Question

Sonos and Alexa: not compatible?

  • 29 October 2020
  • 13 replies
  • 2452 views
A

So I’ve just bought a Sonos One Gen 2 which promises interactivity with Alexa and Google Assistant. I use 2 Philips Hue bulbs which were connected to Amazon Echo and worked very well. 
now that I bought my Sonos - I have disconnected my Echo as Alexa theoretically works just the same in it. 
BUT NO! Using Alexa through Sonos won’t allow me to use my light functions as it won’t find these devices. I never needed a Phillips Hub before but now, with my Echo disconnected, it doesn’t look like Sonos and the inbuilt Alexa are able to find the bulbs and connect to them. 
can somebody please confirm if I’d still need to use an Amazon device to discover and use my bulbs or if without it, Sonos would only be able to find my devices if I buy a Philips Hub?

If that’s the case, I can say I am very disappointed with the product as it limits my experience and forces me to spend more more in order to use the same features an Echo device provides me with. 

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13 replies

J

Hi. First, Sonos devices are voice-enabled speakers, not the equivalent of Echo or GA devices. They will, I suspect,  never even attempt to offer the full functionality available with those devices. 

My Arc will allow me to control my Hue lights. I do have a Hue Bridge but I would be surprised if that is the issue. Can't be sure about that though so maybe someone else will be able to shed some light. :)

Smilja

A HUE bridge (2nd gen or later) is required in order to control the lights via Sonos.

»And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)
J

A HUE bridge (2nd gen or later) is required in order to control the lights via Sonos.

Thanks for clarification.

J

@Alessandromronchi .  You might wish to return your One for a One SL and continue to use Echo devices for voice control.  Most of my speakers are not voice-enabled, but three Echo Dots give me (IMO) the best of both worlds.  By setting the Sonos speakers as ‘preferred speakers’ in Alexa Groups, control becomes very simple.

A

@John B sorry but why would I want a Sonos SL instead?

I bought a Sonos one Gen 2 which has Alexa and Google built in I don’t understand why it is announced as a device that works seamlessly with Alexa when it requires other things to do so (like the Hub Bridge) for example. 
The only reason why I bought it was integration. I have an Echo and a Google Nest but I don’t want to be using two different devices when Sonos is (mistakenly and deceivingly) sold as one device you can use to do everything you do on Echo. 

J

Such claims have never been made by Sonos and it is ridiculous to suggest that they were. 

Sonos speakers can be controlled by voice and perform some other actions.

Good luck with finding an alternative system. 

UKMedia
Userlevel 7
Badge +20

@John B sorry but why would I want a Sonos SL instead?

I bought a Sonos one Gen 2 which has Alexa and Google built in I don’t understand why it is announced as a device that works seamlessly with Alexa when it requires other things to do so (like the Hub Bridge) for example. 
The only reason why I bought it was integration. I have an Echo and a Google Nest but I don’t want to be using two different devices when Sonos is (mistakenly and deceivingly) sold as one device you can use to do everything you do on Echo. 

The issue you have is that Phillips Hue product range uses ZigBee to communicate with it's devices. The Phillips Hue hub is a wi-fi to ZigBee integration, as are some Echo devices. The Sonos One is not a ZigBee hub and I suspect never will be.

Remember: Sometimes Red Wine helps :)
106rallye
Userlevel 7
Badge +17

I suspect the Alexa devices use bluetooth to control your lights. Sonos can only send commands via Alexa or GA to the Hue Bridge.

 

A

Such claims have never been made by Sonos and it is ridiculous to suggest that they were. 

Sonos speakers can be controlled by voice and perform some other actions.

Good luck with finding an alternative system. 

@John B - ‘Ridiculous’ to me means coming to a support page to be rude to people.
If you looked at their main website you’d be able to see things such as ‘Enjoy all the conveniences of voice control with Amazon Alexa on Sonos’ and ‘Connect all your smart home devices and ask Alexa to turn lights on, lock the front door, set the thermostat, make coffee, and more’.

 

Anyway, thanks everyone who confirmed that Sonos won’t replace any Google or Amazon device and that you actually need to spend more on top of your Sonos device to get some features (like buying a Hub for example). It comes with their built in assistants but it will still rely on them to perform well. Unfortunately. 

Smilja

@Alessandromronchi, Sonos is a music system, the speakers do not have smart hubs for all kind of home automation systems built into them.

»And the world is like an apple whirling silently in space, Like the circles that you find in the windmills of your mind.« (›Windmills Of Your Mind‹ [1967]. Music by Michel Legrand ; English lyrics written by Alan & Marilyn Bergman)
J

@Alessandromronchi . I don't believe I was rude to you at all. I stated that a particular comment that you made was ridiculous. I still consider that to be the case. But whatever. 

A

Time to go and focus on somebody else’s post then @John B!

A

@Smilja I do want to believe that we are not relying on common sense. Yes, sonos is a sound system. And I completely understand the fact it doesn’t have all kinds of automation systems built into it. 
The only thing that disappointed me is how it is considered to work seamlessly with other voice assistants when it can’t perform all tasks they can. But thank you for your answers, I do appreciate them. 

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