"network connection speed insufficient to maintain playback buffer"

I know this topic has been raised before but I am having problems with my Sonos set up.

I have a Cocktail X10 with all my old CDs loaded on it in WAV format and connected to my router through a pair of Line Feed Adapters (TP Link AV1200 3-port 1200Mbps). The other end of the line feed adapters is plugged directly into the router. I also have a Sonos Boost, again plugged directly into the router. When I try to play music from the Cocktail X10 I get the "network connection speed insufficient to maintain playback buffer" message on my phone.

Can anyone please explain how the network speed can be an issue, as to my mind I am not using the wireless network. The Sonos Boost is doing the job of carrying the signal from the router to the speakers and the line feed adapters are carrying the signal from the Cocktail X10 to the router.

I know that the line feed adapters are doing their job because I have the TV plugged into one of the ports and that works for streaming catch up TV over the internet at full HD.

Is there a setting that I need to adjust?

Rgds Ian

Hi Ian,

It's possible that the wireless connection between your BOOST and other speakers is getting hit with interference, causing that error. Mind sending in a diagnostic report after you see this error? Reply with the confirmation number and I'll check it out for you.

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, I have just tried to play a couple of tracks from the Cocktail and received the error message so I have run a diagnostics report. The confirmation number is 885534912.

Hope this helps.

Rgds Ian

Hi,

Thanks for the reply, I have just tried to play a couple of tracks from the Cocktail and received the error message so I have run a diagnostics report. The confirmation number is 885534912.

Hope this helps.

Rgds Ian

Thanks for sending in the report. I do see that your BOOST is having a hard time communicating with your other speakers. How close is the BOOST to your router? It may help to ensure there are a couple of feet in between them. Also, changing the wireless channel your Sonos system is using may help to reduce wireless interference from nearby networks.

Many thanks for the suggestion Jeff.

I have set my Sonos Boost to Channel 6 and my router to channel 1 but I am still having problems although only intermittent. I have just had the system cut off a song mid tune and move onto to the next one. I have run a diagnostic, the report number is 1283561259.

Rgds Ian

Doh, apologies Jeff, my mistake, I have now set the Boost to channel 6 and will see how it performs.

Many thanks for the prompt reply.

Rgds ian

I've given it a few days now and it seems to have worked so thanks but just one extra question, Why can't I see the Sonos Network on my Network Analyser app?

Rgds Ian

I've been having this same problem on almost a daily basis for more than two years. At random times, my queued music is interrupted, and the stock phrase "network connection speed insufficient to maintain playback buffer" flashes on my computer screen. It happens regardless of whether the music files are encoded as mp3, aiff, or something else. It happens during the evening when my Internet bandwidth narrows (due to neighbors streaming Netflix movies). It happens at times when the bandwidth is wide open.

Well where is this playback buffering supposed to be taking place anyway? My computer has 16 GB of RAM, and quite often there may be as much as 6 or 7 GM free at moments when the Sonos signal drops out. Does the buffering happen in my computer, or in the Sonos speaker, or in my router? Where do I add more RAM to fix the problem?

It just makes no sense. If I had known three years ago that the best on the market speakers were going to be having frequent dropouts like this, I would have paid to have speakers hard wired into my home, and never both Sonos.

rspalmer, You are trying to solve the wrong problem.

Buffering takes place within the Sonos system.

You can add more RAM to your Sonos if you want to try, it is not designed to be upgraded so you'll be doing high-precision soldering and when you are done there is a good chance that the device won't boot, much less use the RAM without also disassembling the existing sonos code, modifying it and finding a way to reload it into the device.

Why not instead deal with the lack of bandwidth issue that is usually solvable without much difficulty?

First, if you want an official Sonos opinion in a reasonable time frame the twitter and facebook options are 24x7, e-mail gives a 24 hour response promise and the phones when open and once you get off hold are instant. The community here does get official Sonos Staff visits but not so much on weekends or after hours and even during office hours the presence is not constant.

