Have you tried changing the SonosNet channel in the Sonos app?

I have before; any suggestions on choosing/determining a “better” channel?

Swap to each of the three clear channels, 1 - 6 - 11 and examine the network matrix on each.

If you have a WiFi monitor app it will help identify WiFi congestion on the channels but usually won’t show you non-WiFi signals like Sonos, microwaves or baby monitors.

If Sonos doesn’t see your post (this is a user forum with some staff visits) a call to Sonos Support would be good.

Hi @Alonzo Mosley 

Thanks for your post!

How far apart are your router, your Boost, and the wired Play:3? If, as I suspect, they are all in the same area, I recommend you unplug and remove the Boost, and keep the router and Play:3 at least 1m apart - the wired speaker will perform the same task as the Boost, so there’s no need for both.

I hope this helps.

The Boost is next to the router, on top of a cabinet, and the Play is on the floor next to the cabinet. So… maybe six feet. (That’s what, about 417 meters?)

When I first got the system and it acted up (same apartment) five years ago, everyone - here online, at the distributor - insisted the Boost was the answer to my problems. Now, for every person who says “You need the Boost,” there’s someone who says, “No need for both...”

Each situation is unique. In general, BOOST is used when you want to use SonosNet and you don’t need a player at the most practical location for connecting SonosNet. Any number of players can be wired. I always recommend wiring as many players as is practical.

Piling BOOST next to another WiFi device reduces BOOST’s effectiveness.

If you can wire a player, BOOST is most likely redundant. BOOST can also be used to service a poorly covered wireless area. This BOOST can be wired or wireless and should be placed approximately midway between good and poor coverage areas. BOOST is simply a player with the audio removed in order to reduce cost.

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With respect to some users and dealers pushing BOOST’s on to everyone: At one point the competition was dumping on SONOS as being a liar about “wireless” because one unit needed to be wired. Never mind that SONOS worked much better than anything else. Other “wireless” products could support 3-4-5 units, but SonosNet could reliably support 32 units. At one point SONOS started including a free BRIDGE (BOOST’s predecessor). This did not stop the competition’s claim. Anyway it was a cheap trick for SONOS to enable WiFi connections and this instantly shut down the competition’s claim. 

It’s interesting to note that SONOS has been using wireless mesh since inception in 2005. It’s only recently that general consumer WiFi has started using mesh. Some dealers and users have not moved on from the “always include a BRIDGE/BOOST” mentality.

Back in 2005 WiFi was not as robust as it is now. Back then is was not practical to use home WiFi on the scale that SONOS needs. This is beginning to change and WiFi can support more units now, but SonosNet is more reliable for large systems.

Well since the whole point of dropping several large on Sonos was to get rid of wires, “wiring as many as possible” is not a viable option. If I wanted wires, I’d have my 12” Advents and Klipsch towers, still…!

I will try disconnecting the Boost and see if I find any improvement...

It would be helpful to know what channels and channel-widths are you using on your router for its WiFi bands and also what channel you are using for SonosNet too?

Ensure that each of your wired/wireless network devices are away from each other by at least one metre (minimum) …and as you are not using any Sonos portable devices, it may help to remove any WiFi credentials (if present) showing in the Sonos App network settings (Settings/System/Network/Manage Networks). Those credentials are not required when running all on a SonosNet signal and will stop the opportunity for the devices hopping between SonosNet and your routers WiFi signal.

Its a good idea too to reserve all the Sonos devices IP addresses in the routers DHCP reservation table so that their address remains ‘fixed’ on the local network. 

Hi @Alonzo Mosley 

“Well, there’s your problem!” as some like to say.

Uh, closer to 2 metres, actually (I can’t tell if you were serious). It’s far enough. On the floor isn’t ideal though - the closer a speaker is to the floor, the more furniture it probably has in the way of receiving/transmitting a signal. I recommend raising it to see if it helps. Ceramic floor tiles wouldn’t help much either, and water pipes could also cause problems.

A wired speaker will perform the same task as a Boost, so if you have one, there is likely no need for a Boost - especially in the same location. All I can say is some people know enough to give good advice, others know enough to give the best advice.

I hope this helps.

This is decidedly not the “best” answer...

As mentioned in the other thread:

I had a doctor’s appt in morning, and all I wanted to do in the afternoon was lay down and listen to some music. Instead I have spent it fussing with this system. Moved Sonos to 1 and router to 11.

Deleted the wi-fi network from Sonos Networks. Disconnected the Boost.

All Hell has broken loose and my system was essentially bricked.

Play 1’s were all unplayable/undiscoverable. One has still not recovered. The Play 3’s come and go - the one that’s wired drops, the one that’s wireless seems to old.

TuneIn seems to be OK, SiriusXM comes and goes, Amazon music comes and goes, the Connect is essentially worthless. In and out in and out in and out.

I had to plug the Boost back in to get the missing speakers (except for one) to be recognized again.

The One that has still not recovered:

• Showed “Not Connected”
• Tried several times: Unplug, try again, reboot router, try again
• Tried factory resetting several times: Played chime PIN and said it found it
• BUT did not show up in “System”.
• “Searching for nearby products” - gave up after 30 minutes.
  • Phone is on top of speaker
  • Speaker has been moved to counter, <5 feet (i.e., 1.5 “metres”) from router
  • Did factory reset AT THAT LOCATION
• Plugged speaker in via Ethernet
  • First FOUR times I tried to connect, CRASHED the app
  • Fifth time was charm, connected, played music
• Unplugged CAT5. And now the speaker is missing again

I have worked every “help/recovery” step I can find, literally at least three times.

