Answered

Sonos Beam and Connect Amp Gen 2 without ethernet

  • 10 February 2021
  • 6 replies
  • 951 views
C

Hi there 

so I have a Sonos beam, connect amp gen 2 and two ceiling speakers. The issue I have is that the wiring for the speakers, connect amp and the WiFi router are down stairs in the utility room. The beam is up upstairs with the television. 
 

How can I get the ceiling / amp speakers to work with the beam? Do I only need to connect the connect amp to the router? I have seen mixed comments about amp and beam needing to be connected to each other via Ethernet.

is it possible to use a Ethernet Powerline adapter to make the beam think it’s connected?

I do have cat 5 cabling running through the walls from the utility cupboard to where the beam is but this is already occupied as only one port in the living room.  
 

failed to see any answers for the above so much appreciated any insights  

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Best answer by Corry P 4 March 2021, 15:10

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6 replies

G
Userlevel 7

From Sonos:

Your home theater speaker and Connect:Amp must be wired in one of the following configurations:

  • Both the Sonos home theater speaker and Connect:Amp are wired to the router with an Ethernet cable.
     
  • The Sonos home theater speaker is wired to the Connect:Amp with an Ethernet cable and another Sonos product is wired to the router.

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/2237?language=en_US

"Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." - Rashi
C

Yes I know this but it doesn’t answer the question as I can’t wire them together or wire both to the router due to distance. Can you use a Ethernet powerline adapter ?? 

J

Yes I know this but it doesn’t answer the question

 

Hi.  It didn’t appear from your post that you knew this and I think @GuitarSuperstar ‘s reply does address one of your questions.  But moving on….

as I can’t wire them together or wire both to the router due to distance. Can you use a Ethernet powerline adapter ?? 

Powerline adapters ae not supported by Sonos.  That doesn’t mean they won’t work, just that they ae not guaranteed to work for Sonos.  In principle I think this would make Sonos think it had the necessary connection.  But if the only reason you can’t use the Cat5 wiring is only having a single connection that is already in use you could either:

  1. Use a cheap, unmanaged Ethernet switch, or
  2. Connect the C;A to Cat5 and then use the other port on the C:A to connect whatever other device is currently connected.

For various reasons I don’t like option 2 very much.  There may be a downside to option 1 too, as it is generally best not to have surround speakers as the only wired device.  You could try it and it may be stable, but you may need to also wire another Sonos device.  Can you not just temporarily disconnect whatever is using the Cat 5 to see if it works?

C

Hi John 

 

thanks for this. Currently I have a hdmi extender plugged in to the cat 5 which sends the sky and the IR for the sky remote from the utility room where sky box is to the tv which is wall mounted with the beam mounted below on the bracket.

 

option 1 could you please expand on this one? Where would that be? 
 

option 2 ohhh you mean conned the extender which is pushing the sky into the connect amp and then the amp into the cat 5 up the living room? The issue is on the other end there is a hdmi receiver which then goes into the tv?

 

thanks for the help 

C

Yes I know this but it doesn’t answer the question

 

Hi.  It didn’t appear from your post that you knew this and I think @GuitarSuperstar ‘s reply does address one of your questions.  But moving on….

as I can’t wire them together or wire both to the router due to distance. Can you use a Ethernet powerline adapter ?? 

Powerline adapters ae not supported by Sonos.  That doesn’t mean they won’t work, just that they ae not guaranteed to work for Sonos.  In principle I think this would make Sonos think it had the necessary connection.  But if the only reason you can’t use the Cat5 wiring is only having a single connection that is already in use you could either:

  1. Use a cheap, unmanaged Ethernet switch, or
  2. Connect the C;A to Cat5 and then use the other port on the C:A to connect whatever other device is currently connected.

For various reasons I don’t like option 2 very much.  There may be a downside to option 1 too, as it is generally best not to have surround speakers as the only wired device.  You could try it and it may be stable, but you may need to also wire another Sonos device.  Can you not just temporarily disconnect whatever is using the Cat 5 to see if it works?

Hi John, 

 

Just wanted to follow up on my previous reply? thanks 

Corry P
Userlevel 7
Badge +18

Hi @charlie1988 

Welcome to the Sonos Community!

Are you still looking for a solution to this? Personally, I recommend you go with @John B’s suggestion of getting a small network switch (£25/$25/€25 roughly, any more is unnecessary) which would connect to the ethernet port in your Living Room, and the Beam and the HDMI-over-ethernet receiver. You would also need to connect the Connect:Amp to the network with ethernet in the basement.

We don’t support the use of Powerline - noise on your mains power circuits becomes a factor, as well as other considerations. Sometimes it’s a customer’s only realistic option, but in your case, you have a much better and cheaper option (unless you already own a Powerline kit, in which case it’s merely much better).

You’ll need to make sure you have enough ethernet cables - Connect:Amp to network, Beam to Switch, and Switch to network, in addition to the one that’s already being used for the HDMI-over-ethernet device. Nothing worse than getting the kit, trying to set it up, then realising you have to wait on cables getting delivered too.

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