Disappearing playlists

  • 18 January 2021
  • 7 replies
  • 215 views
P

I have a simple set up - a Sonos “Connect” cabled to a NAS drive with my music and cabled to a Devolo powerline adapter which connects to my router.  The adapter also provides WiFi to my music room.  I use an ipad as a controller (or an android phone as a last resort).

Since I updated my Sonos controller software late December/early Jan 2021, my sonos playlists have disappeared.  They are visible on my android phone but not on my ipad.  I can go through a convoluted process that seems to recover them but it really is a pain and quite frankly, those that I demo the system to find it laughable.

I have been in contact with Sonos Support trying to either get this fixed or registered as a problem but no joy.  To be fair they have been responsive but have concluded by saying that it could be the Devolo powerline Wi-Fi adapters I use to connect my music room to the internet.  Short of a 30m ethernet cable dangled out of an attic window, I have no other practical way to connect the system to the internet and, until now, it has never presented a problem. 

Whether their explanation is true or not I cannot say.  Personally I think it is a bug in the latest apple software release.   All I can say is that until this software update, everything worked fine and had done for many years.  Everything else in the house also works fine and my android phone uses exactly the same WiFi connection yet it works fine.

Has anyone else had similar problems.  If Sonos really can’t be used with powerline adapters that is bad news and I need to find and alternative to Sonos. 

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7 replies

controlav
Userlevel 7
Badge +23

There is a bug in the current Sonos app that can cause playlists to randomly vanish. Try SonoPad from the App Store instead. 

Author of the leading independent Sonos app for Windows, the only Sonos app for Xbox, and a Sonos app for iOS
P

 

There is a bug in the current Sonos app that can cause playlists to randomly vanish. Try SonoPad from the App Store instead. 

 

Thanks controlav - glad to know I am not alone in suspecting a bug.  Pity Sonos wont admit it.  Bugs can get get fixed so are not the end of the world but I hate this “blame it on anything but our software” mentality.  It is such an easy cop out and helps no-one. I guess they get to close a case quickly  and make their metrics look good.

I will maybe give that app a try but this incident has got me looking at other products as well.

The work around that seems to work at the moment is to go to the “browse” tab. select “sonos radio”.  Select “learn more” and keep going till you get the page telling you how much it will cost.  Then get back to the sonos app and select the “my sonos” tab.  Hey presto - playlists appear. 

When I complained, Sonos support kindly pointed me to a page that lists powerline adapters as not being supported along with wireless WiFi range extenders!  I’ve no idea how long that page has been there with that content but in effect it is saying if you have a house that doesn’t allow your Sonos product to direct connect to your router,  you have to use mesh products!  Well mesh products are relatively new to the market (certainly they were not around when I bought my Sonos connect) so when these exclusions came in, I don’t know - I certainly can’t remember powerline products being excluded when I bought my Sonos some years ago.

Maybe tomorrow SONOS will add other bunch of non supported products to their list and thereby disown another group of customers who have problems following a sonos “update” !!!!!!

Anyhow  - what is so special about powerline products that requires Sonos to exclude them?  Every other device in my house works fine with them -  including streaming HD TV!

Enough ranting (for now at least!).  

J

To address a few points.

“Not supported” does not necessarily mean “will not work”.  It can mean “these things can be so variable that we are not going to guarantee it will work or devote support to trying to resolve every peculiarity”.

The best solution where range extenders or mesh systems are involved is usually to wire a single Sonos device to your network so that all communications between Sonos devices take place over SonosNet.  

Sonos is a multi-device product, and the devices ae constantly in contact and this places more demands on a network.  Powerline adapters do not always provide the stability required for this.  Even so, some people use them without difficulty.  Mesh systems can have features that interfere with optimal operation.  Comparisons with single devices like TVs are completely meaningless.

To the best of my recollection, the stuff about not supporting extenders and powerlines has been on the site for several years.

I hope that helps.

J

Having said all that, it doesn’t seem likely to me that those factors are the cause of your problem. Just trying to answer some of the points in your post.

P

To address a few points.

“Not supported” does not necessarily mean “will not work”.  It can mean “these things can be so variable that we are not going to guarantee it will work or devote support to trying to resolve every peculiarity”.

 

Hi John - You are right that not supported does not necessarily mean it wont work.  It has worked for years.  What I object to is problems being blamed on “unsupported” devices without any evidence.  It just feels like a cop out.

If other manufacturers products work over powerline products, why can’t sonos get theirs to work?

In terms of wiring another Sonos device directly to the router, quite honestly I am not in the mood to spend any more money on sonos products.

BTW I seem to have found another workaround. Goto settings, log out of sonos, shut everything down, wait a while and restart everything.  OK you lose the “recently played” list but to me at least, playlists are much more important.

J

I did say that I didn't believe these things were responsible for your issue. I agree that it can be used as an easy get out.

P

Thanks John,  I don’t think we are disagreeing

I have been sending diagnostics, descriptions of my set up plus my attempts at workarounds to sonos in the hope that it might help isolate and identify the problem.  If its a bug, I don’t expect an instant fix, just a recognition that it is a bug and will be investigated.  A second helpdesk person got involved but when they found out I used a powerline unit to connect my equipment to the internet they basically implied they can’t take this any further unless I can repeat the problem with the sonos equipment wired or talking to my router by WiFi.  Apart from the significant work and disruption that would involve, it is never going to be a practical solution in my environment.

I don’t know what Sonos net is but unless if can work at about 20m and see through several masonry walls and a concrete floor, I can’t easily get away from a powerline solution.

I just feel that they have taken the easy option and I am pretty damn annoyed.

 

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