Play:5 gen2 5ghz

Userlevel 7

+26

Ryan S
Retired Community Manager
12372 replies
6 years ago
19 December 2015

I hope this hasn't been asked before but I couldn't find it. I was hoping the new play5's would solve my interference problems because of the 5ghz since all my devices now support 5ghz but I think I'm
wrong isn't it?

Hope someone can help. The old ones I had hard wired to each other and then the left one wired to my router. But since there's only 1 Ethernet port I have to connect them individually to my router which has only 1 port left. Music always performs great it's only the line in which is causing the trouble here. The right speaker falls out all the time. Hope someone has a tip! Thanks

The new PLAY:5 does have a 5GHz card, but it's only active when part of a 5.1 setup with the PLAYBAR, same as ll of the other players with 5GHz. The new PLAY:5 does have much better wireless than the old one, so they certainly are likely to behave better in your environment.

The PLAY:5 (Gen2) 5GHz is solely for bonding to a PLAYBAR as surround speakers. To connect a Sonos system in pure wireless ('Standard Setup') mode, attached to a home WiFi, the router must support 2.4GHz B/G.

So, as I understand it you originally had a pair of PLAY:5 (Gen1) speakers, with a wired daisy-chain connection back to your router? And now with the Gen2 units you have just one wired and the other wireless?

Line-In is the most demanding stream, so perhaps you have sufficient interference that it's pushing your wireless over the edge. Did you try alternative SonosNet channels?

If you want to return to an all-wired arrangement but are short of router ports, just buy a small unmanaged Ethernet switch. A 5-port Netgear can be had for very little money.

N

Userlevel 5

+9

ninjabob
Chromatic Producer I
267 replies
6 years ago
19 December 2015

Pity that Sonos cannot allow 5ghz when all the units in a system support it.

A system with Boost, Play1 and gen2 Play5 would surely all have 5ghz. Whereas Connect and Bridge would not.

Not sure about Play3.

In populated cities like London 2.4ghz is rammed with users whereas 5ghz is still relatively quiet.

PLAY:3 has 5GHz. BOOST does not.

To switch the SonosNet mesh over to 5GHz would compromise the range of each wireless hop. Granted the fact that it's an extensible mesh could address the issue of range for the system as a whole, but only where the units were positioned quite close together.

Userlevel 2

+1

Thanks for the answers. I think I need to go for the hub. I live in Amsterdam in a small apartment, my normal wifi was always horrible till I started using 5ghz. So for me it would be perfect if everything was on 5ghz.

I have an AirPort Extreme connected to the modem/router from my provider. Now I have connected one of my play 5's to the AirPort Extreme. Since the modem/router from my provider has a lot of left slots I could plug in my play:5's and sub in that, but will it still work since I use the wifi of my AirPort Extreme? I turned the wifi of the modem off.

Hope I made myself clear. Thanks again!

ratty
29792 replies
6 years ago
20 December 2015
Answer

I have an AirPort Extreme connected to the modem/router from my provider. Now I have connected one of my play 5's to the AirPort Extreme. Since the modem/router from my provider has a lot of left slots I could plug in my play:5's and sub in that, but will it still work since I use the wifi of my AirPort Extreme?

No, that won't work. The ports on the ISP modem/router are on the public side of the Airport Extreme. You must connect the second PLAY:5 and SUB to the private (LAN) side of the Extreme, along with everything else.

Just get a little switch like this or, since Sonos can't support 1Gbps, this. Personally I'd go for the first one, it's better value.

Userlevel 2

+1

Thanks for the help ratty! I bought it immediately and can't wait to have it fixed. In a hard wired system you can't have drop outs right?

In a hard wired system you can't have drop outs right?

You most certainly shouldn't have any local communication problems, unless there's a wiring fault of course.

Internet sources may still drop out from time to time, but that's the nature of the internet.

R

Was setting this up yesterday and I am rather shocked this is an 802.11g only product. It actually couldn't connect to my network at all since it is 802.11n minimum (and has been for a long time).

What's going on? How is this thread still useful? Nobody wants to use the 2.4ghz band if they can avoid it in major cities of the modern world.

I suppose development of Sonos is in a rural area? Perhaps that's why they are unaware of the challenges in the 2.4ghz spectrum today. I vote for focusing on solving this issue over new features or a new skin for the app.

Yes, Santa Barbara CA and Cambridge MA. Very rural. Practically the wilderness.

Userlevel 7

+22

Chris
Lead Maestro
17562 replies
5 years ago
15 December 2016

I believe it is explained above why 5ghz is not used because of lower range. As far as N goes when using the wifi only mode no N. but if you use the much better sonosnet by having one device hooked to router then they will communicate via their own sonosnet N network (still 2.4ghz)

Userlevel 7

+22

Chris
Lead Maestro
17562 replies
5 years ago
15 December 2016

5ghz is used for paired devices where they are theoretically in the same room.

Well, not exactly. 5GHz isn't used between stereo pairs, nor for bonding a SUB with anything other than a PLAYBAR.

5GHz is only between PLAYBAR and its satellites (which, agreed, ought to be in the same room). PLAYBAR is the only device with two radios.

Userlevel 7

+22

Chris
Lead Maestro
17562 replies
5 years ago
15 December 2016

True. As you could pair ore 5ghz like the old v1 play5

It would actually be neat if a stereo pair could use 5GHz between them, with the coordinator (left) node connecting to SonosNet/WiFi, but it couldn't happen without a second radio.

J