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Sonos Roam keeps disconnecting while playing

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Ken_Griffiths

Try switching the WiFi band in use. So as an example if the Roam is using the 5Ghz band SSID then switch it to the 2.4Ghz band instead. Set that band to use a fixed ‘non-overlapping’ channel, either 1, 6 or 11, with a channel width of 20Mhz only and see if that resolves your issue.

(PS - don’t forget to remove the 5Ghz SSID from the device using the App network settings). 

Hope that fixes things for you. 👍

@Ken_Griffiths or @Beagle Mom, can you give instructions on how to deselect the 5G option?  I clicked on System but don’t see anything about 5G.  Thanks.

To remove any WiFi network SSID from a Sonos Household see this Sonos Support link below, but just ensure you have added the new WiFi SSID if switching say to a 2.4Ghz band… (you will see it in the same list - see the ‘example’ screenshot attached).

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/remove-a-wifi-network-from-your-sonos-system

Hope that assists 👍

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B

Since it’s not giving you an option in the Sonos app to change from 5G, I’m thinking your problem may be a different one. I am on a different network now  (the one where the SONOS speaker has always worked well) and when I checked the SONOS app to see if there were choices, it was grayed out with no choices. (probably like what you’re seeing). Ken might have some other ideas. Good luck! 

 

 

Ken_Griffiths

Wifi Networks/SSID’s and their cAsE sEnsiTiVe credentials need to be added (or removed) to/from Sonos speakers using the Sonos App network settings - use the ‘Update Networks’ feature (see screenshot in my previous post) to quickly add a nearby WiFi network SSID to a speaker like the Sonos Roam etc.

J

Thank you both. Hopefully I can get this figured out. So frustrating. 

D

I’m just going to pile on and say that both Roam and Move are terrible for staying connected and the idea that I need to get in and mess around with my router setting to fix is unacceptable to me.

I love my SONOS but I have zero defence we I hear people talking about how unreliable the software has become.  It sucks. 

The roam needs fixing every time I go to use it. Every time. Same with the Move.  

They’re expensive and they don’t work reliably. 

Ken_Griffiths

I’m just going to pile on and say that both Roam and Move are terrible for staying connected and the idea that I need to get in and mess around with my router setting to fix is unacceptable to me.

I love my SONOS but I have zero defence we I hear people talking about how unreliable the software has become.  It sucks. 

The roam needs fixing every time I go to use it. Every time. Same with the Move.  

They’re expensive and they don’t work reliably. 

I’ve owned both those mentioned Sonos products since launch and hand-on-heart I have not had any trouble with either one. They work great in our home, or in the camper van and at the holiday cottage …and that’s three entirely separate WiFi networks, all of which, are added to, and stored on, the speakers and they both switch automatically and connect to each network as we arrive at each location.

So my experience of these two portable speakers is entirely different to yours, but there again, I have no issue with changing router settings, or reconfiguring any part of a managed, or unmanaged, network.

These products after all are computerised wireless network connected products, so having some basic networking knowledge is often helpful, as certainly not every Home router is always configured correctly, or optimally, by default - A configured, working network router, even by default, may change its channels during startup/update and begin to conflict with neighbouring WiFi, or Zigbee channels etc.

Some WiFi band channel-widths can cause interference and IP addresses can conflict - so hoping that these things will work straight out the box everytime, for everyone, is never going to be the case. 

There is a ton of ‘basic’ network configuration mentioned in the various threads here in the community and it’s no more diffucult than changing a plug, but if you’re unwilling to explore these things and change a few settings, then perhaps these network-based speakers are not for you. That said, I can assure you there is nothing wrong with how these speakers work - there are far more issues with some routers, than there are with either of these two portable products.

Q

Yup mines been doing this for months. It's infuriating as it's getting worse and worse. 

Rebooting via a long press on the back doesn't work for me. I have to forget the device each and every time.

 

I've done that 3 times today alone 

Ken_Griffiths

Yup mines been doing this for months. It's infuriating as it's getting worse and worse. 

Rebooting via a long press on the back doesn't work for me. I have to forget the device each and every time.

 

I've done that 3 times today alone 

Sonos Device Discovery Issue on LAN

 

It sounds a bit like there is something on the phone blocking the ‘discovery’ of your Sonos devices on the local network, what type of phone make/model/OS version is it? Do you have any security software running on the phone, such as a VPN service, firewall or antivirus etc?

Any MAC address ‘spoofing’ features running on within the network connection properties, such as ‘Private WiFi Address’ (usually enabled by default on Apple iOS mobiles), or maybe ‘WiFi calling’ is getting in the way of things?

Also ensure QoS and/or Airtime Fairness are not running on the local router …and (if applicable) that IGMP Snooping and Multicasting/Broadcasting is enabled across both the LAN and Wireless LAN segments (most routers enable this be default, but not all so check your router user-manual). 

