Question

Can I use my Sonos offline or without Internet?

  • 17 May 2014
  • 3 replies
  • 47255 views

I live on the 8th floor of a 12-story condo building and want to use my Sonos for a party on the roof where there's absolutely no Internet connection. Will I have to purchase a separate wireless hotspot device to be able to set my Sonos up there? Or is there a way I can play music on my Sonos without an Internet connection at all? (I can bring my bridge and my laptop, too.) I rely on Spotify for my music as well -- not sure if that makes a difference in whether I'll be able to play songs without Internet connection.

EDIT! So I found this thread on the line-in configuration (https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1271)... except I don't have an option to select "Line In" under my Settings! There's no line in tab or autoplay menu that I can find at all... help?!

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3 replies

Userlevel 5
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Hello Michelle,

You are correct, this would be the solution we'd recommend. You would need to utilize the Line-In. In order to see this option, you would need to plug a device (such as a smartphone or tablet) into the back of the Line-In port. You will also want to configure "Auto-Play" setting and then you will be good to go. 

Please let us know if you run into any issue with this or have any questions and we'll be happy to assist you.

Cheers.
Hi Michelle. A solution I have used is to take my router, Bridge, phone and Sonos speaker and simply transplant them to where I want to play music. I could not connect to the internet, obviously, so Spotify etc out of the question, but I could play music from my phone using my phone controller as if I were in my apartment. (The router can still create a local wi-fi network without being connected to the internet.) That may be more hassle than you think is worth it, but it's an option. Especially if you don't have a Sonos unit that possesses a line-in. You could even wire the speaker direct to the router to save taking the Bridge, but I'd recommend not messing with your usual configuration if that involves a Bridge. John, Canford Cliffs Audio
Userlevel 2
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I have 6 Sonos Connects hooked up in a bar. We had a lot of problems with network dropping in and out. We finally took a wireless router and created our own network with nothing else on it. We used a seperate streaming source connected to the line in. Solved the network drop out issues. There is no internet service connected and the system runs fine. I did disable the updates.