Skip to main content

We use our Sonos Playbar on a shelf in an entertainment stand with a LG OLED TV on top using its support stand. We have always used the Playbar in the “horizontal” position and use the universal remote to control volume.  Recently suddenly the remote stopped working. But when I move the Playbar into the “vertical” position within the furniture unit (i.e. with the word Sonos showing as if it were to be wall mounted) it works just fine. This leads me to believe that one of the IR receivers is working fine and the other does not for some reason. Any easy way to trouble shoot or fix this?

The only effective way would be to submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this problem, and call Sonos Support to discuss it.

There may be information included in the diagnostic that will help Sonos pinpoint the issue and help you find a solution.

When you speak directly to the phone folks, they have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your Sonos system and network.


Hardware fault cannot be ruled out. A wild possibility is some sort of IR interference when PLAYBAR is in the horizontal orientation because the IR receiver is in a slightly different location. You could explore this using a cardboard “blocker” to restrict light incidence. Also not a likely solution, is rebooting PLAYBAR and give it another chance to read the orientation sensor again.

Are the remote transmitter’s batteries in good shape? One PLAYBAR orientation might be more sensitive and if the transmitter’s batteries are run down … .