Roam bluetooth grouping issue


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I have a Roam SL and 2 Play:1 speakers. All are correctly registered in the S2 app. I can freely group all speakers together in WiFi. The issue arrises when I stream music to the Roam over Bluetooth and then try to group with one of the other Play:1's. On the first attempt it works fine but then if I ingroup and then group again no sound comes from the Play:1, still plays on the Roam. The app shows the Play:1 as grouped and playing.  If I power cycle the Play:1 and then regroup, it works again but the same happens if I ingroup. 

Correction: I now get the same issue when connected over WiFi, was probably like that all along. So looks like the Roam groups the first time okay, after that not, either if on Bluetooth or not. Othe speakers group okay.

Extra: just found that the same thing happens after pausing playback, the Play:1 does not resume sound but the Roam does, still grouped on the app.


18 replies

Userlevel 7

Sounds like you might have wireless interference. If you move the Roam closer to the Play:1s, does it make a difference?

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Thanks for the response. Good suggestion, but kind of does not explain why it connects the first time. When connected they play fine with no breaking up until I ungroup or hit pause/play

My phone is 1m from the roam so Bluetooth should be okay and as I understand it the rest of Sonos system runs off WiFi which is house wide and strong.

The issue is also highly reproducible which indicates some consistent problem rather than sporadic interference.

Hi.  Have you reserved IP addresses for your Sonos speakers in your router?  

Please tell us about your network.  Just a router or a mesh?  Any extenders / access points?  Dual band?  If so, separate SSIDs or single SSID for the two bands

Does the behaviour persist if the Roam is one metre (say) from the router?

 

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The speakers do not have reserved IP addresses. Not sure how that would matter in this case as the issue occurs when the speakers have not been cycled, which is when they would pick up a new IP.

The network is a WiFi mesh type 6, been very consistent and has good coverage everywhere. I am testing the Roam within 8m of the nearest WiFi node, the Play:1's are both closer still. My phone is 1m from the Roam when I stream music over Bluetooth.

I can easily try fixing the IP addresses so will give it a go. Will let you know.

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Tried reserved IP addresses but no joy, exactly the same. Did find something else however. If I ungroup the speakers and then wait say 2mins they will sometimes regroup successfully without a power cycle, like there's some kind of timeout or something. This does not always work however.

Mesh networks and Sonos in WiFi mode do not always get along well.together. Speakers have to be in constant contact with each other (unlike anything else on your network, I would guess). Things like having speakers on different nodes, wireless channels or bands can disrupt this communication. 

Why this should be a particular problem for you when using Bluetooth I have no idea.

It is generally best to operate Sonos in SonosNet mode alongside a mesh, but I doubt that would help you, as the Roam cannot connect to SonosNer.

Experimentally you might try operating with the satellite Eeros powered off or operating Eero only on 2.4GHz.

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Hi, again thanks for the suggestions. The two play:1's work absolutely fine together, playing, grouping, ungrouping, control etc. This kind of makes me think this is not a network issue. Mesh networks after all are designed to be transparent in operation, it should not matter which node they are connected to. Out of curiosity I did check and the roam and the play:1's are actually connected to the same node. Likewise all three are on the 5ghz band.

I am beginning to think it is more of an issue with the play:1's. They are pretty old and there might be some incompatibility with the newer roam and/or current WiFi. I believe they should work as they are S2 compatible but perhaps only Sonos tech support can help with this.

 

Anyway, I have just bought some Play One's, just waiting for them to arrive. If they work then that answers the question.

 

Again, thanks for trying to help. Will post the results when I get the new speakers.

 

Where did you buy new PLAY:1s? They’ve been out of production for years and years. Most places seem to be selling Sonos Ones. 

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Bought them ages ago from Currys. Not sure exactly but maybe 7-8 years at least

Ah, then not ‘newly purchased’, then. 

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Who said newly purchased?

Anyway, I have just bought some Play One's, just waiting for them to arrive.”

Based on your reaction, I’m guessing you just bought some Sonos Ones, not PLAY:1s.

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These are upgrades to the Play:1's

I shall be interested to hear how it goes with the Ones. Looking back over the thread, everything works fine except when you use Bluetooth  The Roam is the first Sonos speakrr with the capability to connect to WiFi and Bluetooth at the same time, so maybe something isn't working perfectly there. But there would be a lot more posts about it if it were a widespread problem  

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Hi, took delivery of the new Sonos one's today. Got them installed and then tested them with the Roam and all good.

So it kind of indicates a fundamental issue with the Roam and the older play:1's. Not sure if it's worth raising it with Sonos. Unless it's an issue with the hardware they could potentially fix it with a software patch.

Anyway, mystery solved. Now what to do with the play:1's.

 

 

 

 

I still use Play:1s as surrounds to my Arc. Just sold a couple of Play:1s to a friend who is using them as a stereo pair very happily with his Roam. (Like me; he finds no use for Bluetooth. )

If you put them on eBay they will probably fetch £90 to £100 each before fees. For speakers that age they hold their value very well.

FWIW I think I would have gone for Era 100s rather than Ones.

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Yea, I did think about the ERA 100's but I got the ones for a decent price from John Lewis @ £149 each, and the ERA 100's are obviously £249. I was already a bit stretched on my budget. Can always upgrade at a later date I guess.

I am using the Roam with a new projector which connects via Bluetooth, hence the requirement. Now I can group the ones with the Roam for some extra impact.

Anyway, thanks for all your suggestions and help.

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