Homekit volume and power

  • 13 January 2019
  • 6 replies
  • 5111 views

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So after growing tired of waiting for a software update from Bose to use Airplay 2 on their SoundTouch series I finally decided to initiate a move to Sonos (it always bugged me that Sonos doesn't offer Bluetooth, hence the wait).
To the point, got the speaker to show up fine in HomeKit. Was very excited about this... only to find out that it's just a useless icon!
I can't turn the power on/off (which I can do with the old Bose ST10 via Homebridge. Not optimal, but it does work), and no volume control.
Have to say that this was disappointing. As it is now the Sonos ONE speaker is just an icon in HomeKit, it can't really do anything.
Use case for power on/off... I have an automation that turns off all the lights in my home when I leave (geofencing), would be great if it could turn off the speaker as well.
Are there any plans on making the HomeKit integration actually serve any useful purpose in the near future?

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6 replies

So after growing tired of waiting for a software update from Bose to use Airplay 2 on their SoundTouch series I finally decided to initiate a move to Sonos (it always bugged me that Sonos doesn't offer Bluetooth, hence the wait).
To the point, got the speaker to show up fine in HomeKit. Was very excited about this... only to find out that it's just a useless icon!
I can't turn the power on/off (which I can do with the old Bose ST10 via Homebridge. Not optimal, but it does work), and no volume control.
Have to say that this was disappointing. As it is now the Sonos ONE speaker is just an icon in HomeKit, it can't really do anything.
Use case for power on/off... I have an automation that turns off all the lights in my home when I leave (geofencing), would be great if it could turn off the speaker as well.
Are there any plans on making the HomeKit integration actually serve any useful purpose in the near future?
Sonos Speakers have no off state they are on or in standby all the time.. power consumption when idle settings are shown here:

https://support.sonos.com/s/article/256

Adding Sonos to HomeKit as an accessory is for Siri voice control purposes only. The Airplay feature can be used without HomeKit.

Home control of the device is mostly done currently via the Amazon Alexa App and added Sonos Skill, though other options are also available and it looks like Google Home control is coming to the Sonos system soon.
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Right, so "power" on/off, doesn't matter. If it could pause/stop (as opposed to turning on/off) it would serve an actual purpose. Same goes for volume control. As it is now, it's just an icon without any real function.
axelra82,

Just press pause/stop on the App source you are playing, or perhaps ask Siri to pause/stop the music for you... or press pause/stop on the speaker itself...

It’s the same thing too, if you wish to play/next/previous a playlist track in your queue too, or if you wish to adjust the audio volume up/down etc.
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Not sure you're reading me right... true automation doesn't require any extra steps, i.e. when I leave (geofence) turns off (power/pause/stop, whatever you want to call it) all speakers (all lights already turn off, door locks etc). I don't want to have to open 10 apps to stop/start/pause/etc etc when I leave. That is not a "smart home".
Moved the Sonos to the bedroom for now (since I don't play there when I'm about to leave). Anyway, just overall disappointing experience with the Sonos speaker. Sound is ok but otherwise it doesn't offer anything (except airplay 2) from my previous Bose bt10 speaker (which at least turns off when I leave my home).

*Edit*
Regarding the volume control. The homebridge-soundtouch integration actually shows volume controls in the EVE smart home app. So it is obviously possible for apps to recognize the accessorie as a speaker and the characteristics one would expect from a speaker (on/off/play/pause/stop (whatever you want to call it) and volume controls)
I actually find Homekit automation lacking, personally speaking, but that’s another story. There are of course a variety of ways to make your Sonos speakers play/stop when your mobile device leaves home or you activate a sensor, or even duck it’s audio when your ring doorbell is activated. I’m sure if you research these things you will soon find the answers you are looking for, just not via HomeKit automation at the moment.
Some time has passed since the original post but thought I'd give my 2p.

While the Sonos may not actually power off, you could use an eve plug to allow you to switch off your Sonos when you leave. Yes it is an extra accessory, but its a way around it, also really neat that you could monitor your power consumption!