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Trending Lyricist I
July 13, 2023

Yet another wifi problem

I've got a fair amount of Sonos gear, but I'm starting to get fed up with the poor wifi in their speakers. The stuff in my TV room - Arc, Sub min, two rear Ones - works fine. I have a Sonos amp in my office, and I rarely have problems with that. But in my bedroom, there have been problems for a long time.

Previously, I had a pair of Ones, and the right speaker signal dropped out often. Sonos suggested changing the wifi channel, and I did that, and it was improved.

I recently update to a pair of Era 100s, and it's even worse. Almost every time I listen, one of the speakers goes offline and reboots. Sonos support says that this is because it's searching for a good wifi connection, but I have a Netgear Orbi wifi 6 mesh system, and in that room, I get several hundred Mb/s in speed tests. And this is with an access point less than 20 feet from the speakers.

No other wifi device I own - and I have quite a few - has problems with this. The wifi radios on the Sonos gear must be underpowered, and the technician said as much. 

I may end up selling the Era 100s and buying a pair of HomePods. They're more expensive, but they never drop out (I have a pair in another room).

Any suggestions for those who may have resolved this issue, which seems way too common? 

Before anyone suggests using SonosNet, the Era speakers don’t support it. 

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13 replies

kirkmcAuthor
Trending Lyricist I
July 13, 2023

Well, the Sonos doesn’t really give off a signal, unless you’re using SonosNet.

buzz
Grand Maestro
July 13, 2023

I switched the two speakers, left to right. Now I get SNR of 42 and 45. That suggests that there is a weakness in the radio of one of them. The one that was 35 before, is now 42; it’s about eight feet closer to an access point than before. That shouldn’t make as much difference. 

There may be a performance difference between the units. Also consider that signal strength for the desired signal and any potential interference varies in three dimensions. Be anal with placement and orientation when comparing location performance. Your body placement is also in the mix.

 

jgatie
July 13, 2023

Well, the Sonos doesn’t really give off a signal, unless you’re using SonosNet.

 

Of course it does, if it is wireless.  It doesn't communicate back to the router via telepathy.