Is your music cutting out? Or are your players disappearing from the app?


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Hi all,

If you’re experiencing any of the above, or your app is sluggish, then your Sonos set up may be suffering from “wireless interference”. In the video, you will see how to fix this annoying issue, and get back to listening to your favorite tunes, uninterrupted.



Feel free to let us know how to get along with the video. If you need any further assistance, we’re ready to help! :D

Please note that we also have a support article explaining how to change the wireless channel here: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/1219

Still having problems? Grab a diagnostic and add it to your reply.

Sonos Controller App for iOS or Android
From the Sonos music menu, touch Settings > Advanced Settings menu > Submit Diagnostics.

Sonos Desktop Controller App for Mac or PC
Select Submit Diagnostics from the Help menu.

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Hi @pipecruz,

Thank you for reaching out to the Sonos community and for letting us know about your concern.

Upon checking the diagnostic, there's an interference in your wireless network that may be caused by wireless congestion or low wireless range and detected an audio dropout in your due to sync error, and playback failure.

Let me suggest the common fixes for audio interruptions while playing from a music service on Sonos. If you are listening to a different source, see our other audio troubleshooting articles for more help.

  1. Sequential reboot to refresh your network and all your Sonos devices connection.
    • Unplug your network devices (modem, router, any wireless access points on the network) from the power and wait for 60 full seconds before you plug it back in.
    • Once the router is back online, unplug all your Sonos devices from the power. Please wait 15 seconds before you plug back them back in.
    • Force close the Sonos app from your iOS or Android device.
    • When the status light on your Sonos speakers are solid white, get back on the Sonos app and check if you're connected.
    • Test playback from your Apple music and observe.
  2. If you have access to your router settings, below are the settings that need to be verified. You can contact your Interner Service Provider or router manufacturer for assistance.
    • The auto channel must be set to Off
    • Choose the best non-overlapping channel (1,6,11)
    • Set channel bandwidth to 20MHz
    • Both 2.4GHz and 5GHz should be enabled
    • UPnP should be enabled
    • 802.11 bands should be set to b/g/n
    • Airtime Fairness should be disabled (if applicable)
       

After performing the steps above and you're still experiencing the same problem, I recommend contacting our Sonos Customer Care support to perform in-depth troubleshooting and understand your full network setup. Our phone support has the tools to check what's going on in your system and to remotely access your device to provide the best option for you. Please feel free to reach out in the future if you have any other questions. You're always welcome here.

 

Hi I have all issues that you mentioned, music drops in 1, 2 or all speakers, sometimes only 1 speaker works, sometimes some speakers are not available. 1853351510.

 

I have 1 One, 1 One SL an and play 5

 

Thanks for your help

 

 - same names for the two 2,4 and the two 5 ghz ntwks: why, if I may ask? Do you think the names can have something to do with it?

 

Thx

P.S. Point is: I don’t think I can give the same name to the networks since the routers have constraints with the names...

The 2.4ghz band on each WiFi access point should be given same name, for example “MyNetwork-2G” (also ensure the channel (ch 1) and channel width (20 MHz) are set exactly the same) …. and the 5ghz band on each WiFi access point should be given same name, for example “MyNetwork-5G”  (also ensure the channel (ch 36) and channel width (40 MHz) are set exactly the same).

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 - same names for the two 2,4 and the two 5 ghz ntwks: why, if I may ask? Do you think the names can have something to do with it?

 

Thx

P.S. Point is: I don’t think I can give the same name to the networks since the routers have constraints with the names...

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Ok Ken, I’ll give it a try.

So you say:

 - SSID separation (that so far is not complete because on one Wi-Fi network I have 2,4/5 GHz non-separated)

 - change channels

 - same names for the two 2,4 and the two 5 ghz ntwks: why, if I may ask? Do you think the names can have something to do with it?

 

Thx

MrG,

As you are using the same 2.4ghz and 5ghz SSID on all access points - I would try this:

  • Give the 2.4ghz SSID on all access points the same name, use the same channel 1 for all and the same channel width - I recommend 20MHz only for this band.
  • Also give the 5ghz SSID on all access points the same name (but a different name to the 2.4ghz SSID), use the same channel (36 will do) for all ...and the same channel width - I recommend 40MHz for this band.
  • Leave your Sonos products wired and ensure you do not have any WiFi networks setup in the Sonos App in either of these locations “Settings/System/Network/Networks” & “Settings/System/Network/Wireless Setup”.. you only need to ignore this and leave a WiFi setup in the App if you have a Sonos Move device as part of your Sonos System.
  • Ensure the SonosNet channel in “Settings/System/Network” is set to either channel 6 or 11.

See if the above suggestion improves things for you.

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MrGralich,

It’s not clear (to me at least) from your post, how your different WiFi networks are setup, if they are using the same network subnet, SSID’s, Channel Width etc. But…

 

Have you tried switching off your WiFi networks 2 & 3, perhaps on a temporary basis, just to see if that helps resolves your issue. (Assuming your devices are Wired to Network 1).
 

My thoughts are one of the networks are interfering with your Sonos Controller device(s) and perhaps your SonosNet channel too, which at the very least needs to be set to Channel 1, based on the WiFi channels currently in use. 

