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There are many posts and request for a portable or outside speaker on ask.sonos and others for a battery powered Play 1.



The Play 1 is plugged in from the bottom with a very flush and tidy fitting power lead. This makes me think and others might agree that a battery pack could be developed that works like a drill battery and plugs into the bottom of the Play 1 - maybe the power lead could also plug into the bottom of the battery pack to recharge in situ so it is seamless in design and can be used whilst recharging or if battery power is low.



I would opt for a lithium-ion polymer battery as:



Excerpt from wikipedia

“The result is a "plastic" cell, which theoretically could be thin, flexible, and manufactured in different shapes, without risk of electrolyte leakage.”
Solution found!!



Xtorm AL390.



It is a battery pack, relatively small, and with 110/220v outpu!



http://www.xtorm.eu/en/power-banks/laptop-power-bank-18-000/. All you need to do, is ensure you have a wireless connection and you are good to go!
ain't no solution for me. Costs as much as a play 1 and is a secondary devices that needs to be carried arround.



I started to put my Sonos gear on ebay to get rid of it as long as its still pricey.



Looking at Denon Heos, who provide a speaker similar to Play 1 with a optional battery pack, the situation is clear in my case. I'm not willing anymore to spend money (a lot of money) on a ecosystem that keeps "focusing on streaming" and a vendor that persistently keeps ignoring users requests and demands.



In my opinion Sonos is heading the wrong direction. And after "Eva Automation" bought Bowers&Wilkins there could appear some interesting products pretty soon.
Has there been any attempt by Sonos with regards to a battery. I really do not want to add electrical outlets for 2 rear speakers if I do not have too.
No plans we know of.

The press reported that sonos worked on a battery speaker for 2 years and shut the project down, so I would say no chance.
Why can't some third party manufacturer make a battery base for Sonos Play 1 like many others have made for the Amazon Echo? Is there a technical obstacle that prohibits this? I have a $70 base on my Echo that provides 10 hours of juice and enables me to place the Echo on my deck without losing the connection.
How much do you think this battery would weigh? Cost (ha ha ha ha ha !)? How long it would last?
The Bluesound Pulse Flex has a battery pack available which weights 200g, costs £69 and 5-6 hours of playback time. If Sonos had a speaker with a battery pack of similar specs I for one would be happy.
It would be nice to have the option of Sonos away from a mains power source but...... Sonos is designed to be a multiroom (not much use outdoors), network-based (so need a wifi network), home audio system. The Sonos app is just a controller and doesn't stream the music. The use case for a small outdoor speaker is met already, and rather better IMO, by several portable Bluetooth speakers. Give me one of those please, instead of a battery pack to lug round with my Play:1.



So I don't think Sonos is ignoring customers. Sonos just, probably, think it's not a very good or commercially viable option.



I respect the request for this, and it's not unreasonable, but I think there are good reasons why it will not see the light of day.
To: John B: I get excellent WiFi on my deck so it's just like another room in my house. I bet there are vast numbers of Sonos users who have the same set up. Second, I'm not saying that Sonos should do this (although I'd like it if they did). I'm asking why a third party hasn't done it already, like third parties have done with Echo. Just look at Amazon. There are several battery bases for Echo made by businesses other than Amazon. I ask again, is there some technical reason why someone couldn't make a battery base for the Play 1 speaker?
Possibly not a technical reason, but the same commercial reason i suggested. The Sonos architecture is not geared towards playing music in the absence of a wifi network. A location like a deck can access mains electricity. For 'away from home' listening tbere are better options than Sonos. So maybe there just isn't enough demand for the end use.



I'm only guessing. I am not claiming to have the definitive answer.
You are correct that you can connect a speaker to an outlet on your deck, but it's less convenient than just placing a speaker on a table. In my case, the outlet is not proximate to where I would want the speaker placed. I also have a small patio that has no outlet and is also well within WiFi range, so not possible to place a Play 1 speaker there. My question is if there's demand for and Echo battery base and for a Denon battery base, why wouldn't there be demand for a Sonos battery base? It doesn't seem logical to me that there's no demand for only Sonos.
Echo does bluetooth i believe. Sonos doesn't. Don't know about Denon.
My question is if there's demand for and Echo battery base and for a Denon battery base, why wouldn't there be demand for a Sonos battery base? It doesn't seem logical to me that there's no demand for only Sonos.

