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So please note this is different from:

 That topic is discussing multiple SONOS networks. I just want to connect to a new network, without another Sonos setup.

Use case:

  • I have a small Sonos setup at home, with the controller app on my phone.
  • I have a Roam on that network, working fine.
  • I go on holiday, with my phone, laptop, and Sonos.
  • I connect the phone, and the laptop, to the WiFi at the hotel or wherevever
  • I want to connect my Roam to the same network

I cannot work out how to do this.

I proceed through the app guidance on connecting to a new network, and of course it cannot find the Sonos Roam, since the Roam isn’t on the network. (See screenshots below). I can connect to the Roam fine by Bluetooth, and it seems that logically I should be able to “send” the credentials for the WiFi network to the Roam so that it can connect, but there isn’t a way to do this. The help just tells me to go through the process shown in the screenshots.

Presumably I could factory reset the Roam, uninstall the app, reinstall it, setup a new account and setup everything again from scratch, but surely that can’t be the intended user flow every time I go to a new place?

 

 

Any responsibly managed public WiFi, such as in a hotel, will impose wireless client isolation for privacy reasons. Your Sonos app therefore wouldn’t be able to see the Roam.

If you really want to use the Roam on WiFi get yourself a travel router, and set everything up on that before you go. You could make life easier by configuring its WiFi with the same name/password as you have at home.

But why do you want to put the Roam on the network at all? You can simply connect your phone to the hotel WiFi and Bluetooth to the Roam. That’s the design intent.

 

On a technical point, you asked why you couldn’t send WiFi credentials to the Roam via Bluetooth. In short it’s the wrong kind of Bluetooth, as it’s an audio connection. At setup time Sonos uses a Bluetooth Low Energy data connection to configure a new/reset device.

Update - actually i got it working, I managed to set it up as a new device, and it worked, but I’m still not sure that’s what i should have done….

@ratty Actually I said hotel just as an example, I’m in an airbnb and it works fine. I take your point about Hotel network limitations, but what happens if I visit a friend’s house, or something? Connecting to another WiFi network is quite a common ask, surely?

And I don’t want to use bluetooth, because I want the laptop to play to the Roam as well (DLNA Play To), which works perfectly (thank you Sonos!) when I can get everything connected to the same network.

Am I really unique here? I would have thought others would also want to connect to new networks? I guess I can force through the new device process every time, but that seems slightly odd…..

Oh, and you’re right on Bluetooth, I’d forgotten the initial setup process used NFC to transfer credentials. Presumably it could do that again though?

See https://support.sonos.com/s/article/1061 for adding a new/changed WiFi to the system. 

Okay, in an Airbnb it’ll be a regular home router so no problems with client isolation. In a public setting you’d either run into client isolation or your Roam would be accessible to you -- and anyone else -- on the network. Either way you’d want a travel router.

To be honest if you’re likely to be moving between properties at lot, even friends, carrying at least 3 devices -- phone, laptop, Roam -- it would probably make sense to go for a travel router anyway. That way you wouldn’t need to configure each of the devices for a new WiFi each time, just the travel router. 

@ratty Yeah…. you are probably right. Actually I travel with *at least* three devices, I work remotely and also have a camera and lenses, my bag looks like I raided an electronics store anyway. I guess one more device wouldn’t hurt….

Travel routers are pretty tiny. Check out Amazon.

I'm so frustrated by Sonos Roam. 

They call it portable, but your so limited. 

 

Grabbing the Sonos (portable) roam and see friends isn't a joy

It's frustrating.…

Yes you could use BT,... But with BT connected you loose all Sonos music services... And you get all notification via the roam. 

 

@Sonos you must setup a option for using a kind of temp wifi/room/locations. 

 

 

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