Because I am a moron, Sonos needs to sell an outdoor speaker

lol

I AGREE, we need an outdoor speaker please !

So, I did it again. Left the same Sonos 1 out in the rain for two solid days. Guess what? I shook the water out of it, and it works perfectly! I'm starting to think these speakers are actually rain-proof and water resistant. I mean, this speaker is effectively rain-proof, because I'm soaked it twice now, with no repercussion.
Maybe the engineers anticipated morons like me and built in some rain-proofing? in any case, I'm sold on Sonos quality! love Sonos! 😃

I appreciate many of us want to see a robust Sonos portable weatherproof speaker for the garden etc, but it's obvious that the difficulty is not just waterproofing a speaker, it's also a case of 'signal' and somehow tethering it to a network.. But what happens in those far to reach places (a bridge too far) ... Where the signal is poor or intermittent, or simply will not reach?

So, if we think about it carefully the speaker not only needs to be weatherproof, have a long-lasting battery and far-reaching wifi signal, it also needs the ability to store music files, or access such files when placed in remote areas or to get such music files from other devices nearby, such as phones, tablets, USB sticks, or via a line-in.

So the development of such a speaker is not as easy as we may think. Imagine the people who buy one and then complain they get intermittent, or no signal and that their music starts/stops. I'm sure we know that Sonos Support gets plenty of calls on that issue already, even with people using speakers in the confines of their own home. Imagine how those support calls would grow exponentially.

A portable speaker really has to store music files to be effective in this situation IMHO. Then there will be those that will want digital antennas to access radio broadcast over the air and others who will want to create a stereo pair, or group them.

Oh and a rechargeable battery, that will last for many hours... I would hate to see the garden party end early.

There's a lot to consider here, more than some people realise me thinks, for Sonos to come up with an effective product and to satisfy the masses and most importantly, we have to remember they are a 'wireless' speaker company.

Oops ... and did I forget to mention voice control... !!!! ...How remiss of me.

Ken Griffiths

What we need is a plastic bag with SONOS in big friendly letters on it to put over the speaker.

Now then, where's that supermarket bag and magic marker gone?

I do hope the fire brigade will not be troubled again toay when I go out and leave on the oven and chip pan on the hob. Oh, on another note, my fish still work when submerged in water.

This is still one of the most confusing requests for me to get my head round.

All the reasons stated by KG are really reasons for not doing this.

If its too much hard work to carry a play 1 outside and to bring it back in when it rains, then buy a Connect AMP and simply add proper rated outdoor speakers to it. The CA can be indoors or in a weatherproof box outdoors as long as its in wireless range or is wired.

Why would anyone expect Sonos to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars and thousands of hours R&D on a new product when its so simple to achieve the desired results already.

I ran a power cable down my garden and had 3 waterproof sockets installed on it. I carry my Play 5 Gen 1 outside and then bring it back in when finished. It cost me around £100 to have it done.

This is still one of the most confusing requests for me to get my head round.

All the reasons stated by KG are really reasons for not doing this.

If its too much hard work to carry a play 1 outside and to bring it back in when it rains, then buy a Connect AMP and simply add proper rated outdoor speakers to it. The CA can be indoors or in a weatherproof box outdoors as long as its in wireless range or is wired.

Why would anyone expect Sonos to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars and thousands of hours R&D on a new product when its so simple to achieve the desired results already.

I ran a power cable down my garden and had 3 waterproof sockets installed on it. I carry my Play 5 Gen 1 outside and then bring it back in when finished. It cost me around £100 to have it done.

Exactly right TheSeeker, I totally agree.

As much as I would like a dedicated waterproof Sonos Speaker outside myself, I can see such equipment would bring massive support issues for Sonos staff.

Imagine buying a £400 - £500 weatherproof speaker to find it can't pick up your wifi signal from the garden patio or the shed down the bottom of the garden, nor does it have onboard memory or Bluetooth/USB/line-in etc. Then there would be battery issues and recharging etc. You might aswell run an electric cable to an existing Play 1 and keep it undercover and bring it in when it rains, as you explained.

I'll say again Sonos are a WIRELESS speaker company... They are not involved in Bluetooth devices or audio storage... They have their own niche, which I will term as 'streaming-music players over wifi'.

Portable rechargeable speakers are not really their area of business.

Such products are already in existence, so why would Sonos want to now arrive late to the party?

I personally don't think it will happen. I reckon the company has much higher priorities. Having said that, I will continue to watch this space with intrigue.

I guess I should never say never, but I will be surprised if I see a 'soggy’ Sonos anytime soon, if at all.

Ken Griffiths

Yup... then next thing they'll be wanting is a weatherproof Boost. KG nailed it, and its exactly what I did years ago. My outdoor speakers are powered by a Connect hooked to a cheap Sony amp and I've had Sonos music outdoors for close to eight years now. The kit is already there, no waiting on Sonos and no assuming they'll even listen... make it work for you now.

I don't think I would use a sonos outdoor speaker if it was available. I personally would want at least 4 speakers, I don't need them to be separate zones, and I'd have to find a power source for each speaker. It's probably just as easy to get a sonos Amp with 4 outdoor speakers connected (and speaker switch if you wish). You'd have to run speaker wire, from the inside to outside, but it's probably cheaper and safer then running electrical to the same locations outside.