Now for my suggestions as a user, wait until you are having issues and submit a diagnostic, not the number as you'll need to provide it to Sonos. Send it in using your choice of the above methods.

Second look at your network matrix http://your-player-ip:1400/support/review and see if the different devices are having issues communicating. If they are and it is noise related (the first column) look for devices (with or without radios) that could be the problem. Move your Sonos or move/power-off the suspected device and see if things improve. If you want help with the matrix post a legible screenshot and folks will chip in suggestions.

You don't tell us much about your system but if you are not in Boost mode consider it, solves a lot of issues Standard mode is prone to.

Indeed, that message is actually a pretty good indicator that your speakers are having a difficult time, for whatever reason, in communicating with your router.

It could be simple wifi interference, or the infinitely more challenging to diagnose, yet relatively easy to fix duplicate IP addresses on your system, which can often be exposed by the Sonos soft reboot process that occurs when they update the firmware on the speakers.

Hello Stanley_4 nd Airgetlam. I sincerely appreciate your input. I had intentionally omitted a detailed description of my system, not wanting to burden readers with so many details.

My iTunes music library lives on a 2011 iMac, with 16 GB of RAM running High Sierra (macOS 10.13.6) on a 2.7 GHz Intel processor. My router is an Arris TG862 supplied by my ISP (Spectrum TWC). I have three of the older Sonos Play: 1 speakers, two upstairs, one downstairs. I also have a Sonos Boost wired into my router.

I’m good with software, but network connections have never been my forte. I had to hire a technician to set up my Wi-fi network. Still, I think I have a logical mind, and it irritates me greatly that I can’t work out this problem on my own.

You’ve already given me very useful information, as even after several exchanges with the Sonos technicians, I had no idea WHERE the buffering took place. I do not have the inclination or the technical skill to try and solder additional RAM into the speakers.

I think I understand the issue of Wi-Fi interference. But even when I have manually changed my Wi-Fi to an unoccupied channel, the dropouts continue with the same “insufficient buffering speed” error message.

Moving channels of your WiFi only helps if your WiFi is set to your SonosNet channel, if it is on the one of the open channels and you move it on top of the SonosNet channel you just made things worse.

The details of your computer don't matter much, my Sonos system is happily running using about 2% of the available CPU power of a Raspberry Pi. The router/modem isn't very important either unless you are on an incredibly slow Internet plan with speeds under 1 MBps and are loading it up with other traffic. Mom's Sonos is happy on the lowest/slowest Cox network offering and has no problems even when she is watching HD YouTube videos.

Knowing you have a Boost helps, as does knowing it is wired to your router. Something quick to check since that is the case is that the WiFi credentials were cleared from the system when the Boost was installed. Check under the WiFi setup and if no menu is offered to remove them then they have been removed already.

Finding the best channels for your WiFi and your SonosNet is the next step. Most tablets and phones can download a WiFi monitoring tool that will give you a useful (but far from perfect) look at your WiFi situation and let you decide which of the three (1, 6, 11) channels to use for each. I'd give Sonos the cleanest and your WiFi the next best at this point.

I'd eliminate the issue with IP addresses that was mentioned above, takes about a minute per Sonos device to do but is well worth it long term. Open your router's DHCP page and set a static/reserved IP address for each Sonos device. This is not rocket science and should not be a problem to accomplish. Your router's manual is a good place to start. Once done unplug all Sonos devices, reboot the router and any controllers. Plug in the Boost and wait a minute for it to wake up. Start plugging in your other Sonos devices about a minute apart until all are running.

The only realistic next step is to look at the Network Matrix, give it a few minutes from your last change to any other settings so it settles in to the current situation. Post a screenshot and folks will explain what you are seeing. Short answer red is bad, green is good, orange or yellow aren't great but aren't usually a problem.

Your goal is to get your system working around the WiFi interference and that isn't hard to do in most situations.