If using managed switches on the local network, then you may also find these links helpful…

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/configure-stp-settings-to-work-with-sonos

There might also be an issue of device discovery arising from Wireless interference, in which case also see this Sonos Support article…

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/reduce-wireless-interference

Hope the above information helps you to resolve the matter. If the problems persist then it maybe best to speak to Sonos Support Staff, together with a diagnostic report, to see if they can perhaps  assist you to resolve the local ‘device discovery’ issue.

Q

I guess the point here, like, everyone else is trying to say, is that it doesn't happen on my other Sonos products. Ever. So why is it repeatedly on the roam? 

Phone is galaxy 23 ultra. No VPNs, firewalls etc 

Ken_Griffiths

I guess the point here, like, everyone else is trying to say, is that it doesn't happen on my other Sonos products. Ever. So why is it repeatedly on the roam? 

Phone is galaxy 23 ultra. No VPNs, firewalls etc 

Not everyone - The two Roams here are working fine and have done for some years and no issues whilst travelling with them either and using them on different WiFi networks. I can’t recall them ever not connecting and working. So maybe it’s something local or your Roam, Mobile device, software or Network that is at the heart of the issue. Have you contacted Sonos about the matter? If not, then it maybe best to gather some diagnostic information whilst all is connected and after the Roam has an issue and then speak to the Support Staff about the matter. Here is a link to contact them:

https://support.sonos.com/s/contact

Hope you can get it sorted.

J
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The Roam does not use SonosNet, as you perhaps may be aware. Do you have your router WiFi 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands using separate SSID’s? - if so, then ensure the Roam is put onto the 2.4Ghz band and set the channel to either 1 or 11 (non-overlapping) and if the router allows, also set a channel-width of 20Mhz only and see if that improves the connection to the Roam.

If the SSID/credentials for the 2.4/5Ghz WiFi bands are the same, and cannot be easily separated, then check your router user-manual to see if you can perhaps manually steer the Roam onto the 2.4Ghz band, via the router configuration pages.

I do not see why this is highlighted as the “answer”. It may work in some cases but it does not help in my case and the many other people who have posted on this site.

I have 2 Roams, a 1st Gen One and a Connect.

One of my Roams and both of the other Sonos units work fine and never have this problem. The other Roam disconnects constantly and seems to be getting worse every time I speak with Support.  Sonos support has been giving me the run around for over 2 weeks now and cannot explain why one Roam works fine and the other disconnects every few hours. Same WIFI, one works, one doesn’t. 

Airgetlam

Could easily be a duplicate IP address issue, affecting one or more separate speakers, without affecting all of them. Depends on which IP addresses are duplicated. 

Bruce
J
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The reason the Roam (or Sonos Move) does not use ‘SonosNet’ & Spanning Tree Protocol is the fact the device is "portable" - anyone walking around the Home with one in hand, would cause the mesh network to continually make/break the connections between devices and cause interruption to any playing audio across one or more players.. 

Anyhow, that aside, I would also double-check in your case if the Roam is connected to the wireless LAN with an assigned IP address from the local router and just see if it actually is simply not showing up in your Sonos controller App. If it is connected, but not showing, it may not actually be the Roam - it could be an SSDP multicast ‘discovery’ issue across the different segments of your wired/wireless mesh network instead… there are plenty of things that may cause that issue. Perhaps as a quick test, you could switch all the mesh hubs to “Bridged AP" mode to a different brand of router (maybe even one provided by your ISP) and just see if that solves the multicast issue.

 

In my case, the defective Roam stops appearing on my router as connected. After I restart it, it reconnects.

Does this mean there is a problem with the Roam?

Ken_Griffiths

 

In my case, the defective Roam stops appearing on my router as connected. After I restart it, it reconnects.

Does this mean there is a problem with the Roam?

I see you mentioned the other Roam was running on the same WiFi, but what band is the Roam using that keeps disconnecting and what channels and channel-width are you using? Of course any device may have a fault, but maybe try to eliminate some of the obvious things first. You mentioned the device was dropping its IP address - maybe give it a reserved address in your routers DHCP table and just see if that improves things. 
Note the routers 2.4ghz band is far reaching and more penetrable than the 5Ghz band, so ensure it uses that band and set its channel to 1, 6 or 11 (non-overlapping) with a channel-width of 20Mhz and just see if that sorts things for you.

J
Userlevel 2
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In my case, the defective Roam stops appearing on my router as connected. After I restart it, it reconnects.

Does this mean there is a problem with the Roam?

I see you mentioned the other Roam was running on the same WiFi, but what band is the Roam using that keeps disconnecting and what channels and channel-width are you using? Of course any device may have a fault, but maybe try to eliminate some of the obvious things first. You mentioned the device was dropping its IP address - maybe give it a reserved address in your routers DHCP table and just see if that improves things. 
Note the routers 2.4ghz band is far reaching and more penetrable than the 5Ghz band, so ensure it uses that band and set its channel to 1, 6 or 11 (non-overlapping) with a channel-width of 20Mhz and just see if that sorts things for you.

