Hey all! 👋🏻 A couple weeks back I shared the news about the new app update (the in-app SonosNet on/off toggle and the Connection Type info under About My System), and you all came through with some great questions. I promised I'd bring them back and follow up so here we go.
Quick reminder on where the toggle is: System Settings → Networks → Disable SonosNet (you need to be updated to the latest app version to see it).
SonosNet is the private network the speakers would build for themselves back when one of them or a Boost was wired to your network to help the speakers communicate better. For a lot of modern setups, you don't need it anymore and now you can turn it off without it being all-or-nothing.
Questions & Answers:
"Can I wire a couple speakers and leave others wireless without accidentally spinning up SonosNet?"
Yes, that’s exactly the purpose. Before, plugging an Ethernet cable into a SonosNet-capable product would automatically flip your entire household onto SonosNet. With it disabled, that no longer happens and you can wire the speakers you want wired without dragging everything else onto the mesh.
"Will it flip over to Wi-Fi like a light switch? How smooth is the transition?"
It should be smooth. When you run the Disable SonosNet wizard, it confirms that every speaker currently on SonosNet can reach the app over your home router instead. As long as all the connections get made, SonosNet gets switched off for your current speakers and any you add later. Then it stays off, your system won't fall back to SonosNet unless you deliberately run the Enable SonosNet wizard down the road. So it's a clean, intentional, ‘set it and forget it’ change rather than something that flickers on and off on its own.
"How does this affect surrounds, stereo pairs, and home theater?"
No changes to your surrounds or Sub. They still connect directly to your primary soundbar exactly like they do today, with or without this setting. That low-latency link is its own thing and isn't part of SonosNet, so disabling SonosNet doesn't touch it. The one nuance: if you had a soundbar connected over Ethernet, with SonosNet off it'll stop bridging SonosNet out to your other Sonos players (it'll still talk to its own surrounds and Sub). And heads up — disabling SonosNet is not the same as "disable Wi-Fi" on a single speaker; that one does cut a surround or sub off entirely. Different settings, different results.
"I'm on UniFi, can I finally mix wired and wireless without the network going crazy?"
With SonosNet running, it could create extra network paths back to your UniFi gear and if spanning tree wasn't enabled on all the ports with Sonos players (with the right port cost), that's where a lot of the chaos came from. Turning SonosNet off removes those alternate paths and should clear up that common scenario. I can't promise it fixes every UniFi issue. That really depends on your topology and the specific problem, but for the "wired + wireless makes my network misbehave" headache, this is the fix a lot of you have been waiting for.
"What about older or all-in-one speakers? Does it behave differently for them?"
Nope. It works the same for older and newer products. (Some newer products don't use SonosNet at all, so there are no changes to make there.) If you've got pre-One Gen 2 standalone speakers, a Playbar/Playbase, or the latest gear, the toggle treats them consistently.
A few pro tips before you run the wizard:
- Update firmware and software first so everything's current.
- Have your Wi-Fi credentials (2.4 + 5GHz) saved in the app so every player has a clear path home.
- Run the wizard, give it a minute, and reboot any straggler that doesn't reconnect on its own.
- Check About My System to confirm everyone landed on Wi-Fi (or wired) the way you expect.
I am still chasing down the answer on how the Network Matrix reads once SonosNet is off. I'll update as soon as I have a clear answer.
As always, keep the feedback coming. The good, bad, or in-between. We read it all. 🙏🏻