Ken, first of all thanks for having taken the time to answer :-)

All the networks come from a single router:

the two wired Sonos players are connected via ethernet to that router, that creates the wifi network 1 (wifi channel 6) and, via two Apple Airports, other to wifi networks (wifi channel 11). On wifi network 1 there’s an SSID separation, so there’s a 2,4 and a 5 Ghz network, while the two other wifi networks created with the two Apple Airports create an unseparated network, so 2,4/5 Ghz networks that have the same name.

 

The SonosNet wifi channel as I highlighted is already set to 1.

I was under the impression that if I used different wifi channels I should have been safe… Don’t you think so? Could it be a ‘distance’ issue?

did try to switch off the wifi network for a while, but since the disconnections are random, I couldn’t appreciate differences. Maybe I should switch them off for some days…

 

Thanks a lot

MrG

MrGralich,

It’s not clear (to me at least) from your post, how your different WiFi networks are setup, if they are using the same network subnet, SSID’s, Channel Width etc. But…

 

Have you tried switching off your WiFi networks 2 & 3, perhaps on a temporary basis, just to see if that helps resolves your issue. (Assuming your devices are Wired to Network 1).
 

My thoughts are one of the networks are interfering with your Sonos Controller device(s) and perhaps your SonosNet channel too, which at the very least needs to be set to Channel 1, based on the WiFi channels currently in use. 

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Hi everybody, I experience regular disappearances of the wireless player, I think I’ve applied all the advices but no luck. The details

 

My players:

 - Sonos Play:1 (wired)

 - Sonos One SL (wired)

 - Sonos One (NOT WIRED) and in another room with respect to the other players

 

I have three wifi network in the house:

 - WiFi network 1: wifi channel 6

 - WiFi network 2 and 3: wifi channel 11

 

 - SonosNet channel: 1

 - No Sonos Boost

 - No other devices close to the wireless player (no landline with cordless phone, one baby monitor in the same very large room but not close to the player)

I understand that even without a Sonos Boost the two wired players create a wireless network for the wifi player, am I correct? And the channel should be the number 1, am I wrong?

I have a wifi analyzer that says that normally on channel 1 there is no other signal in the surroundings. At the worst case, it detects a -90 dBm signal coming from a wireless router in another apartment.

I should add that the wifi Sonos player is some 30 feet away from the nearest wired player, that is in another room.

As I said, during the day I can experience two to three disconnections. For hours it can work regularly but randomly the wifi player disappears.

I’ve uploaded a few diagnostics, I’ll stick to the latest: n 391661885

 

Thanks a lot for any help!

Sonos speakers now being recycled in the green bin, awesome customer support guys, cheers!

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Hello,

I have a Port connected via ethernet to a switch (which is hardwired to our router), wifi on the Port is disabled. The output is connected to the CD input of an Onkyo TX-NR656. The output of the Onkyo goes to a 7.1 speaker setup (rear speakers are wireless) and the output is set to “all channel stereo”. I consistently get intermittent/random dropouts on all speakers with this setup. The music never plays back more than a minute, and dropouts can happen as frequently as every few seconds. The source of music doesn’t matter. Audio dropouts occur regardless of the selected “listening mode” on the Onkyo.

I do not have this problem on my five other wireless Sonos devices (One, pair of Play:1, and pair of Play:3).

I do not have any audio dropouts when using the Onkyo with other A/V devices.

The Port is located in the living room in the “media center” with open open shelving. 

I have confirmed that I have the latest app on my iPhone and the latest updates applied to the Sonos hardware.

I’ve submitted a diagnostic, the confirmation number is: 1600291032.

Thank you.

Previously, these device disconnect disappearance issues werent really noted or did not happen.  The new controller app update and firmware updates have done something.  It took few attempts to get my speakers connected via phone support.  I have a very fast wifi and dedicated mesh.  I also have hardwired setup available.  The speakers are all in same family room.  Not sure how wifi interference can occur here when it doesn’t happen to any of my other non Sonos devices?  It took few attempts to get the sonos sl ones and the sub connected in the app.  
 

If this keeps up, then the quality of product and ease if app use is going down.  The whole idea was to try Sonos va Bose.  Bose app may be cheesy, but it seems to be more stable as my buddies put it.  Starting to feel regret, especially, after the last tech I communicated with.  

Hi @Beth S. Thanks for posting.

I have taken a look at your diagnostic and your Airplay 2 audio stream seems to buffer a lot. Interference is a usual suspect. How does the Sonos system function when one of the speakers are hardwired to the main Eero router directly?

We have one Symfonisk speaker, two Play:1s, and one Play:5. All in different rooms. Recently music will cut in and out on one speaker when playing to a group of one or more. This mostly happens when streaming from Radioooo via Airplay, but sometimes also when playing Apple Music via the Sonos app. The diagnostic number is: 

338188706

Thanks for the response. 

The Sonos speaker when utilizing the Airplay 2 just acts as a target. To unsure we are getting as least amount of interference as possible, would it be possible to temporarily hardwire the targeted Sonos player to the router and assess if the issue is still present?

