Answered

Surround Sound Setup Errors.

V

I have an Arc+Two Sonos SLs. My router is an ASUS RT-AC88U. I continue to receive errors connecting the devices in a surround sound setup.All firmware is up to date on router and Sonos devices. App is up to date.

My connection quality is strong on all devices (40dbm) and I have played around with different frequencies and channels to reduce interference. Internet speeds are fine. I live in an apartment and aside from the 15 devices I have connected I have 10 available WiFi networks in range. So despite my efforts on picking an channel that is not congested, it still probably is.

I ordered a boost but don’t feel like I should need it. Any suggestions?

 

 

 

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Best answer by ratty 19 June 2020, 12:34

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14 replies

J

Do you have a wired device at the moment?  Can you play through the surround speakers if you use them as standalone speakers rather than surrounds?  What Sonos devices do you have?

V

I do not have a wired device but had to wire them to setup the first one. I can play music through all speakers independently and as a group (have not tried stereo setup). Arc, Two Sonos SL right now. sub comes tomorrow.

 

J

So will the surrounds not add at all?  What error do you get when you try?

Experimentally (this is not for a permanent arrangement) if you connect the surrounds by ethernet to your router will they add as surrounds?

V

The surrounds wont add at all. It fails on the first step setting up the left speaker. “Surround Setup Error - There was a problem adding the surround speaker”

I can try the wired thing tomorrow. Will see if support comes back with anything as well.
 

J

I am wondering if there is a fault on the 5GHz radio on the Arc, which is the way the surrounds would normally connect.  That theory would seem more likely to be true if the surrounds add when wired.  

If you haven’t done so already, i would submit a system diagnostic and contact Support with the confirmation number.

ratty

Note that when running Sonos in WiFi mode on RT series routers you should disable Airtime Fairness.

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/3668

V

Turning off Airtime Fairness on my RT router fixed my issue.

Further, it had a very dramatic impact on the experience of using Sonos. The app detects devices immediately compared to tens of seconds. Devices now almost immediately connect to the router when reset. The experience is fantastic now!

I reverted all previous changes (manual channel switched back to auto, firewall turned back on, switched back to 20/40 frequency, etc). Still works great!

 Thank you for your help ratty, and for your initial help John B.

P
Badge +1

The surrounds wont add at all. It fails on the first step setting up the left speaker. “Surround Setup Error - There was a problem adding the surround speaker”

I can try the wired thing tomorrow. Will see if support comes back with anything as well.
 

I’m having a similar problem - I finally got it set up but the right speaker  wouldn’t participate in the true play tuning , and is not playing in the set up.

M

I have similar problem with the ARC and two Sonos One SL. I recently purchased a new house equipped with two Ruckus APs, Ruckus Switch and my own NetGear Modem and Edge 4 Router. I keep getting the “Surround Setup Error” message even after resetting the devices to factory settings or setting up in different orders. I somehow couldn’t find airtime fairness on my APs or Router config. My Sonos sub will arrive soon but I’m losing my excitement for the setup because of this nightmare.

M

The surrounds wont add at all. It fails on the first step setting up the left speaker. “Surround Setup Error - There was a problem adding the surround speaker”

I can try the wired thing tomorrow. Will see if support comes back with anything as well.
 

I’m having a similar problem - I finally got it set up but the right speaker  wouldn’t participate in the true play tuning , and is not playing in the set up.

How were you able to set it up successfully?

D

Same problem here, it simply doesn’t connect 

Paul A
Userlevel 6
Badge +17

Hi @DCH36.

Welcome to the Sonos community and thank you for reaching out.

I would like to recommend going through some of the suggestions of our other Sonos users. I would also like to ask for a little bit more details about your router make and model, network switch, modem make and model, Wifi Extenders, Wifi Boosters, Mesh network, and any error message prompted by the Sonos app.

The more information you provide, the more we will be able to understand what is going on and the more we can help you out.

Thanks,

Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question
M

I have similar problem with the ARC and two Sonos One SL. I recently purchased a new house equipped with two Ruckus APs, Ruckus Switch and my own NetGear Modem and Edge 4 Router. I keep getting the “Surround Setup Error” message even after resetting the devices to factory settings or setting up in different orders. I somehow couldn’t find airtime fairness on my APs or Router config. My Sonos sub will arrive soon but I’m losing my excitement for the setup because of this nightmare.

I finally was able to set the surround up with success. With a little bit more research, people or households with mesh network (more than one access points) have a more difficult time setting up the said speakers set up because of network communication issues and it’s configuration. With that said, I know it is a bit extra to be buying Sonos Boost, but it is what solved my issue with setting up the Two Arc+ Two One SLs surround. You would know you are on the right track to success because upon reading the reviews of Sonos Boost, people who bough it commonly share the same experience on encountering the surround set up error because of their mesh network set up. Some would also mention a few alternatives in lieu of using Sonos Boost- like hooking up one of the speakers (i.e Arc) through ethernet cable so that Arc could act like a wifi hotspot for remaining speakers. I have not tried that one and am not sure if that is even accurate. But long story short, if you have the same Surround Setup error issue like mine, buy a Sonos Boost and you'll be fine. 

Paul A
Userlevel 6
Badge +17

Hi @mjagloro17.

Thanks for sharing your experience and feedback.

This is a very good recommendation/resolution for other users that might have the same issues and components that you might have.

Please let us know if you still have further questions or concerns.

Thanks,

Help others find useful content by clicking the like button and selecting the best answer to your question
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