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Constant drop-outs, third party equipment/ software; and a failing Roam

  • 23 April 2024
  • 4 replies
  • 49 views
T

I have a long history of constant radio drop-outs and numerous conversations with Sonos technicians to try and resolve the issues. They usually come up with the same monotonous fixes which involve switching all the Sonos items on and off, unplugging the router, and/ or changing router settings, changing all range of network channels.

Also overtime other equipment has been alleged to be interfering with Sonos ie the Virgin Hub4 (which is now in modem mode and operated through a TP Link router), and the BBC Sounds app, which we have stopped using for the time being. The latest item that is suggested to be interfering with the Sonos system is our Devolo powerline.

Just to add interest the Sonos Roam has stopped connecting with the system, although according to the Sonos App it is playing properly.

 Reading about similar issues and the lack of solutions, it seems that Sonos is just no longer fit for purpose.

 

My system is:

Room 1 Home cinema system consisting of Playbar, two x Play 3 and Sub-mini;

Room2: Play1;  Room 3: Play 1; Room 4; Port and record deck; Roam

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Best answer by Airgetlam 24 April 2024, 07:12

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4 replies

Airgetlam

Sorry you’ve had so many network issues, especially on Sonos, which requires a clean network to operate on. 

 

Bruce
T

Hi,

Thank you for the reply. Would you kindly let me know what does 'clean network' mean?

 

My household cannot be unusual in having many items that rely on wifi, as well the Devolo equipment.  How can Sonos equipment be adjusted to work with it all. Will the software update on 7th May resolve my problems?

buzz

We will all need to “wait and see” with respect to the May 7 event.

I have no experience with Devolo, but in general we discourage using networking over power line. Occasionally EoP (Ethernet over Powerline) has been a magic bullet, more often it has been a big pain. I don’t know which path Devolo will lead you down. Are any of your SONOS units wired to the network?

Airgetlam

The way that Sonos interacts with a network is pretty much unlike the majority of devices. There is not only the need for the speakers to constantly maintain a connection with the internet, but also a constant connection between themselves, and if you have your controller device open, a constant connection with that device. Most other devices just need a single connection, be it to the internet, or at the most to a single other device.

This make Sonos a bit more ‘sensitive’, as network devices go, to various forms of network problems, which can be caused by a plethora of issues, including things like duplicate IP addresses, wifi interference , and other network issues. It isn’t impossible, by any stretch, for the Sonos to be at fault, but in the vast majority of cases I’ve seen over the last ten plus years, well over 99% have not been issues with the Sonos devices or Sonos software that runs them. Additionally, due to this complexity, Sonos has some particular requirements. There is a list of a very few routers that don’t handle the network properly, that Sonos maintains. As @buzz suggests, some (maybe all?) Devolo and other power line products are know to munge network addresses, for some reason I’m not familiar with, or even break up segments into different subnets, which means the Sonos devices can’t talk to each other, the controller, or the internet properly. 
 

Sonos does maintain a Sonos Network Requirements FAQ, which briefly mentions Ethernet over power line devices, amongst other things that will cause issues. 

Bruce

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