Avid Contributor I

Answered

Connecting Arc Ultra to existing Sonosnet

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I am having trouble setting up my SOnos home cinema.

In my sitting room, I have a One connected to my router. All my other speakers use Sonosnet and this mostly works great.

I added an Arc Ultra to the sitting room and this is also working. However, I am now trying to connect up rear speakers.

I moved another One into the sitting room and tried to setup both this and the One connected to my router with the Arc. I get a little way through the process and then I am told that the Arc needs a wired ethernet connection.

I should say at this point that I have tried my Sonos setup in wifi standalone mode before and it did not go well - the network was incredibly unreliable and I do not want to go there again.

I spoke to technical support about this and from what I can gather I have three options.

1. Get a very long ethernet cable and drape it all around the walls of the sitting room so I can plug the Arc in. One of the reasons I chose the Arc was to avoid having cables everywhere.

2. Buy a mesh network so I can extend my wifi range. Then go all-in with standalone wifi again and ditch Sonosnet.

3. Return my Arc and ask for a refund.

The guy I spoke to seemed to think that wiring the Arc is the best way to go. But then I might be better off with a traditional wired home cinema if I am going to have cables everywhere. I presume if I do this then the Arc becomes the controller for the Sonosnet network that everything else is using.

Just wondering if anyone else has any suggestions.

Is the mesh network a viable option? If so, any recommendations for one that is going to be easy to setup and plays nicely with Sonos.

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Mr. TAnswer

The Arc Ultra is not compatible with SonosNet and does not create SonosNet for other devices when wired.

Surrounds are bonded to the Arc Ultra over a private 5GHz connection. You cannot use a single wired surround to create SonosNet for other devices.

What happens when you disconnect the wired connection to the One and attempt to add as surrounds again?

If that works and you still want to use SonosNet for your other devices, consider purchasing a 2nd hand Boost or move another device into the sitting room to connect with your router instead.

Mr. TAnswer

The Arc Ultra is not compatible with SonosNet and does not create SonosNet for other devices when wired.

Surrounds are bonded to the Arc Ultra over a private 5GHz connection. You cannot use a single wired surround to create SonosNet for other devices.

What happens when you disconnect the wired connection to the One and attempt to add as surrounds again?

If that works and you still want to use SonosNet for your other devices, consider purchasing a 2nd hand Boost or move another device into the sitting room to connect with your router instead.

M

mrgrievesAuthor

Avid Contributor I

Thank you very much for such a quick reply. So do I need to think of the Arc plus surrounds as being totally separate from everything else? If I had the Arc plugged into ethernet and also the rear One, then neither of them could provide Sonosnet.

If I go with your suggestion, presumably I will only find out if it works well enough over time depending on the stability of my surround sound. So in the meantime I need to find a way to service the rest of my Sonos speakers.

I don’t; know anything about the Boost so will investigate. I presume I just plug that into the router and that controls the network for my other Sonos speakers as my One does now.

I presume there is a technical reason why it works this way, but it’s frustrating that modern technology is never quite as easy it it sounds like it is going to be.

M

mrgrievesAuthor

Avid Contributor I

Sorry I should have done this before replying, but I had a look at the Boost.

Oddly enough I couldn’t find it in the Sonos shop, so not sure if it has been discontinued. But I found the user guide and it says this “: Portable Sonos products cannot connect to the dedicated wireless network created by Boost.”

I have two Roams, so it sounds like they wouldn’t work. So in that case, my only option is presumably to plug another One into the router right next to the one I am intending to use as a rear speaker?

Mr. T

Thank you very much for such a quick reply. So do I need to think of the Arc plus surrounds as being totally separate from everything else? If I had the Arc plugged into ethernet and also the rear One, then neither of them could provide Sonosnet.

If I go with your suggestion, presumably I will only find out if it works well enough over time depending on the stability of my surround sound. So in the meantime I need to find a way to service the rest of my Sonos speakers.

I don’t; know anything about the Boost so will investigate. I presume I just plug that into the router and that controls the network for my other Sonos speakers as my One does now.

I presume there is a technical reason why it works this way, but it’s frustrating that modern technology is never quite as easy it it sounds like it is going to be.

Note the original Arc and the Arc Ultra behave differently when wired, so correct naming of devices is important here. The original Arc will create SonosNet for other devices, the Arc Ultra will not.

The Arc Ultra and surrounds should just be considered as another room, with a different connection method to your router.

The portables, Era speakers and Arc Ultra do not utilise SonosNet. They only connect to the router’s WiFi, although you can wire the Arc Ultra directly, or use Sonos combo adapters for the Eras. Routers and mesh network have developed greatly since the introduction of SonosNet. Many users now have a fully wireless setup.

Mr. T

Sorry I should have done this before replying, but I had a look at the Boost.

Oddly enough I couldn’t find it in the Sonos shop, so not sure if it has been discontinued. But I found the user guide and it says this “: Portable Sonos products cannot connect to the dedicated wireless network created by Boost.”

I have two Roams, so it sounds like they wouldn’t work. So in that case, my only option is presumably to plug another One into the router right next to the one I am intending to use as a rear speaker?

The Boost has been discontinued, that’s why I said a 2nd hand Boost as you can pick them up cheaply on eBay or equivalent.

The Roam’s aren’t using SonosNet created by your wired One.

See the following page for product compatibility with SonosNet.

https://support.sonos.com/en-gb/article/choose-between-a-wireless-and-wired-sonos-setup

M

mrgrievesAuthor

Avid Contributor I

Ah thank you for clearing all that up. I had always presumed that all Sonos speakers connected the same way. I had no idea that the Roam was working differently.

It’s also a surprise to learn that the old Arc may have served me better.

Anyway you have given me some good suggestions, thank you so much, I will rearrange my speakers so I have a different one plugged into the router then will try the Arc wireless and see how that goes.

If that works then I will go with the Boost - it sounds like a decent option particularly as it gives me an extra ethernet port.

Anyway, thanks so much for clearing things up for me.

Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

I believe the Boost has a low speed Ethernet port so be aware of that when connecting to it.

Airgetlam

I think all Sonos products have a 10/100 Ethernet port, although that may have changed on later products. The speed /bandwidth necessary for music just isn’t that great, and I suspect at the time of design/manufacturing, there was a significant cost difference.

As I say, it might be different on newer product. As time moves on, I suspect finding older, slower ports are more expensive than the current gig speed electronics, sold at commodity prices,

Bruce

Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

I think the fast older generation Ethernet ports drew more power, maybe a shorter maximum cable length too.

Still good enough for a lot of stuff, I have a good number still in use here. Since they have no issues negotiating a connection to a newer Ethernet switch there is no reason to replace them.

You just don't want to hang a data-hog like a NAS or HD TV off the slow link.

Good quality, metal cases and solid connectors, 5 and 8 port dumb switches are in the $20 US range.

8 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A121WN6?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

5 - https://www.amazon.com/Ethernet-Splitter-Optimization-Unmanaged-TL-SG105/dp/B00A128S24