Usually if the Sonos speaker works fine and it identified on the Sonos app but not on the Airplay 2 function, the issue is communication between the sources.

Hi @Ghmd_S.

I have taken a look at your diagnostic report and I do see discarded packets of information coming from Airplay 2. This usually indicates that Sonos is not receiving a reliable line of communication from the music source via Airplay 2.

You have said that this happens when you add the music to your queue with Airplay 2. Are you adding the music to your Apple Music app, then casting the music via Airplay 2?

Correct. I am using the Apple music app on iOS. And casting through AirPlay 2 to a Sonos Speaker or Amp.

it happens very predictable when adding a song or album to the que. it’s not random. I have no problems with streaming in any way. Besides this and  sometimes the second Sonos One comes in a little behind the first one (in a stereo setup).

Hi @Ghmd_S.

I have taken a look at your diagnostic report and I do see discarded packets of information coming from Airplay 2. This usually indicates that Sonos is not receiving a reliable line of communication from the music source via Airplay 2.

You have said that this happens when you add the music to your queue with Airplay 2. Are you adding the music to your Apple Music app, then casting the music via Airplay 2?

When I add a song to the queue in Apple Music when using Airplay 2 the music cuts out for a second before playing again. Happened on my Amp and the Sonos One’s (in stereo). It does not happen when using Spotify on Airplay 2 (making it Apple Music specific) And it does not happen when streaming to my Apple TV from the same sources (making it Sonos specific).
 

My diagnostics: 669892687
I just added a song to the queue a second before sending the diagnostics. So if the reason why it happened is in there it should be easy to find.

e5227444-2179-43db-80ef-9baf296c5500.png

Hi there. Sonos app no longer appears on Spotify. Both apps are updated and Spotify reconnected to Sonos and both devices are on the same Wifi network but still no change. I have submitted a diagnostic number 895071422. Any ideas?


Hi all,

If you’re experiencing any of the above, or your app is sluggish, then your Sonos set up may be suffering from “wireless interference”. In the video, you will see how to fix this annoying issue, and get back to listening to your favorite tunes, uninterrupted.



Feel free to let us know how to get along with the video. If you need any further assistance, we’re ready to help! :D

Please note that we also have a support article explaining how to change the wireless channel here: https://support.sonos.com/s/article/1219

Still having problems? Grab a diagnostic and add it to your reply.

Sonos Controller App for iOS or Android
From the Sonos music menu, touch Settings > Advanced Settings menu > Submit Diagnostics.

Sonos Desktop Controller App for Mac or PC
Select Submit Diagnostics from the Help menu.

 

 

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Before you try to fix the wireless issue, try the wired, closed network if you can. All you need to do is simply wiring any of your Sonos products to your router, and your system will switch over automatically. You will need to keep one of your Sonos products wired to your router permanently in this configuration. Your easiest solution to wireless issues may be to switch to the wired network!

I have one Ikea Symfonisk wired to my network and another one wireless in SonosNet. 

Very often the wireless speaker is dropping out. Spotify plays part of the song and then sometimes skips to the next or stops. Streaming radio jump back several hours in time. This happens several times a day.

SonosNet is not on the same channel as my WiFi.

I have a diagnostic number from when the radio skipped back in time: 1692745839

Hi - we recently started experiencing several issues with our speakers cutting out. We typically use Spotify to stream and don’t have an issue with it on Bluetooth and other speakers. I’ve changed the Sonos network channel between 1, 6 and 11 to no avail. Our speakers are connected using the original bridge but seems like we are constantly getting a ton of interference. We have incredibly fast internet so at a complete loss for why music keeps dropping. 
 

Here is the diagnostic I just submitted. 
 

1367726973

 

Can you disconnect the Bridge and direct wire one of the speakers in your system, see if that helps?  The Bridge is getting up there in age and sometimes is more of a hindrance than help.


Hi Danny - reconnected and hard wired to one of the speakers but seem to still be getting some drop out. 
 

Another diagnostic number in case they look here. 

 

165742553

 

Thanks Melvimbe. I’ll try that. 

Hi - we recently started experiencing several issues with our speakers cutting out. We typically use Spotify to stream and don’t have an issue with it on Bluetooth and other speakers. I’ve changed the Sonos network channel between 1, 6 and 11 to no avail. Our speakers are connected using the original bridge but seems like we are constantly getting a ton of interference. We have incredibly fast internet so at a complete loss for why music keeps dropping. 
 

Here is the diagnostic I just submitted. 
 

1367726973

 

Can you disconnect the Bridge and direct wire one of the speakers in your system, see if that helps?  The Bridge is getting up there in age and sometimes is more of a hindrance than help.

Hi - we recently started experiencing several issues with our speakers cutting out. We typically use Spotify to stream and don’t have an issue with it on Bluetooth and other speakers. I’ve changed the Sonos network channel between 1, 6 and 11 to no avail. Our speakers are connected using the original bridge but seems like we are constantly getting a ton of interference. We have incredibly fast internet so at a complete loss for why music keeps dropping. 
 

Here is the diagnostic I just submitted. 
 

1367726973