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Sonos Sub keeps disconnecting from wired Beam 2 (5.1 setup)

  • 18 February 2022
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38 replies

S
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So in conclusion, would my problem be solved if I just wired the Beam directly to the Verizon FIOS modem/router instead of the extender.

Yes, the recommendation has been to wire a Sonos device to your main router, which will put all players onto SonosNet and reduce any backhaul too.. the wired device can be a your Beam, or any standalone modern Sonos device (ideally), just do not use a surround, or Sub …and obviously do not wire your Sonos products to your other WiFi access points/hubs.

When wiring a player to the router, ensure it’s at least one metre away from the router to reduce interference and set the SonosNet channel so that it is at least 5 channels away from your router 2.4Ghz channel. It’s best to set your router to use fixed non-overlapping WiFi channel 1, 6 or 11 too.

Its helpful to set your router and any access points to use the same SSID, WiFi channels and set all 2.4Ghz band connections to use a channel-width of 20MHz only.

When done and all your Sonos devices are then running on their SonosNet signal (which is confirmed in the Sonos ’About My System’ area of the App - it will show the wireless modem of each device as WM:0) ..then goto ‘Settings/System/Network/Manage Networks’ in the Sonos App and remove the 2.4Ghz SSID/Network credentials (if stored?) - If you have Sonos portable devices (Roam/Move) then leave the 5Ghz SSID and run those devices on that band, otherwise remove those 5Ghz credentials too (if applicable)… The wireless network credentials are not required for devices running on a SonosNet signal and doing these things will help to ensure your products do not ‘hop’ between the SonosNet signal and your WiFi signal.

Ok, so I went ahead and connected the Beam 2 directly to the main router. Took a lot of effort and extra money, but it is done. Only SonosNet running no wireless network “stored”.

THE SAME PROBLEM STILL OCCURS! I am beyond frustrated and I am, at this point, outside of my return period. I feel like getting rid of the whole Sonos system. Beyond frustrated at this point. Everything confirmed to WM:0.

In order to make it work I have to keep “finding the sub” every time it goes to “?”, disconnecting and connecting it, and then it comes back on for a random amount of time until it drops again!!! The sub is next to the beam. Couldn’t be any closer. And again, the other Playbar with its sub and surrounds are on a different level and has no problems!!

S
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@Shadowboricua 

I will just also briefly re-state what was mentioned earlier and that is WiFi range extenders are not an ‘officially supported’ connection method by Sonos, but some devices can and do work - but not all.

If you later find they do not operate correctly for multicast discovery of your Sonos devices in your case, then you can quickly take them out of the equation by simply changing their broadcasting SSID and (importantly) the channels they use, so that they do not clash with your router or SonosNet signals …and use those extenders for other home network devices, but then ensure your Sonos mobile controller connects only to the main routers WiFi signal.

It may not come to this being necessary in your case, but just mention it here, so you at least know where to go next if you continue to have any issues with your system.

Thanks for the answer again.

 

I just want to clarify that I had originally set the system on WiFi utilizing the main router signal and still had the same Sub (Gen3) disconnect intermittently. Also, in terms of distance and interference, there is barely anything around the system and the Beam 2 couldn’t be any closer to the Sub. 

 

Anyway, I appreciate all your help. Ultimately, this is a frustrating situation that I never had before with my original Playbar in 5.1 for the 4 years plus I’ve owned it and still have in a room which is farther from the main router.

Ken_Griffiths

@Shadowboricua 

I will just also briefly re-state what was mentioned earlier and that is WiFi range extenders are not an ‘officially supported’ connection method by Sonos, but some devices can and do work - but not all.

If you later find they do not operate correctly for multicast discovery of your Sonos devices in your case, then you can quickly take them out of the equation by simply changing their broadcasting SSID and (importantly) the channels they use, so that they do not clash with your router or SonosNet signals …and use those extenders for other home network devices, but then ensure your Sonos mobile controller connects only to the main routers WiFi signal.

It may not come to this being necessary in your case, but just mention it here, so you at least know where to go next if you continue to have any issues with your system.

