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System unreliable after disabling SonosNet so I went back

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tl;dr - Switching from SonosNet to Wi-Fi caused my only speaker on Wi-Fi to keep dropping off the network. Back to SonosNet and everything is rock-solid again.

I recently decided to give Wi-Fi another chance for my Sonos system since installing a Boost and moving to SonosNet a few years ago. The Boost originally solved all of my problems with speakers randomly dropping off my network, specifically those that were not wired directly over Ethernet.

I went through the wizard to disable SonosNet, no errors reported. For a few hours, there were no problems with my system. However, at some point, my only Wi-Fi speaker (a Sonos One SL) became unavailable. I could see from the diagnostic logs on my Ruckus Unleashed system that that speaker was unable to authenticate with my Wi-Fi network. Weird, since it had been running problem-free for at least several hours until it dropped from my network. I power-cycled the system and it came back, only to drop off again about a day later. At that point, even power cycling didn’t bring it back—I had to factory reset the speaker and re-join it to my network. It worked fine for about a day and then dropped off my network again.

Here is my complete Sonos setup:

Sonos Arc Ultra (wired)
Sonos One + One SL (paired as surrounds to the Arc Ultra, not wired)
Sonos Beam (wired)
Sonos Play:1 x 2 (paired as surrounds to the Beam, not wired)
Sonos One (wired) + Sonos One SL (not wired - this is the one that keeps dropping off in Wi-Fi mode), paired as a stereo pair
Sonos Amp (wired)
Sonos One (wired)
Sonos Boost (wired)

All are running S2, all have static DHCP IP address reservations.

My Wi-Fi network only has 5 GHz enabled and uses WPA3 authentication. I don’t have the Sonos system on a separate VLAN or anything, it is a flat network topology.

We are an Apple household, no Android, no Windows devices, a couple of Linux boxes; all of my setup is being done on an iPhone.

From Sonos’s documentation, my setup should support 5 GHz Wi-Fi and WPA3 authentication without a problem but something is preventing my One SL from staying on Wi-Fi. Thankfully I’m in a position where a) I’m able to wire most of my speakers and b) I still have SonosNet available to me.

Are the Ones and One SLs just bad with modern Wi-Fi? I know my Play:1s probably wouldn’t work with my current setup if they weren’t paired to the Beam as surrounds.

kdowlingAnswer

I would also try the One/OneSL pair both on WiFi. I’ve had problems in the past with a stereo pair with one wired and the other WiFi. The WiFi one would drop at some point. It looked like an S2 problem, because it doesn’t happen on S1 or with Sonosnet.

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DerekFAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

If it’s possible try WPA2 to see if the WiFi connection sticks.

I would rather not do this since it would mean downgrading my network security but I do suspect some problem with WPA3 since the speaker has no problems connecting but then falls off the network at some point. Could be hours, could be days later.

I am wondering whether the Era 100s have the same problem, I am tempted to upgrade my One/One SL to them but am extremely hesitant if they have the same issue.

The ERA 100 is compatible with WPA 3.

I know, but my point is that the One SL is also listed as compatible with WPA3 but starts failing to (re)authenticate at some point.

Currently testing to see whether having both speakers in my stereo pair on Wi-Fi makes a difference.

MoPac

Headliner III

Have you ever tried all the Sonos devices on WiFi? Some routers don’t like a mix of Ethernet & WiFi.

MoPac

Headliner III

Link to a Ruckus Unleashed Sonos setup.

https://gameandtechfocus.com/network-ruckus-unleashed-intermediate-guide-sonos-setup/

AjTrek1

Not all your Sonos devices are compatible with WPA3 encryption. You also don’t want to downgrade your entire network to WPA2 encryption for security reasons. The best compromise and still have strong encryption security is to use WPA2/WPA3 Personal encryption protocol.

If you are using your own Router some have (or rather all today) have some type of security software built-in either free or via subscription. I advise using it as an extra layer of security in addition to WiFi Protected Access (WPA) Encryption.

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.

C

craigski

Local Superstar

All my Sonos devices are using WPA3, no issues. I’m not using Ruckus.

Ruckus recommend you continue to use SonosNet, but you may want to check recommended settings:

https://support.ruckuswireless.com/articles/000006140

AjTrek1

I guess for me I don’t understand why people want an Enterprise Network setup for home use which is always more complicated…Sonos or not. IMHO Enterprise Network setups in a home environment are more about “bragging” rights as opposed to practicality. The only exception I can think of is if some is running a business from home requiring servers and VPN access from the outside and of course high and/or military grade security.

Together Everyone Achieves More = T.E.A.M.

buzz

Grand Maestro

Or maybe there is tech teen who needs to be isolated from regular home users.

Pools-3015

Prodigy I

On the other hand, I can see why some choose to go the prosumer/enterprise route.

I wish Apple had continued the Airport line…

After moving away from Apple network devices, I tried a few consumer brands that didn’t quite cut it. I was then introduced to Ubiquiti, and never looked back.

Prosumer/enterprise equipment is fine to use in my book, but users need to have some basic knowledge of how to configure them. Jumping on the bandwagon because it the latest trend, is no reason to ditch systems that are more user friendly.

This is not just isolated to networking…. 😉

DerekFAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

I guess for me I don’t understand why people want an Enterprise Network setup for home use which is always more complicated…Sonos or not. IMHO Enterprise Network setups in a home environment are more about “bragging” rights as opposed to practicality. The only exception I can think of is if some is running a business from home requiring servers and VPN access from the outside and of course high and/or military grade security.

Who said anything about bragging rights? I do not seek those. It’s OK if you do not need advanced features but I am knowledgeable enough to understand how to set up and maintain my network, and as an IT guy by trade, I don’t need to be lectured about downgrading my network so I can use my prosumer speaker equipment.

DerekFAuthor

Trending Lyricist I

All my Sonos devices are using WPA3, no issues. I’m not using Ruckus.

Ruckus recommend you continue to use SonosNet, but you may want to check recommended settings:

https://support.ruckuswireless.com/articles/000006140

However, it is confusing because later versions of Unleashed now specifically have a Sonos compatibility toggle (mentioned in the technote) which defaults to On, and it appears to specifically address the issues previous versions of Unleashed had with Sonos on Wi-Fi. Time will tell, but so far after unwiring both of the speakers in my stereo pair, neither has dropped off the network so that is promising.

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