 

I reserved an IP address in my router for the Roam that keeps dropping off the network

My WIFI uses both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands and the best band is determined by the device. 

Both Roams are on the same network and both are using channel 161 on the 5Ghz band.

The one that drops off is currently at a signal strength of -59 dBm and one that doesn’t have a problem is at -69dBm

Ken_Griffiths

I reserved an IP address in my router for the Roam that keeps dropping off the network

My WIFI uses both the 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands and the best band is determined by the device. 

Both Roams are on the same network and both are using channel 161 on the 5Ghz band.

The one that drops off is currently at a signal strength of -59 dBm and one that doesn’t have a problem is at -69dBm

If the issue persists then it maybe best to submit a Sonos system diagnostic report from within the Sonos App, note it’s reference and then contact/chat with Sonos Support Staff via this LINK  and see what the Staff can perhaps suggest to resolve the matter.

Hope you get it sorted.👍

J
Userlevel 2
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If the issue persists then it maybe best to submit a Sonos system diagnostic report from within the Sonos App, note it’s reference and then contact/chat with Sonos Support Staff via this LINK  and see what the Staff can perhaps suggest to resolve the matter.

Hope you get it sorted.👍

I have been submitting system diagnostics to Sonos from the app and I have spoke to support over 6 times in the last 2 weeks. They never recommended setting a reserved IP address for the Roam but they did have me try many other things. It’s been over 3 hours of phone support with no help from them. Hopefully your suggestion will work. It’s been a few hours and the troubled Roam is still connected. The big tests will be if it last over 24 hours and then over a week. I don’t think its ever stayed connected for a week.

Thanks for you assistance. I will keep this thread updated.

buzz

Reserve IP addresses for all SONOS units. I reserve addresses for all regular house clients. There is no point reserving for guests. For most routers this is a time consuming, boring task, but it does not need to be repeated until you replace the router. Minor updates are recommended as you add clients — especially after adding a SONOS unit. It’s not critical to delete entries belonging to removed clients.

J
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It has been over 24 hours and the troubled Roam has not dropped off of the network.

Hopefully reserving the IP address was the fix I needed.

J
Userlevel 2
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The problem is back. After a few days the defective Roam has disconnected again.

The Roam is again showing as ‘Not Connected’

Ken_Griffiths

The problem is back. After a few days the defective Roam has disconnected again.

The Roam is again showing as ‘Not Connected’

Sorry to hear that, also sorry because I do have a few questions to ask you, notwithstanding that there maybe a hardware issue…

  • What is the make/model of your router?
  • Is the router firmware up to date?
  • Which band and WiFi channels & channel-width were in use by the Roam when all was working okay?
  • Have, or are, you able to fix the channels and channel-width for your routers WiFi combined bands?
  • What is the IP address ‘lease time’ in your routers DHCP settings?
  • What power-saving settings are you using for the Roam in its room settings in ‘Settings/System/[Roam Name]’?
J
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Hi Ken,

Here is the information you requested:

  • Zyxel USG Flex 200
  • Yes is up to date
  • 5 GHz band Channel 161 Signal Strength 58dbm 
  • Yes. I can fix channels
  • Lease time is 2 days but this unit has a reserved static address
  • Both Battery Save and WiFi Power Save are selected

 

Ken_Griffiths

Hi Ken,

Here is the information you requested:

  • Zyxel USG Flex 200
  • Yes is up to date
  • 5 GHz band Channel 161 Signal Strength 58dbm 
  • Yes. I can fix channels
  • Lease time is 2 days but this unit has a reserved static address
  • Both Battery Save and WiFi Power Save are selected

looking at the router user-manual, maybe consider splitting the WiFi bands on your router and try the Roam just on the 2.4Ghz band (rename the 5Ghz band SSID by adding ‘-5G’ (or similar) to its SSID) - Use a fixed non-overlapping channel 1, 6 or 11 and a channel-width of 20Mhz only for the 2.4Ghz band - I would also see if things work better without QoS enabled.

Also try the Roam with its WiFi Power Saving setting set to disabled. 

Hope that works for you.

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J
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I don’t understand why splitting the band would help when all of my other Sonos products, including the other Roam that doesn’t have any issues. Plus, splitting the band would affect my entire wireless network and all of the devices that use that SSID. BTW, I do appreciate the screenshots. Thank you for that addition to help explain what needs to be done.

Turning off the WIFI Power Saving makes sense to me since it seems my other Roam does not have that feature on and it doesn’t have this problem.

I will turn off WiFi Power Saving and keep you posted.

J
Userlevel 2
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Even with WiFi Power Saving mode off, the defective Roam continues to disconnect from Sonos.

From your earlier post, QOS is not enabled.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

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