NEW FIBRE OPTIC BROADBAND AND SONOS

Hi @RDMG, clarifying question: the TP-Link Deco M4R is mesh Wi-Fi, do you have the “base station” and a “satellite”? If the two TP-Link units literally came out of the same box, then it is true mesh Wi-Fi.

I ask because you said “range extension” which can be a different (non-mesh) thing … and people are about to respond “Sonos doesn’t work with range extenders.”

In addition to @press250 comments what does this mean.

• Tonight, I had to reconfigure my wiring as it was before in order to establish any connectivity.

The question being what did you change back to (reconfigure) regarding Sonos speakers and your network?

Thank you Press250,

The M4R router was provided by the Fusion Fibre Group, when I switched from BT.  I opted to buy a tp-link Mesh Wi-Fi Extender (RE330) from Amazon owing to its poor range.  In addition to which, I still have four BT range extending discs which I’ve previously found invaluable.

In truth, I know that I’ve got a functioning M4R router, and I know that when I disconnect the Ethernet cable from the closest and only wired BT disc, most of my network appears to collapse.  Only when I connected the same Ethernet cable directly to a Sonos speaker, could I see my devices in the Sonos App once more.

I’ve not much of a ‘Scooby’ what’s occurring!

Thanks again.

Thanks for engaging AjTrek1,

What I meant was that after a four hour call, I momentarily left an Ethernet cable inserted in a Sonos One SL speaker instead of my BT range extender disc.  Very quickly I realised that I’d lost internet connection in large sections of my property.

Not knowing what to do, I returned everything (including the Tp-Link) to as it was configured this morning.  I now have great internet connection again, but can’t access any Sonos device!

Dump the boost. It’s time is done. 

Also as @press250 says, you need to get rid of the BT Discs as they are designed for the BT Hub which you are no longer using either. 

Were any of the Discs connected with ethernet directly back to the BT Hub? 

AjTrek1, Press250, and Ian_S,

I’ve since encountered another challenge connecting my Dyson air purifier to my network, and feel like I’ve no option but to ditch my expensive BT range extending disks (>£70 each).

One of those discs was connected directly to the router by an Ethernet cable.  If I remove that disc, it will give me the option to plug the cable directly in to one Sonos speaker (which one?).

Thank you all for your helpful suggestions.  It saddens me to have to accept that I’ve seemingly wasted so much money in good faith on a system that is no longer fit for purpose.  I’m clearly also going to have to buy a second Tp-Link range extender.

The Deco M4R is allegedly incompatible with a ‘mesh’ network!

Once I’ve made the alterations, I shall attempt to configure my Sonos system once again.

Sonos usually isn’t happy with “range extenders” but does well with additional mesh access points. Shop carefully, maybe ask here before hitting the buy button?

Did you change broadband provider? Or just get upgraded to Fibre? 

Thank you to Stanley_4 and Ian_S for your recent engagement.

Since switching from BT Whole Home Broadband to full fibre broadband (BT don’t offer full fibre in my arera), I’ve experienced multiple issues with Sonos speakers and now my Dyson App.

As a result of the kind advice that I’ve received in this forum, I have now purchased a Tp-Link Mesh WiFi 6 Booster to compliment my Deco M4R Router and Tp-Link Mesh Wi-Fi Extender (RE330).  I have no idea whether they will work together and give me the same connectivity I enjoyed with BT.

My immediate intention is to physically remove my four expensive BT range extending discs this weekend, and hope that my two Tp-Link extenders provide the same coverage.  Once I remove the Ethernet cable from my BT disc, I propose to plug it directly into one Sonos speaker before attempting to reinstall my Sonos devices wirelessly on my Sonos App once more.

Technically, I haven’t a clue what I’m doing, although the immediate impact has been losing four expensive BT discs and one Sonos Boost.  That’s quite a financial hit, not to mention having to also buy two Tp-Link range extenders.

Thanks again to those who’ve contributed.  Please shout out if my proposed solution is unworkable.

I guess where I was going was, did your new broadband provider (I’m guessing it’s not BT) give you the Deco M4R or was that something you bought? What did your new provider give you? 

There’s a possibility that you could get the new broadband working with your ‘old’ BT Hub which would mean less change… however, we’d need to understand exactly what kit your new provider has installed. With many of the UK fibre solutions you now effectively get a ‘LAN’ connection into the home which does give you more options. 

Thanks Ian_S,

I switched from BT because they didn’t offer ‘full fibre broadband’.  Full Fibre Fusion Group are my new providers and installed the Deco M4R, a cheap looking and cheap costing router.  I had to return to BT router to them.

My new Tp-Link Booster arrives today, and I shall attempt to reconnect all my devices tomorrow.  Can’t wait! 😒

My advice would be either don’t connect any Sonos device to ethernet, or if you do, power them all off first, connect the one that uses ethernet and then when it shows up in the app, turn off the WiFi and reboot it to make sure it stays off. Then connect each wireless speaker one at a time. 

Did you manage to change the WiFi name on the Sonos devices, or have you set that to the same as the old BT router? 

Good luck! 

Firstly, Thank you to all of you who contributed to this thread.  I’ve greatly appreciated your timely support and advice.

Secondly, I thought the Community might like to know that after several more hours, a call to Tp-Link, and with your help, I’ve resolved the issue.

I’m no expert, am unfamiliar with the correct terminology, and accept that some of the  issues were attributable to my own stupidity!

ISSUE.  Updated from BT broadband to Fibre Fusion Group Full Fibre Broadband.  Connectivity to a number of services (VoIP, Dyson, Nest, and Sonos) all disrupted at various intervals.  Loss of BT range extension disks an issue

SOLUTION.  Removed BT range extending disks, removed Sonos Boost, reinstalled all hardware and Apps.  Bought Tp-Link RE700X (Wifi Booster) and RE330 (Wifi Extender), which helped extend the Wifi range, but were hard to install correctly.  Some easier to do than others, and I engaged Sonos Technical Support for 4 hours, and TP-Link for a further two!

Glad it’s finally running. Do you know what changes you had to make on the router that made a difference? Might be useful for others if they have similar issues… 

I’ve tried being helpful above Ian_S.  The one thing I didn’t mention, which perhaps I should have done, is that my Sonos system only briefly appeared on my App during a 4-hour conversation with Sebastian from Sonos Support, when he suggested placing an Ethernet cable directly into the nearest speaker.

This worked temporarily at first since the cable was required for my BT range-extension disc.  Following my removal of the four BT discs, I transferred the Ethernet cable to my Sonos One SL speaker, without which none of my speakers would work.

Only now is everything working as it should, although I still don’t seem able to update Sonos from the App.