How would you or anyone know how much of these are actually being sold? It could just be a poor product management decision from the makers of these bases.



To make sense and have enough demand, the speakers - IMO - need a combination of battery, bluetooth and some measure of weather protection so they can then be used as easily as similar bluetooth speakers that are available at many price points now; just having a battery doesn't cut it where enough demand has to be generated for the development costs. It also needs to be more easily carried than even a play 1, which is a big heavy unit once one has to travel with it. All of which is probably why no third party maker has come up with a play 1 dedicated battery base - Sonos cooperation is not needed for this.



On the other hand, anyone really wanting music on a long term basis in the patio is best served by installing passive speakers with speaker wires running inside to a place where an amp that does not need weather protection, and does not need a battery, can be placed. Which is what most do, I reckon. With passive speaker pairs that can do excellent music, available at sub USD 100 prices.
First, how do I know? Just look at the number of Echo battery bases on sale at Amazon and the mostly positive reviews. These manufacturers wouldn't be producing them if there wasn't latent demand for them; and new ones are popping up constantly. My neighbor bought one for his Echo and loves the convenience--it works great too. Second, they aren't speakers, they are bases into which you place the speaker---in this case the Echo or in Denon's case the Heos (there's another example of a major manufacturer deciding it's a good idea to provide their customers with portability and who has concluded there's a market for these bases). Third, and as I've stated previously, I'm not necessarily talking about Sonos producing this battery base (although I'd buy it if they did). I'm talking about a third party producing them, as many have done for the Echo. Fourth, I'm not talking about traveling with it. I'm talking about putting the speaker in a base and taking it 20 feet to your deck or patio--the weight isn't a factor here. Fifth, who wants to deal with bluetooth when you could have WiFi? Sixth, you really believe anyone's going to go to the time and effort to run last century technology around their home when they could simply place a speaker in a base and carry it 20 feet??? My assumption about the lack of Sonos battery bases is that there is some technological barrier that's unique to Sonos that's prevented these battery bases from being produced, that third parties have looked into it and have decided that the obstacle is too difficult to overcome. Nothing else makes sense.
I think I read somewhere, that sonos are looking into weather proof speakers for the outside garden, as the garden is seen as another "room" theses days.
The last third party proposition for an add on base for the Play:1 was a miserable failure, making about half of what was needed on Kickstarter.



https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darlite/darlite-the-limitless-sonos-experience
My assumption about the lack of Sonos battery bases is that there is some technological barrier that's unique to Sonos that's prevented these battery bases from being produced, that third parties have looked into it and have decided that the obstacle is too difficult to overcome. Nothing else makes sense.

That doesn't make sense to me. All that is needed is a power supply with a rechargeable battery in a base that mates with the power socket on the 1 unit. All electrical and mechanical stuff - I don't see any place where any proprietary firmware information is needed to be obtained from Sonos - the specification for what is the nature of the power to be fed into the play 1 for it to work is part of the published spec.

Which isn't to say that this is a trivial effort. But if some one saw profit it in, they would pursue it. Sonos involvement not needed.
Also; my quick look at Amazon shows me close to 60K reviews for Echo and about 500 or so for battery bases across different makes of bases.

The market for just battery bases for the play 1 must be smaller in proportion to the play 1 unit sales as compared to Echo sales.

Now if there was a base that a 1 unit would sit in, wired to the mains such that the unit can be just picked up and carried to somewhere else in the home to run from the charged battery for a few hours before returning to its usual position, I would myself pick up one to use with one of my 4 units. That would suffice to move one unit around quickly and flexibly; more would not be useful.

But I can see no reason other than a commercial one for there being no such product. Just not enough takers - what else can be the reason?
Kumar: "Now if there was a base that a 1 unit would sit in, wired to the mains such that the unit can be just picked up and carried to somewhere else in the home to run from the charged battery for a few hours before returning to its usual position, I would myself pick up one to use with one of my 4 units. That would suffice to move one unit around quickly and flexibly; more would not be useful." That's exactly what I've been describing in my previous 4 posts. Like you, I'd buy one in a flash. And so would many current and future Sonos users. If you are correct and there is no technological issue then I am stumped because flexibility is where the market is headed and ignoring this is a very bad decision.



jgatie: Your example is not what I am talking about: a simple battery base with no other features to make it more expensive and complicated.




jgatie: Your example is not what I am talking about: a simple battery base with no other features to make it more expensive and complicated.



