    February 7, 2017
    Can the Playbar be on ethernet while the other parts of the surround (Play:1 and Sub) are on still on wifi?
    ratty
    ratty
    February 7, 2017
    Can the Playbar be on ethernet while the other parts of the surround (Play:1 and Sub) are on still on wifi?
    If you mean wireless, then yes. The surrounds and SUB will talk directly to the PLAYBAR via its own 5GHz wireless.
      Anonymous
      February 7, 2017
      Cool.

      So Sonos creates its own proprietary private wireless network? That's amazing. I thought all of the speakers were running all of the audio through the router.

      So if I run ethernet to the Playbar it will use the ethernet to stream music from the source, but it will play everything through it's proprietary wireless network?
      ratty
      ratty
      February 7, 2017
      When a single Sonos unit is wired, the system goes into SonosNet mode. The units set up a dedicated 2.4GHz wireless mesh, where each talks to its neighbours, acting as receiver and transmitter. The whole system then connects back to the router through the wired unit. It's WiFi-like, but isn't actually WiFi.

      PLAYBAR is a special case, in that its wireless satellites (surrounds and SUB) always talk directly to the PLAYBAR using 5GHz connections. So in your case PLAYBAR fetches the data over Ethernet, then sends the relevant channels to the surrounds and SUB.
        Anonymous
        February 7, 2017
        Amazing. Thanks for the info.
        Anonymous
        February 7, 2017
        One last question. I had the Playbar on its own 2.4 Ghz wifi network. Nothing else used the 2.4 network as all of my other devices are 5 Ghz. Now I have wired ethernet to the Playbar. Does this mean I can shut down the 2.4 Ghz network?
        ratty
        ratty
        February 8, 2017
        One last question. I had the Playbar on its own 2.4 Ghz wifi network. Nothing else used the 2.4 network as all of my other devices are 5 Ghz. Now I have wired ethernet to the Playbar. Does this mean I can shut down the 2.4 Ghz network?
        If nothing's using that 2.4GHz WiFi then you can turn it off if you want.
        Drboom11
        Avid Contributor I
        August 30, 2017
        When a single Sonos unit is wired, the system goes into SonosNet mode. The units set up a dedicated 2.4GHz wireless mesh, where each talks to its neighbours, acting as receiver and transmitter. The whole system then connects back to the router through the wired unit. It's WiFi-like, but isn't actually WiFi.

        PLAYBAR is a special case, in that its wireless satellites (surrounds and SUB) always talk directly to the PLAYBAR using 5GHz connections. So in your case PLAYBAR fetches the data over Ethernet, then sends the relevant channels to the surrounds and SUB.

        Here's a question...I have my PLAY:5 (second gen) wired to my router establishing Sonosnet. In another room I have the 5.1 system with PLAYBAR.

        Can I wire my PS4 to the PLAYBAR to give the PS4 internet access without creating any issues??
        John B
        August 30, 2017
        You can do this and it may work fine. You aren't going to damage anything. Just be aware that SonosNet is designed for reliable audio, not speed. Also, the bandwidth occupied by the PS4 traffic may affect the reliability of music playing on Sonos. But it may not. No harm in trying.
        Ivanhoe
        Trending Lyricist I
        February 26, 2018
        When a single Sonos unit is wired, the system goes into SonosNet mode. The units set up a dedicated 2.4GHz wireless mesh, where each talks to its neighbours, acting as receiver and transmitter. The whole system then connects back to the router through the wired unit. It's WiFi-like, but isn't actually WiFi.

        PLAYBAR is a special case, in that its wireless satellites (surrounds and SUB) always talk directly to the PLAYBAR using 5GHz connections. So in your case PLAYBAR fetches the data over Ethernet, then sends the relevant channels to the surrounds and SUB.

        Hello, does SonosNet make Sonos Bridge unit obsolete? Currently have Paybar, 1 Sonos Connect for record player, 2x Sonos 1, and Sub.

        Thanks!
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