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Contributor I
January 15, 2023
Answered

Audio in one room cuts out and in while group playing music everywhere in the house

Hello, I need help with audio cutting out and in while group playing music everywhere in the house. 
 

My “Family Room” group is the room that cuts out and in intermittently while listening to music but the other rooms continue playing normally. Very irritating. The Family Room includes the Sonos Playbar, Sub, and two Sonos Ones with surround sound set up for our main TV. No connection to router issues as the router is in the same room right next to the playbar. Completely factory reset all devices in the room but unfortunately the issue returned. The TV is not on during streaming of music. Please help!

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Airgetlam
AirgetlamAnswer
January 15, 2023

I would expect that this is most likely some sort of wifi interference , with the family room not getting the data when streaming. In particular, I’d be looking at devices that may be too close, especially given your statement about the router being ‘right next to the PLAYBAR’.

Another possibility, although perhaps more remote, is simple duplicate IP addresses, which could easily be tested by a relatively simple network refresh. Unplug all Sonos devices from power, and then reboot your router. Once the router has had a couple of minutes to reboot, plug back in the Sonos devices. If this fixes the issue, it could only be a temporary fix, any router that has handed out bad IP addresses to the Sonos during the Sonos software update process might do so again in the future, so reading the router’s manual and learning how to assign reserved IP addresses for all of your network devices would be a good step. 

Please don’t further factory reset any devices, ultimately, that deletes any data that might help Sonos help you, and as you’ve found, rarely ‘fixes’ an issue, at best sometimes postpones the reoccurrence.

This is just two potential causes for drop outs. Without hard data to look at, I’ve picked out the most likely to help answers, but should this behavior continue,  I would recommend that you submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this problem, and call Sonos Support to discuss it.

There may be information included in the diagnostic that will help Sonos pinpoint the issue and help you find a solution.

When you speak directly to the phone folks, they have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your Sonos system and network.

 

Bruce

15 replies

Airgetlam
AirgetlamAnswer
January 15, 2023

I would expect that this is most likely some sort of wifi interference , with the family room not getting the data when streaming. In particular, I’d be looking at devices that may be too close, especially given your statement about the router being ‘right next to the PLAYBAR’.

Another possibility, although perhaps more remote, is simple duplicate IP addresses, which could easily be tested by a relatively simple network refresh. Unplug all Sonos devices from power, and then reboot your router. Once the router has had a couple of minutes to reboot, plug back in the Sonos devices. If this fixes the issue, it could only be a temporary fix, any router that has handed out bad IP addresses to the Sonos during the Sonos software update process might do so again in the future, so reading the router’s manual and learning how to assign reserved IP addresses for all of your network devices would be a good step. 

Please don’t further factory reset any devices, ultimately, that deletes any data that might help Sonos help you, and as you’ve found, rarely ‘fixes’ an issue, at best sometimes postpones the reoccurrence.

This is just two potential causes for drop outs. Without hard data to look at, I’ve picked out the most likely to help answers, but should this behavior continue,  I would recommend that you submit a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this problem, and call Sonos Support to discuss it.

There may be information included in the diagnostic that will help Sonos pinpoint the issue and help you find a solution.

When you speak directly to the phone folks, they have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your Sonos system and network.

 

Bruce
Lyricist I
October 18, 2023

I’m having the exact same issue here.  Curious if the OP found a definitive solution.  Zero chance of wifi interference in my situation so Alex’s suggestion above would not apply.  I’m on google wifi in a major downtown area.  Signal/interference is never an issue where I’m located and the irony is the strongest signal and router location are in me Living Room, yet, like the OP, my LR speakers are the ones that keep cutting out while all the other bedrooms and living spaces place without issue.  I also did a reboot of my router.  All my speakers and the app are on current software updates.  The LR has been cutting in and out has been ongoing for the past two weeks and would love to hear any feedback.

Airgetlam
October 18, 2023

What did Sonos support say, when you submitted a diagnostic, and called them with the diagnostic number?

For what it’s worth, I can’t think of anywhere more ripe for wifi interference than a Google WiFi situation in a downtown area, but if you’ve checked the signal interference from outside networks, you know best. I’d still suggest that duplicate IP addresses could be an issue. A reboot of your router simply does not fix that issue. But Sonos support is likely your best bet, as I suggested in my first response.  

 

Bruce
Stanley_4
Grand Maestro
October 18, 2023

What bites a lot of folks is looking at WiFi signals to see if there is WiFi interference.

You need to look at ALL the RF energy on and near your selected WiFi channel to see if there is an issue. Non WiFi signals, like baby-monitors or just plain old RF noise don’t show on a WiFi signal monitor, yet they will happily trash your WiFi signal.

I don’t know of an inexpensive way to do that unless it is built into a device you already have. Ubiquity APs have it available and I’m sure others offer it too.

Lyricist I
November 17, 2023

I have the same issue and it only happens to one of my speakers. I have three Sonos ones and the one that is not part of a stereo pair cuts in and out for no reason. I have great Wi-Fi connection all throughout my house.  Frustrating.

Airgetlam
November 17, 2023

Have you submitted a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing this problem, and called Sonos Support to discuss i?.

There may be information included in the diagnostic that will help Sonos pinpoint the issue and help you find a solution.

When you speak directly to the phone folks, they have tools at their disposal that will allow them to give you advice specific to your network and Sonos system.

Bruce
buzz
Grand Maestro
November 18, 2023

Physically move the problem speaker. WiFi interference is often very location specific.

Lyricist I
December 1, 2023

Having the same issue here, but with a strange twist. One room (out of six) continually drops out here at our workspace. It happens frequently when streaming with Plex, Amazon Music, Bandcamp, Mixcloud  or Spotify. However, we hardly ever see the issue with Sonos Radio? Which implies that it is not merely a Wifi issue? Why would Sonos Radio have a more robust service? I’ve noticed this over many weeks...

Stanley_4
Grand Maestro
December 1, 2023

What data rate is each service using? WiFi issues that don’t impact lower rate connections can choke on higher rate ones.

Maybe try playing some local files, first in lossless FLAC or other codec and again in something lossy like MP3 and see if both work.

Lyricist I
December 4, 2023

We've had our Sonos system for 6 years and started having problems with a few zones intermittently cutting out while the app on our iPad shows the music is still playing. This problem started a few months ago and our audio tech has made sure our software is up to date but the problem still persists.
 

we have no WiFi issues with our various other WiFi connected devices and our speakers are hard wired to our aidio room where our Sonos devices are housed.

 

i wonder if the connection issues are a result of Sonos software updates ,which may be designed for newer devices but are making older units malfunction? This seems to have happened recently so I doubt that we are all having WiFi or connection issues.

 

when the S2 app upgrade occurred a few years ago, several of my sone devices were not supported but after complaining for a week they suddenly were included in the software upgrade.

 

Thoughts?