I knew what you are talking about. I was just comparing it to another 3rd party proposal for a "base" type add-on for the Play:1, one that presumably would have broader appeal because it covers a multitude of wants/needs that have been requested for years by a loud and dedicated few. Yet, when the wallet becomes involved, the idea fizzles.



The only point I was trying to make is that a loud and dedicated few does not automatically equal 3rd party success.
I think I read somewhere, that sonos are looking into weather proof speakers for the outside garden, as the garden is seen as another "room" theses days.



Yes, new CEO quoted from an interview in the Verge:



In the home, there are multiple rooms and multiple kind of use cases — around, for instance, the television or other screens. There's the outdoor room, there's the bedroom, the bathroom. There are different uses that are there that I think get underestimated.




https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/14/14596904/sonos-ceo-alexa-smart-home-outdoor-speakers-patrick-spence-interview
flexibility is where the market is headed and ignoring this is a very bad decision.



That flexibility is what my Bluetooth feature suggestion was directed towards. Once Sonos can run from a battery, the next requirement would be for it to work where there is no WiFi. And preferably also take some knocks in its stride.

Just the flexibility of having it work without a mains socket, although still tethered to the home WiFi has not been found to yield enough of a market by anyone capable of creating a solution for it, a solution that needs no endorsement by Sonos, just as Flexson stands for play units don't need one. The only way for me to be wrong in saying this would be if such a product existed.



I have solved this problem for myself via external speakers wired to an indoor Sonos front end for the patio and an obsolete but functional iPod touch dedicated to a capable bluetooth speaker for the road. The speaker is smaller and lighter than a 1, does 12 hours between charges, is weather proof, and works brilliantly with the iPod, away from home. Could Sonos address this market? Sure. Should they, in preference to other challenges at this time, like voice control? Debatable.
I think there is a technical reason why it's as feasible for a battery for a PLAY:1 as there is for say and echo. That is that power line in to an echo (or dot) is DC power. The power cord has a transformer at the plug connection to convert from AC to DC power. I'm not an expert, but every battery I know of provides DC power. So therefore replacing a plug with a battery is rather straightforward because they both provide DC.



The PLAY:1 is AC powered. There may be a transformer in the unit itself to convert to DC, but the point is, any power supply for the unit must be AC. So any battery pack for a PLAY:1 would need to be a DC battery, with a conversion to AC to power the unit (and possibly converted back to DC in the unit itself). I haven't done much research on this, but battery packages that provide AC power seem to be rather expensive, and building one that only works with one specific device that isn't it sold in very high volume doesn't make a ton of sense.



I could see where Sonos makes a future product that is DC, with an external transformer like the Echo does. Then again, perhaps Sonos doesn't want to do that if they feel the exterior transformer isn't visually pleasing.
melvimbe: That makes a lot of sense. The conversion from DC to AC and back to DC could be the obstacle I was assuming. The Echo batteries are very simple and cheap--you can get a few for less than $50. A battery base that costs almost as much as the speaker could reduce demand considerably. Thanks for your insight.
battery packages that provide AC power seem to be rather expensive, and building one that only works with one specific device that isn't it sold in very high volume doesn't make a ton of sense.



I could see where Sonos makes a future product that is DC, with an external transformer like the Echo does. Then again, perhaps Sonos doesn't want to do that if they feel the exterior transformer isn't visually pleasing.

Yes, this explanation nails it; as described in the quote, the barrier seems to be techno commercial related to costs v potential payoff via market share/size. Nothing to do with Sonos, except their decision to not make one themselves.



It is of course a consequence of the Sonos design choice to NOT have a transformer hanging off the wall as the Echo has, but to build one into the unit body.



The Darlite idea earlier referred may be of interest: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/darlite/darlite-the-limitless-sonos-experience



It is interesting to see how much the product looks like the battery base being discussed. But it includes a lot of features that would need either hacking or access to Sonos internal protocols/firmware, but it still does not include a battery, possibly because of cost/size reasons. The features promised look quite intriguing to me, and I would have picked up the one unit needed if it ever reached the market. But as the site indicates, it seems that the funding attempt was called off for lack of interest, so that is one indicator to the market interest in such products.
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