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Sonos Beam Gen 2 and Roam SL Won't Play Spotify Music

  • 7 February 2023
  • 6 replies
  • 332 views

I own 3 Roam SL’s and 1 Beam gen 2. Setup went fine and I can play music on Spotify *most* of the time without problems. About 10% of the time, I am unable to connect to any of the speakers. I can see the Sonos speakers in Spotify but when I select them (in a group or separately) Spotify says "connecting" for a few minutes then fails. 

All devices are on the same wifi network. I've tried turning them on/off, resetting the router, rebooting my phone without success. Both apps and speaker firmware are updated. Looking at others posting about similar problems, none of the suggested steps seem to work. 

The only thing I can think of is a problem with the WiFi, but all other devices remain connected to the network when the Sonos speakers won’t connect.

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6 replies

Jamie A
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

Hi @nicopresto, welcome to the Sonos Community!

It’s highly likely it’s a Wi-Fi issue over anything else since you’re having intermittent issues with using Sonos with Spotify Connect. The connection route would be Spotify app → Router → Sonos speakers, so Wi-Fi interference or dropouts anywhere along that path can prevent the Spotify handshake from finalizing. We have a support article on reducing wireless interference which I’d suggest you take a look over. 

If you submit a diagnostics and reply here with the confirmation number, I can take a look and see what may be causing this. As the issue is intermittent however, it may be better to wait until the issue occurs again, then submit a diagnostic when it happens and reach out to our support team for further information.

N

Hi Jamie,

 

The problem just happened again and I submitted a diagnostic. 1095166252

 

Also, the Beam is connected via ethernet and the roams are WiFi. Another piece of info: when the problem is occurring and I am not directly able to connect, I can use Airplay and connect to a single speaker.

Jamie A
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

Hi @nicopresto,

I’ve had a look into the diagnostics and can see the Beam is picking up on a lot of Non-802.11 RF Interference, which is interference from a non-WiFi device. Some examples of these kinds of devices are cordless phones, video cameras, wireless peripherals, and Bluetooth speakers, to name a few.

Would you mind letting me know what devices you have near the Beam? I can see in this diagnostics that the Beam is wired. Is it wired directly to the router or it is wired to a network switch or other networking device?

Airplay works differently to Spotify Connect and doesn’t have to communicate with the Apple’s cloud server like Spotify Connect does. I’m by no means and expert on these, but this may explain why Airplay works fine when you’re experiencing the issue with Spotify Connect. 

A WiFi scan shows you’re on the best SonosNet channel for the Beam, so checking what is near the Beam and removing any potential interference would be the next best step. 

N

Hi Jamie,

Interesting, were you able to see diagnostics into any of the Roam’s? They are placed separately around the house and had the same problem as the Beam.

The Beam is plugged in directly to the router and it is placed on a TV stand beneath a smart TV and above a Playstation 5. The router is also behind the TV but those are the only things on the TV stand that would emit any type of signal.

Jamie A
Userlevel 7
Badge +16

Hi @nicopresto, 

In the diagnostics I could only see the Beam and 1 Roam, the other 2 Roams are showing as not connected to the system.

The router being behind the TV and the Beam being under the TV makes me think they’re too close to each other. We’d recommend keeping Sonos 18” (0.5m) away from any other electronic devices, including the router or other networking equipment. To further expand on this, it’s likely too close to the PS5 and the Smart TV as well, anything connecting to the router is likely sending information that is being intercepted by the devices near it. I’d recommend moving the router to a location where it is by itself to prevent any unwanted signals.

It would also be worth trying a different Ethernet cable between the router and the Beam, just to rule it it being a cable issue. Do you mind also providing me with your network topology? Such as what router you have, if you have any other networking equipment, and their makes and models?

I hope this helps!

N

Hi Jamie,

 

Ok I will move the router and PS5, if that doesn’t work I will report back with more info on the router.

Thank you for all of your help!

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