S1 app for Windows and 'legacy' Sonos Dock

The Dock was never ‘bricked’. It simply ceased to be supported. 

Back then there was an alternative method to play local files off an iDevice wirelessly … an option since withdrawn as a result of Apple’s operating system changes.

Music on today’s iDevices can be sent via Airplay2. 

Thanks for the confirmation @Kumar.  Well then, I’ll keep using my Sonos devices (legacy, all of them) networked on the internet free wi-fi only router, so that I can keep using my Sonos Dock to stream current radio / podcast content from my iPhone.  It has served me well for the last 3 years, so I won’t mess with any more controller upgrades.

Just posted a link to this device in another part of the forum: https://www.amazon.com/Belkin-SoundForm-Connect-AirPlay-Receiver-Streaming-3-5mm-Speaker-Other-AirPlay-Enabled/dp/B094LGLJB9

This could do the same as the dock is doing for you now. Though I understand contact with Sonos might be necessary if you ever would want to update a system that has been without updates for a long time.

Sonos v4.1 is certainly pushing things. A while back it was established that v3.6 was too old to be able to update itself. Maybe 4.1 is now also over the hill. 

@ratty My bad, I meant to type 8.1 (not 4.1) as the most recent Sonos controller that I am using

@106rallye thanks for posting that link.  So far my Sonos Dock is still fully functional, but wow, that Belkin product does look like a tempting option, should I ever accidentally initiate an upgrade to any of my legacy Sonos devices.

If the Sonos dock is serving a useful function for you, there is little to be gained by moving up from 8.1 other than controller eye candy changes and some minor conveniences in the UI. In theory, there is the security issue by not updating the version, but for something like Sonos, even if connected to the internet, I am not sure how real that is in terms of a threat of any kind. If not connected, there is no threat.

Like you, I locked off for a few years - which was fine until one of the units went wrong and I needed to add a new device - so S1 it was, unfortunately.

I can’t say that I’m impressed - it seems much slower to start up and makes one even more dependent on internet access, so my advice would be to stay with what you have.

Currently I have update access blocked at router level, but have allowed access so that I can use some streaming services, but as I hardly ever use them I may well lock the while thing off again.

If you are still using a Dock then your iOS device uses the old enormous 50-pin connector, which means your iOS device is too ancient run any current Sonos app anyway. SonoPhone/SonoPad might still work though, assuming your device even has a working App Store.

I still own a Dock and it still lives on my network purely for test purposes: its alive and still exposes itself via UPnP), but of course it is of zero practical use unless I want to charge my ancient iPod.

Are there not adapter patch cables that can still achieve the connection with later iDevices, even though these would not be docked in the strict sense of the word?

For someone that wants to have internet supplied music played on Sonos without opening the Sonos set up itself to the net, the dock seems to still have some use, if the Sonos kit is not Airplay compatible.

@controlav , @Kumar Exactly right about the ancient connector, so I use a 30pin-to-lightning adapter that lets me dock my iPhone.  Any audio playing on the docked iPhone can then stream to whatever Sonos device I choose.  And there’s no need for the Sonos controller app to be loaded on this phone (in fact, even better for me, because it’s one less place I need to worry about Sonos inadvertently updating itself and/or device firmware).

Separately, I run the 8.1 controller on an iPad mini, which I had considered upgrading to the S1 controller (thus my original question), but thanks to the helpful responses here, I realize I’d lose Dock functionality.

I use my Sonos devices almost exclusively to locally stream my own collection of lossless files (I’m one of those guys who still prefers to buy CDs and then rip the audio), so for the few times that I actually want to stream internet content (local radio, podcast, etc), it’s just more convenient for me to just dock my iPhone and use apps I’m already familiar with.

I realize this is not a solution for everybody, but it still works for me :-)

Since Airplay uses WiFi and needs to be on the same WiFi network as your Sonos devices, I don’t see you could use airplay with Sonos and not open up Sonos to the net.  Perhaps you could get clever with router settings, but certainly not something the typical user could pull off.

Besides, airplay 2 support was introduced after the dock lost support, so it would not be possible to have both options on the same system.  However, you could use the aux input ports that many Sonos device shave to bring in other devices through a wired connection, or a bluetooth receiver for bluetooth (or this Belikins airplay receiver device)

You could even play Spotify/Apple Music etc while still keeping Sonos isolated from the net. As I said, I had not thought of this use for what is now a useless Dock sitting in storage at home. I let it go in my move to S1 because the accompanying 160GB IPod classic that was used with it had crashed with a terminal HDD failure.

The dock and the Play 1 are - in my view - the neatest/best Sonos products made after the first ones that launched Sonos - all the rest are just variations on a theme, and some clumsy variations at that.

Another thing that the dock does very well is allow Sonos speakers to play where there is no WiFi presence at all - mains power is all that is needed. Once set up to do this at home, the dock will autoplay via a designated Sonos speaker wherever you take both, wirelessly, once mains power is supplied to both. No other WiFi is needed. Obviously, the net isn't needed as well and if the source device can play music via mobile data services, there is no limit to the music available even beyond what is stored on the device.

I would therefore suggest to the OP to not let Dock go out of use - there is nothing in S1 that justifies doing that.

My disenchantment with Sonos started when dock was targeted to be bypassed and came to a head with the S1/S2 decision, in terms of how it was implemented. Which is why I decided to stay on S1, and use Sonos hardware till it died on its own, and then replace it with other solutions as and when needed. Nothing I have seen in S2 so far has caused me to rethink that decision.  

Pretty much the same path of disenchantment for me, too, @Kumar.  And my disenchantment turned to ire  when Sonos began requiring me to log into my online account (starting with the 8.1 controller maybe?), just to add / re-add already purchased Sonos devices on my LAN.

Like you (and many other users, I suspect), I’ll continue enjoying my existing hardware purchases until eventual failure, and then seek other solutions.

Ire about such a minor issue? Sonos has always required that the system be registered against a user account.

These days just about every app of note is back-ended by cloud services which require a sign-in. My Sonos controllers remain permanently signed in anyway.

@ratty, I will say that the ‘ire’ came about when I had recently moved to a new apartment (with Sonos gear in tow), and was setting up my Sonos hardware so that I could listen to my music while unpacking the rest of my belongings.  Somehow during the move, I think a couple of key devices ‘lost’ their saved configuration info, so I started the process of reconfiguring.  I had done it many times before, and the Sonos controller app NEVER before required that i log into a registered account to continue.

Unfortunately for me, internet service at the new place had yet to be turned on, and apparently a Controller upgrade had snuck in on my laptop that now required me to log in.  So there I was, with my Sonos system & my hard drive of music (no internet streaming needed) raring to go, and I couldn’t listen to a thing except through my crappy lap top speakers.

So yes, ire was the appropriate emotion at the time.   I thank God that Sunbeam didn’t require me to log in to use my toaster when I unpacked it the following morning