Ken_Griffiths

 

So in conclusion, would my problem be solved if I just wired the Beam directly to the Verizon FIOS modem/router instead of the extender.

Yes, the recommendation has been to wire a Sonos device to your main router, which will put all players onto SonosNet and reduce any backhaul too.. the wired device can be a your Beam, or any standalone modern Sonos device (ideally), just do not use a surround, or Sub …and obviously do not wire your Sonos products to your other WiFi access points/hubs.

When wiring a player to the router, ensure it’s at least one metre away from the router to reduce interference and set the SonosNet channel so that it is at least 5 channels away from your router 2.4Ghz channel. It’s best to set your router to use fixed non-overlapping WiFi channel 1, 6 or 11 too.

Its helpful to set your router and any access points to use the same SSID, WiFi channels and set all 2.4Ghz band connections to use a channel-width of 20MHz only.

When done and all your Sonos devices are then running on their SonosNet signal (which is confirmed in the Sonos ’About My System’ area of the App - it will show the wireless modem of each device as WM:0) ..then goto ‘Settings/System/Network/Manage Networks’ in the Sonos App and remove the 2.4Ghz SSID/Network credentials (if stored?) - If you have Sonos portable devices (Roam/Move) then leave the 5Ghz SSID and run those devices on that band, otherwise remove those 5Ghz credentials too (if applicable)… The wireless network credentials are not required for devices running on a SonosNet signal and doing these things will help to ensure your products do not ‘hop’ between the SonosNet signal and your WiFi signal.

S
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Sorry for the spelling errors before. I was in a rush.

Thank you for your response regarding this configuration. Would you be able to explain why this is a problem that only affects the Gen3 Sub and not my other Gen2 Sub or surround speakers?. They are all connected to the same network in exactly the same manner and only the Gen3 keeps disconnecting.

A Sonos Subs does not ‘normally’ use a local router WiFi, or SonosNet signal - instead it connects directly to its ‘bonded’ speaker/main-player using either a 5Ghz ad-hoc wireless connection (which is highly recommended method of connectivity). or in some cases it may use a wired network connection if the wireless connection to the main player is inhibited by its WiFi adapter being switched off (not a recommended method of connectivity) …In the latter case, it’s always good practice to wire all players, but as stated that type of setup is not helpful in some cases, as network latency often comes into play with that type of setup.

If the first ad-hoc wireless setup method is proving problematic for you, then perhaps the first thing to look at is ‘wireless interference’ in and around the Sub and the main bonded player. Sometimes, a simple reboot of the main player can solve the situation, or simply moving the Sub closer to the main player, or changing its location in the room might sort the matter.

The reasons for the earlier settings mentioned was mostly to improve the overall network connectivity and reduce the general wireless interference, so that the SSDP multicast discovery of the players and unicast connection could be improved using SonosNet on the same chosen channel, rather than using your WiFi mesh system, which may have Hubs operating on their own different WiFi channels.

Hope that assists.

 

So in conclusion, would my problem be solved if I just wired the Beam directly to the Verizon FIOS modem/router instead of the extender?

Ken_Griffiths

Sorry for the spelling errors before. I was in a rush.

Thank you for your response regarding this configuration. Would you be able to explain why this is a problem that only affects the Gen3 Sub and not my other Gen2 Sub or surround speakers?. They are all connected to the same network in exactly the same manner and only the Gen3 keeps disconnecting.

A Sonos Subs does not ‘normally’ use a local router WiFi, or SonosNet signal - instead it connects directly to its ‘bonded’ speaker/main-player using either a 5Ghz ad-hoc wireless connection (which is highly recommended method of connectivity). or in some cases it may use a wired network connection if the wireless connection to the main player is inhibited by its WiFi adapter being switched off (not a recommended method of connectivity) …In the latter case, it’s always good practice to wire all players, but as stated that type of setup is not helpful in some cases, as network latency often comes into play with that type of setup.

If the first ad-hoc wireless setup method is proving problematic for you, then perhaps the first thing to look at is ‘wireless interference’ in and around the Sub and the main bonded player. Sometimes, a simple reboot of the main player can solve the situation, or simply moving the Sub closer to the main player, or changing its location in the room might sort the matter.

