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beaumonthome
Contributor I
June 17, 2026

DHCP poorly implemented

  • June 17, 2026
  • 4 replies
  • 158 views

So I changed by gateway router which wants to run a different 192.168.x.x. subnet from the previous one. New gateway router is also the DHCP server. Every device on my network picked up a new IP address within 5 minutes except every one of my Sonos devices, The Sonos app simply told me I had nothing configured, and suggested having to go through a very laborious process to reconfigure each Sonos speaker again. No way. As it turns out, a simple power-cycle of each speaker solved the problem immediately but this is not how a DHCP client is supposed to behave. Problem solved but maybe this is useful for somebody else. 

4 replies

craigski
Local Superstar
June 17, 2026

Are your Sonos devices connected using WiFi? A restart of the AP(s) would have also forced the network devices to obtain a new IP. Some APs allow you to ‘reconnect’ specific devices through the management interface, avoiding a restart of the AP.

    Stanley_4
    Stanley_4
    Grand Maestro
    June 17, 2026

    What is your DHCP lease lifetime set to?

    I set mine to an hour the day before any planned change, then to a few minutes an hour before the change. That has all active clients renewing quickly so when the LAN address changes the clients pick it up quickly. I then change the lifetime back to the default.

    Can't try this as my ISC DHCP server doesn't support it, if yours does it might be an option.

    https://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc3203.txt

    This document defines extensions to DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration

       Protocol) to allow dynamic reconfiguration of a single host triggered

       by the DHCP server (e.g., a new IP address and/or local configuration

       parameters). This is achieved by introducing a unicast FORCERENEW

       message which forces the client to the RENEW state.  

      MauricioARG
      Contributor I
      August 17, 2026

      Same here the only devices in my network that don’t take new IPs are SONOS. Make whole system useless, worst the soundbar. I have more than 100 devices in home, only Sonos dont take IP from DHCP

      craigski
      Local Superstar
      August 18, 2026

      Same here the only devices in my network that don’t take new IPs are SONOS. Make whole system useless, worst the soundbar. I have more than 100 devices in home, only Sonos dont take IP from DHCP

      Your Sonos was working fine:

      What have you changed/modified on your network since it was “working fine”?

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