Hi @Alonzo Mosley 

As I said in my last post, this is very likely the problem - In fact, I don’t see how it couldn’t be.

It is also possible that your router is faulty. If you have compounded issues, it can be very difficult to fix. You may well have improved things in terms of interference, but if the router does have a fault, there would still be issues. You could replace the router, but if you kept the Boost right next to the new one, things still wouldn’t improve.

I highly recommend you get in touch with our technical support team for some real-time troubleshooting.

At this point in writing, I noticed your most recent diagnostic. It shows that the wired Play:3 still thinks it should be broadcasting SonosNet on channel 1, but the rest of the speakers are looking for it on channel 11. This is why it’s important to ensure all devices are present in the app before and after a channel change. I recommend changing SonosNet back to channel 1, then disconnecting the Boost once more. If channel 11 is better than 1, change back - just be sure that all the speakers get the message, though this kind of event is exactly why I recommend calling in.

I hope this helps.

The diagnostic is pre- everything dropping.

Everything went haywire the minute I disconnected the Boost. I’m not saying it was the cause, it was just too coincidental. And then all but one speaker came back the minute I reconnected it.

It’s a new (Sep 2022) router. Bought when everyone said my Oct 2020 router was “too old” for my Music Library. (Sonos was installed in June 2018).

If the technical team were available outside of “working” hours, I wouldn’t be posting here.

I just want that one speaker (One) back now.

Also - how can I tell if all the speakers migrate to the new channel? You said you could see that some had and some hadn’t; how do I monitor/fix that?

Last night, the missing One wasn’t showing up in System at all. I did a factory reset, hardwired it to the router and renamed it - it showed, until I disconnected the ethernet cable. I rebooted speaker, router, and controller app - and still not showing.

Today it shows as “Not Connected” (with the new name). I have run the “missing” One through at least five cycles of “looking for your speaker=>unplug and replug speaker=>unplug and reboot your router”. The controller knows the MAC of the missing speaker, but still won’t connect.

I have pressed the “Infinity” button and run the whole unplug-everything process.

I know this is a “new” issue, but it sure feels like a function of messing with the Boost and channels.

It was undoubtedly the cause, because you stated you had already removed your WiFi credentials from the Sonos App - removing the Boost ethernet cable, switched off the ‘SonosNet’ connection.

The causes of your issue have been made clear, you just need to heed the advice given and if you’re still unsure about the steps you now need to follow, then simply take onboard @Corry P’s advice who suggested you call in and speak to the Sonos Support Staff. Here is their contact LINK - give them a call.

Other than calling - which requires time off from work! - what advice have I not followed?

I have gone through - I believe - all of the suggestions, and tried each at least twice.

Sonos Support is still likely going to be your best option, particularly as you’ve not been able to resolve things yourself - they have tools that can help to diagnose the issues in a more helpful way than anyone can here in the user-community. Hope you get it sorted.

Hi @Alonzo Mosley 

As the wired Play:3 was on channel 1 while every other unit was on channel 11, this is exactly what I’d expect to happen.

A channel change is successful if, after the change, you can still see all your devices in the app. If you do not, users should immediately switch back to the previous channel to recover any units that did not get the message, and try again. In your case, things were slightly more complicated as the device on the wrong channel was wired and therefore still showing in the app (presumably, it being on the wrong channel was why you found it necessary to wire it in the first place).

Please get in touch with our technical support team for further assistance, though the instructions I gave in my last post should help.

And please stop factory resetting your Sonos devices - you’re just creating more work for yourself. 

That is literally the instructions on every help site, and the “suggested” alternative on the app.

Which, in hindsight, is exactly what happened.

Well the good news is… Last few times I tried to contact the team, they were only open during “business” hours, East Coast time… Now I see they’re there til 11PM… So I WON’T have to wait until my next weekday off. So that’s actually a welcome change. (I hadn’t bothered to double-check last week, because, hey, who has done anything to make the world more convenient lately…?)

Can’t call in til next week, but fingers’ crossed it works.

I still don’t know anyway to look and see what Channel the different pieces are actually on - only what the controller thinks they should be on. How can I see what each speaker actually thinks it’s on?

Hi @Alonzo Mosley 

If a factory reset is ever going to help, it will help the first time and it will last. Repeated factory resets aren’t going to fix a thing.

You ask a support agent - it’s the only way to know.

I hope this helps.

Nice to see that the Green Check - ‘This Has Been Answered’ Sticker Is on the Post Long Before This Has Been Answered

So… The one combination I never tried on my own:

• Plug speaker in via ethernet
• Change the Network channel
• Reboot the system
• Change the Network channel back
• Unplug speaker
• Reboot
• Change the Network channel

Finally got through to Support, that’s what he had me do… And it’s working for now.  I feel like I had tried changing the channel whilst it was plugged in a few weeks ago, but apparently I didn’t do it twice.

So fingers crossed this issue is closed. But you know what they say, every time God closes a case, he opens a ticket…

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.