Thread Protocol Border Router support in Sonos Products

  • 21 November 2020
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PBA
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Sonos has always been a good citizen when it comes to openness in smart homes: AirPlay 2 support was a key factor in my purchasing decision. However, as I build out and attempt to future proof my smart home, I’m looking for Thread support in my future buying decisions.

The Thread protocol is aan IPv6-based, low-power mesh networking technology for IoT (Internet of Things) home automation products, intended to be secure and future-proof. It is supported by all the main smart home vendors.

A vital part of the a Thread mesh network is the Border Router, which forwards data from the Thread mesh network to your home WiFi or Etnernet network. For best results there needs to be multiple Border Routers in a home (just like a mesh WiFi setup).

Apple’s recently announced HomePod Mini includes Thread support and acts as a Border Router. It’s low cost makes it an ideal device for a Thread deployment.

Question for Sonos:

Is it possible to add Thread Border Router support to Sonos speakers via S2 software updates? Similar to how you were able to add AirPlay 2 support. Or would it take a hardware upgrade to enable Thread protocol participation? (I notice that the Apple HomePod mini has a new System on Chip design, and that the original HomePod has not had a software update for Thread support.)

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10 replies

ratty

I’m not sure I quite understand the logic.

Airplay2 is an audio-related protocol, so integrating that into an audio product makes obvious sense.

Why would one put what appears to be a gateway function for IoT devices into a Sonos audio streamer, with all the usual implications of any significant software development (stability, test, support, etc.)? There are pure networking devices which offer a solution, as indeed noted on the Border Router page linked above. 

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Thanks @ratty You could ask why Apple decided to support Thread on the HomePod mini? The same could be said for Sonos adding Voice integration to their audio products.

I have Sonos speakers around my house - hypothetically, they could support Thread without me buying additional hardware, as you suggest. I want a Sonos like simplicity and the “it just works” beauty and sound quality of a Sonos / Smart home setup.

The danger here for Sonos is: Apple is making this easy for customers to have multi-room audio and future-proofed smart home protocols “that just work”. If I start buying kit outside of the Sonos ecosystem, that makes me less “sticky” as a customer.

Smilja
  1. Sonos isn’t IoT, it’s a multiroom music system, they don’t make routers or wireless range extenders of any sort
  2. with Apple having their Home Kit smart home gadget, it makes sense that the Homepod Mini integrates seamlessly
»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)
PBA
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@Smilja True, Sonos is not an IoT company. But it is one component of a Smart Home. And this is the Sonos Smart Home forum.

ratty

The same could be said for Sonos adding Voice integration to their audio products.

The voice integration was driven by the desire to provide voice control for audio. Again, it’s a sensible partnership. 

Sonos is a modestly sized company, of finite resources, focused on multi-room audio. The opportunity cost of integrating unrelated networking functions would be substantial, and the incremental accessible revenue would not be obvious at all.

PBA
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@ratty And I would agree, voice integration is a sensible partnership for an audio company participating in a smart home market, even though I choose not to use it (not even Siri).

The smart home market is maturing. Sonos is a part of a smart home.

I love Sonos. I love the sound quality. I love the ease of setup and how it works with Apple Music, iPhones, iPads. I love the Sonos App on my Mac.

Yes, we’re an Apple household because we love the “it just works” and I’m willing to pay for that simplicity - I know not everyone wants or needs “it just works”, nor are they willing to pay.

Thread is not an Apple-only protocol. Adding Thread protocol to Sonos speakers would be a selling point to people who want “it just works” smart home simplicity and keep the superior sound quality of Sonos. It would also help to keep Sonos customers in the ecosystem.

Like it or not, Apple is coming for the smart home market. 

I want Sonos to win.

 

ratty

I want Sonos to win too. I’ve been a customer for 13+ years, much of my post count accumulated as a former user moderator. But to be frank I’d find it difficult to understand why Sonos would want to accept the distraction such a development, unrelated to their core businesses, would inevitably introduce.

I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree.

PBA
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that’s cool @ratty, no hard feelings :smiley:

It was really a question for the Sonos product management team.

ratty

Ah, well, from the Sonos staff on this board the most you’ll get is a “thanks, we’ll pass it on”. Sonos doesn’t publicise product plans.

A

Sonos has always been a good citizen when it comes to openness in smart homes: AirPlay 2 support was a key factor in my purchasing decision. However, as I build out and attempt to future proof my smart home, I’m looking for Thread support in my future buying decisions.

The Thread protocol is aan IPv6-based, low-power mesh networking technology for IoT (Internet of Things) home automation products, intended to be secure and future-proof. It is supported by all the main smart home vendors.

A vital part of the a Thread mesh network is the Border Router, which forwards data from the Thread mesh network to your home WiFi or Etnernet network. For best results there needs to be multiple Border Routers in a home (just like a mesh WiFi setup).

Apple’s recently announced HomePod Mini includes Thread support and acts as a Border Router. It’s low cost makes it an ideal device for a Thread deployment.

Question for Sonos:

Is it possible to add Thread Border Router support to Sonos speakers via S2 software updates? Similar to how you were able to add AirPlay 2 support. Or would it take a hardware upgrade to enable Thread protocol participation? (I notice that the Apple HomePod mini has a new System on Chip design, and that the original HomePod has not had a software update for Thread support.)

100% agree, would be perfect!

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