Is Sonos Fit For Purpose?

For the quoted use case, I’d say it is still the best in the market where wireless is concerned. And with as many units as you have, it should be possible to get a stable system with music play uptimes that are better than 99%. 

What does your Sonos set up look like - as in, to start, how many units are ethernet wired to the core Wifi network?

What is your music source?

Do your Sonos units have reserved IP addresses in the WiFi router?

For what it’s worth I think Sonos fails to live up to expectations, great sound but riddled with issues and a lack

DFTT

@ratty Is that a Yes or a No?

It wasn’t directed at you, but at a well known negative character who simply lurks and jumps on threads trying to stir up trouble.

To your original question, I’ve found it fit for purpose for nigh on 14 years. Note however that Sonos needs a decent network. Clutter at 2.4GHz can be a problem, as indeed is filling rooms with humans who, being mostly water, are rather good at blocking 2.4GHz.

@Kumar raised some valid queries about your setup. Have you also consulted Sonos Support?

@ratty Thanks - I had googled it and gathered it wasn't complimentary! 

I have had input over the years from numerous sources including Sonos and I am lucky enough to have input from the IT support provider to my business (supporting my ‘home office’) but as you say pretty much everything in the modern home is a potential conflict to Sonos - the irony of your comment about humans is that when you would most want Sonos to perform at a house party the house should be full of them!

Every day I come home to hear my wife say ‘bloody Sonos’ or worse - she has even resorted to listening to Radio on the TVs due to drop outs….

If I’m going to ethernet connect Sonos units I may as well go back to hardwiring speakers as I did 30+ years ago.

The challenge with a people filled environment is for WiFi in general, and if Sonos has trouble with that, so will every other wireless system. If you search this forum for example, you will see that anyone that asks for guidance for using Sonos at a wedding, is advised not to. 

The difference, for the second part of your quote - if ethernet wiring is the solution to this challenge, unlike in the case of hardwired speakers, not all units in the home need to be ethernet wired once things have been thought through.

As to the comment from your wife, one assumes it occurs in the course of day to day living as well when the house is not full of people. Bloody Sonos or should it be something else? - seeing that you have had the system for years but haven't knuckled down to getting it to work as it can. As my 12 units system has since 2012; I bought it in 2011, suffered some issues, and with a lot of help from here and some from Sonos support, had fixed these issues by 2012. Thereafter, there has been the occasional glitch, but uptime is north of 99%.

I now find that in many cases, Echo devices serve me just as well, but for my open space apartment core that has three zones to address needs for music there, Sonos still rules for slick and in perfect sync music play across the space using three zones.

Not necessarily. All it takes is for one device to be wired and the system (apart from the Move and Roam portables) will switch over to Sonos’ dedicated wireless mesh, SonosNet. The mesh is self-extending and self-reinforcing, and shifts audio to a separate wireless channel.

SonosNet was the original operating mode; direct connection to a WiFi came later. You might find it beneficial. All you’d need do is wire one unit then wait 5 mins or so for the system to recognise the change.

@Kumar I bought my first Sonos speaker in 2010 and when Sonos works I love the sound quality and control but drop outs have been a bugbear since the outset.

I have the bit between my teeth and I’m determined to crack it once and for all or to throw it out and start again.

Believe me I have knuckled down many times before but never seems to get to full resolution - just a tolerable stability which is enough to take me off the case pro-tem.

My IT support took out the Sonos boost saying that they thought it better for everything to be on the Tenda Mesh Wi-Fi. I even have a wish list of Sonos additions for the house but clearly this is on hold until everything works consistently.

I’m happy to try anything and, within reason, spend whatever it takes to get Sonos to do just what it should do.

It is the level if IT tech input / understand that I find daunting - not that I’m not reasonably tech savvy just that I bought a music system not a IT system.

Tech not doing what I know it should do remains the most irritating and frustrating thing for me.

@BobP it would be a shame to have all the kit you have and for it to not deliver satisfaction and even delight.

I could help, but if he can find the time, @ratty will do this faster, and probably better.

Let's see if he chips in...