Is it worth lashing out £1200 on an upgrade - to fix group problems

  • 24 September 2022
  • 10 replies
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I have a selection of Sonos speakers.

2 Fives, 4 play ones

Plus 2 bridges

All are old and can only operate under S1.

Each device is hardwired into my network and each has a static IP address.

I suffer with multiple dropouts, mostly with streamed radio.

Groups fall apart, and have to be remade or alternatively everything just stops.

With the upgrade discount I can replace all this kit with the latest versions, I’m just not sure the problems will go away!!

Any thoughts? 


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BRIDGE’s are approaching EOL (End Of Life) Specifically, the power supplies fail intermittently and cause a variety of difficult to catalog issues. At this point I would assume that you have a BRIDGE failure until proven otherwise. If you can measure voltage, the power supply output should measure slightly more than 5.0V. Lower than this, the mayhem begins.

Do you need both BRIDGE’s to cover your space? BRIDGE is not required. As an alternate test, power down one or both BRIDGE’s and wire another player if necessary.

While I prefer  wired systems, you may be able to use WiFi, rather than SonosNet (one or more wired units). To test this arrangement, install WiFi credentials, then power down both BRIDGE’s.

Just to understand the situation a bit more, if all the speakers are hard wired, what function are the two BRIDGE devices serving?

When you look at your system, in ‘ about my system’, what is shown as the WM:X number at the bottom of each speaker’s list?

Have you submitted a system diagnostic within 10 minutes of experiencing these various dropouts, and called Sonos Support to discuss them?

There are several things that jump to mind when reading your post. 
 

  1. If the speakers are, for some reason, such as bad cables, being fed from a BRIDGE, it’s entirely possible that the BRIDGE’s power supply is fluctuating enough to cause network issues. However, if all speakers are indeed hardwired to the network, you could safely decommission the two BRIDGEs, as they are serving no purpose, and just obfuscating the thought process in resolving the issue. And if, in fact, the speakers are connecting via the BRIDGE’s signal, there is a potential for wifi interference.
  2. The symptoms suggest a possible, albeit unlikely, given your ‘static’ IP address (generally known as ‘reserved’, not ‘static’) for each speaker. At the very least, I would be tempted to try a simple reboot of the router, to force it to reload the firmware, and DHCP table, followed by a reboot of each speaker to ensure the connection method, and IP address has been refreshed.
  3. It is also possible, since you claim this is mostly on streamed radio, that the issue is with the radio station. That diagnostic I mentioned in my intro would certainly help define that potential.

Essentially, no, buying newer speakers shouldn’t resolve any network issues you’re experiencing. On the other hand, it may be your two non-essential BRIDGE devices that are the reason you’re unable to upgrade to S2. If you have Sonos Fives, and not PLAY:5, Gen 1s, they, as well as the PLAY:1s would be able to be upgraded to S2. Only the BRIDGEs in your list are not S2 compatible, but since they seem to be redundant, retiring them would give you the opportunity to update the Sonos operating system. 

Drat! I missed the point of “Each device is hardwired”. Start your troubleshooting by powering down the BRIDGE’s, then pack them away or recycle.

While not the greatest diagnostic tool in the world (especially because the newest units do not supply data here), you can go to http://x.x.x.x:1400/support/review. x.x.x.x is the IP address of a player. Click on Network Matrix at the bottom. Red cells indicate potential issues. Note that this is a static view. Refresh the page after making a change.

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Once the Bridges are gone you might want to try playing some uncompressed music, FLAC or the like, from your local library and seeing if you get the problems.

If you don’t get the dropouts with the local music it isn’t likely to be your local setup that is causing the streaming dropouts.

Maybe try alternate streaming sources to see if any are better than others?

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Drat! I missed the point of “Each device is hardwired”. Start your troubleshooting by powering down the BRIDGE’s, then pack them away or recycle.

While not the greatest diagnostic tool in the world (especially because the newest units do not supply data here), you can go to http://x.x.x.x:1400/support/review. x.x.x.x is the IP address of a player. Click on Network Matrix at the bottom. Red cells indicate potential issues. Note that this is a static view. Refresh the page after making a change.

 

@buzzWhat issues are to find in that matrix for hard wired players?

 

@vegit8In addition to trying local music I'd compare grouped and single player audio. To rule out defective speakers I'd contact support.

@vegit8In addition to trying local music I'd compare grouped and single player audio. To rule out defective speakers I'd contact support.

@vegit8 

I am wondering what is the purpose of having either of the two Sonos Bridges, if all the players are wired to the LAN?

It could be that the wired LAN is at fault here, including anything along the wired path, like switches etc, but without that being fully tested there’s no telling if buying new replacement Sonos products would be the answer.

It could be one (or more) of the players too are on their ‘last legs’, but I wouldn’t go and spend cash on something the same, unless you’re certain it will solve your problem. I would get the network tested first. Even a wired path can have interference issues, if not installed correctly ..and switches/routers can certainly cause issues as they get old.

 

@buzzWhat issues are to find in that matrix for hard wired players?

 

Sorry, for some reason, I’m fixated on this being a wireless issue, because this sort of symptom is usually has wireless roots. Failing BRIDGE’s can cause mischief on the wired network too.

Yea, I’d agree with that thought, which was why my mind went to potential bad cables, which might force the system to use those (technically unnecessary) BRIDGE devices. But it’s almost definitely a network issue, at least from my perspective. 

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Hi - Thanks to everyone for their input on this.

To explain a little further, our house is 400 odd years old with very thick stone walls.

The bridges were brought in to increase coverage.

All worked well for many years, and with a combination of cat 5 connections to the Bridges and powerline adaptors I had no issues.

In the last year / 18 months things have started to go awry. As has been suggested I think the bridges may have packed up (more likely their power supplies).

After the comments here, I decided to unpick everything on my network and start again.

Wifi has been upgraded with the introduction of 5 TPLink Deco mesh units.

I unplugged everything and cleared the DHCP table on my router.

I then plugged in the Mesh units (with reserved addresses above n.n.n.10)

Then all the SONOS stuff with fixed IP’s below that range.

I then reset the router so that any new addresses allocated would come from a pool above the Sonos and Mesh units.

All seems good for now - only time will tell!

 

Cheers

 

 

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Can't you put Sonos into WiFi mode on your Mesh?.