Freaking out for 2 days in Alabama. Have been religious about bringing my pair of play 3's in after playing outside. It caught up to me Thursday. Left them in bad rain storm overnight. Cried and immediately went and bought 20 lbs of rice. Left them submerged in rice for 2 days and had the moment of truth today. THEY WORKED!!!!!! Not recommending that anyone replicate my dumb ass move but a I couldn't not post and thank Sonos for building such a great speaker that in my case exceeded its not waterproof warnings. I am ABSOUTELY in love with these speakers and it broke my heart thinking it was probably game over. I will forever be a Sonos fan and resolve to not be a dumb ass. As much as I can. Love u Sonos!!

look guys, you are forgetting the MORON factor. pretty much 99% of humans are complete idiots, including me. yes, I have advanced degrees, good job, blah blah blah. the reality is: I'm a moron who lIves in a temperate climate where it can be sunny and raining at the same time and I leave my sonos out in the rain on a frequent basis. in fact, I'm posting here again because my Lil sonos 1 was in the rain again for two days. I just leave it out now, don't care. I've decided that sonos speakers are actually waterproof. so there you go! no need for anow official outdoor speaker, because they already are!

look guys, you are forgetting the MORON factor. pretty much 99% of humans are complete idiots, including me. yes, I have advanced degrees, good job, blah blah blah. the reality is: I'm a moron who lIves in a temperate climate where it can be sunny and raining at the same time and I leave my sonos out in the rain on a frequent basis. in fact, I'm posting here again because my Lil sonos 1 was in the rain again for two days. I just leave it out now, don't care. I've decided that sonos speakers are actually waterproof. so there you go! no need for anow official outdoor speaker, because they already are!

"Working" is 1 thing. I certainly do not want to be touching that piece of electronic equipment that is plugged into a wall socket. In all seriousness, get that Play:1 indoors where it belongs.

Sonos absolutely does have an outdoor solution, mix the following ingredients:
1) Connect:Amp
2) Your choice of 2-4 outdoor truly designed/rated/appropriate speakers
3) Indoor/outdoor speaker wire
4) A little time to run the wires into your home (maybe drilling a small hole to fish the wires, or use an existing hole such as where your telephone or cable TV wires enter the home)
5) 2-3 beers (increase quantity as desired)

This works PERFECTLY. 100% perfectly. The Amp can be placed indoors safe and sound from the elements and if you plan well, wired to your router. The outdoor speakers are always on/ready for use. I had 22 people over for a family get together last evening and had ambient music playing on the patio with a quick visit to the Sonos app.

Really...what else is needed????????


Edit: I am pretty confident that Sonos labeling the Play:1 as "Humidity resistant - Designed to withstand high-humidity, such as in a bathroom with a running shower" is more about legal protection than equipment capabilities. They don't want you or your family members messing around with a speaker that has been exposed to water.

Really...what else is needed????????

The will to haul butt?!
Seriously though, in places like the UK, it isn't permissible to use the 1 inside a bathroom unless it is plugged into a mains socket outside the bathroom. I can see the logic in that, though perhaps someone there can clarify how they use shavers and hair dryers - unless it is with long power cords that snake out of the bathroom? But even so isn't there a risk of water and electricity meeting each other in the device in some hazardous way?
I can also see why the "nanny state" term gets used these days, although it may well be needed for people that leave units of play 1 and lower EP class in the rain.

Seriously though, in places like the UK, it isn't permissible to use the 1 inside a bathroom unless it is plugged into a mains socket outside the bathroom. I can see the logic in that, though perhaps someone there can clarify how they use shavers and hair dryers - unless it is with long power cords that snake out of the bathroom?

Shavers, two-pin low power sockets are permitted, enough to run a shaver at minimal risk of death. Nobody uses hair dryers in the bathroom.

I can also see why the "nanny state" term gets used these days, although it may well be needed for people that leave units of play 1 and lower EP class in the rain.

Nanny state, the desire to stop people using hair dryers whilst still sitting in the bath...

How does a low power socket work? What voltage is supplied? Where does the stepping down from the 230V in the mains get done?

Just curious, if you have the time to digress a little.

Or they could do like in the US, which is to join the late 20th century and require GFI outlets for any location close to a water source. Problem solved.

Ok, well I've done it again! Few sunny days, then the rain comes (portland, or) and i forget the trusty little sonos 1 is outside. This has actually happped about a dozen times since i started this thread. I am still a moron, apparently. HOWEVER, the sonos 1 lives on!! This sonos 1 is unstoppable! It's been dropped, kicked, left in blazing sun, left in the rain for days, multiple times. Yet, It sounds the same, if not better, than the day I bought it!
Thank god for privately owned companies who care about the quality of their products! This sonos 1 IS ESSENTIALLY WEATHERPROOF! who knew?? But the jury is in. Like, way in. Now, I'm curious. I might just leave it out 365 and see how many years it survives!
Sonos rules. Moron proof. Love it!

I want an outdoor speaker as well. I would mount it to the corner of my deck. Easy to run a power cord to it, would get wifi easily, must cheaper than installing speaker wire and buying outdoor speaker and buying a connect amp. I think those that say this is dumb for sonos to do don't understand that some of us will not pay $2-300 for outdoor speakers, install wire, and buy a $500 connect amp when we could pay $350-450 for a play1 or one style outdoor speaker