You can use Bluetooth by pressing the Bluetooth button on rear of speaker as shown in the link. However not as a stereo pair when off WiFi. Quite frankly there are better Bluetooth only speakers on the market.
https://www.sonos.com/en-us/guides/era100
You can get travel routers to set up a local wifi for not much money, if you want to keep the speakers.
Sonos requires a WiFi network really. Things like stereo pairs are using network multicasting to function which is why it doesn’t work when the WiFi isn’t there. Also updates to the speaker firmware will only work over WiFi too along with control from the Sonos App for settings etc.
The Sonos App uses Bluetooth LE for initial speaker setup to get it on the WiFi before you get full access to other settings.
Whilst individual speakers like the Era100 can function as a bluetooth speaker, the experience will be clunky and as suggested, there will be better BT only speakers out there for the money… if you aren’t going to get WiFi with internet, then I’d return the speakers and look for something else personally.
The Era100 requires a network to boot properly and so cannot do BT in the absence of a network. Not even clunkily.
The Sonos system is fundamentally a networked multiroom system. Only the battery-powered portable speakers have standalone BT.
I got caught out by this feature of the Era100. Love the speaker though. Maybe you could swap one Era100 for a Roam 2?
Thanks everyone - it was not made clear to me that wifi is essential for this system so I will have to return it. My basic requirements are to have:
- stereo in my lounge over two portable speakers
- the ability to move those speakers to other places in the house (I can’t afford to have multiple speakers of quality) - if they require power, that’s not a problem
- speakers that will connect with my analog amp, record deck, CD player etc. I have hundreds of albums curated over many years and still want to be able to play them rather than through Spotify! I have bought a high power Bluetooth V5.0 transmitter/receiver for that.
So, what should I do about speakers? I could not live my life without music (mostly jazz and world music), but I am very technically challenged so often don’t understand the specs.
Many of you have said there are better options out there. What would you suggest?
And many many thanks for any help!
There is nothing in the Sonos product range that will meet your needs without wifi. Even the portable devices need wifi to operate as a stereo pair. You will need to look elsewhere.
Speakers can be active or passive. Active, like the Sonos devices, means they incorporate amplification. Passive, like you probably need to connect to your existing amp, use that device for the amplification.
So it seems to me you are searching for two different sets of speakers to achieve your goals.
The B&O Beolit 20 runs over Bluetooth and can be run in a stereo pair. Not cheap but might be worth a look. Sounds good and can charge your phone too.
Or also looks like the Beosound Explore speakers can also do stereo over bluetooth. Not heard these though, but a more similar price to the Era100.
@Mylorian26 depending on feature priorities and required volume output I’d look at something like the Ruark MR1 or the Elac Debut Connex. Both support Bluetooth and also additional inputs as well as having subwoofer outputs.
If your amp has a tape/monitor output, which I assume is what you are using for the Bluetooth transmitter, you can connect it’s output to the line in on the speakers if you wanted to wired them.
The Ruark have an optional battery pack so can be both mains and battery powered.
https://www.ruarkaudio.com/products/mr1-bluetooth-speaker-system#section--features
The Elac have Bluetooth, rca line/phono switchable, optical and hdmi so could potentially replace the amp completely depending on cable lengths
https://www.elac.com/dcb41