The reasons for the earlier settings mentioned was mostly to improve the overall network connectivity and reduce the general wireless interference, so that the SSDP multicast discovery of the players and unicast connection could be improved using SonosNet on the same chosen channel, rather than using your WiFi mesh system, which may have Hubs operating on their own different WiFi channels.

Hope that assists.

S
Userlevel 1
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The Beam is wired to a Linksys router extender.

Whether this is a simple WiFi extender or a wireless mesh node, this is an unsupported configuration. There needs to be a wired path back to the router.

Wiring to a mesh primary node is permissible. Extenders aren’t supported at all. 

Except that I have had it like this on my other Sonia system for the past 4+ years without absolutely zero issues.

I think you mean with ..zero issues.
What @ratty and I mentioned is correct. If you see the below link to the Sonos ‘System Requirements’ you will see that it mentions…

  1. In WiFi mesh networks, Sonos products must be wired to the primary mesh node if using a wired setup.
  2. If you need to extend your home WiFi to use Sonos in a wireless setup, we recommend using a WiFi mesh router to do so.

And the following networks and devices are unsupported:

  • Wireless internet connections such as satellite, mobile hotspots, or LTE routers
  • Guest networks or networks that use a portal login page
  • Networks using wireless range extenders (see also 2 above)
  • Ethernet over Power (EOP) devices
  • WPA/WPA2 Enterprise

See link:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/126

Sorry for the spelling errors before. I was in a rush.

Thank you for your response regarding this configuration. Would you be able to explain why this is a problem that only affects the Gen3 Sub and not my other Gen2 Sub or surround speakers?. They are all connected to the same network in exactly the same manner and only the Gen3 keeps disconnecting.

 

 

Ken_Griffiths

The Beam is wired to a Linksys router extender.

Whether this is a simple WiFi extender or a wireless mesh node, this is an unsupported configuration. There needs to be a wired path back to the router.

Wiring to a mesh primary node is permissible. Extenders aren’t supported at all. 

Except that I have had it like this on my other Sonia system for the past 4+ years without absolutely zero issues.

I think you mean with ..zero issues.
What @ratty and I mentioned is correct. If you see the below link to the Sonos ‘System Requirements’ you will see that it mentions…

  1. In WiFi mesh networks, Sonos products must be wired to the primary mesh node if using a wired setup.
  2. If you need to extend your home WiFi to use Sonos in a wireless setup, we recommend using a WiFi mesh router to do so.

And the following networks and devices are unsupported:

  • Wireless internet connections such as satellite, mobile hotspots, or LTE routers
  • Guest networks or networks that use a portal login page
  • Networks using wireless range extenders (see also 2 above)
  • Ethernet over Power (EOP) devices
  • WPA/WPA2 Enterprise

See link:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/126

S
Userlevel 1
Badge

The Beam is wired to a Linksys router extender.

Whether this is a simple WiFi extender or a wireless mesh node, this is an unsupported configuration. There needs to be a wired path back to the router.

Wiring to a mesh primary node is permissible. Extenders aren’t supported at all. 

Except that I have had it like this on my other Sonia system for the past 4+ years without absolutely zero issues.

Ken_Griffiths

Note you would likely be better off reducing the system-backhaul by wiring a single Sonos device (not a surround or sub) direct to your main router and un-cabling the Beam from the Linksys extender too.

edit: Ah @ratty beat me to it. 

ratty

The Beam is wired to a Linksys router extender.

Whether this is a simple WiFi extender or a wireless mesh node, this is an unsupported configuration. There needs to be a wired path back to the router.

Wiring to a mesh primary node is permissible. Extenders aren’t supported at all. 

UKMedia
Userlevel 7
Badge +20

The sub connects to the Beam via an internal 5gHz wi-fi signal.  I suspect that this is caused by wi-fi interference.

Remember: Sometimes Red Wine helps :)
Ken_Griffiths

Ensure you have not switched off the WiFi adapter in the Beam’s room settings, this is required to communicate with the Sub direct, even when the Beam is wired, the wireless adapter needs to be set to ‘on’.

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