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Play:5 suddenly stopped working over wifi

  • 19 November 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 333 views

Everything worked well till recently (eg yesterday), but as from this morning the Play:5 no longer seems to connect/work over wifi.

 

No change was done on wifi network, wifi coverage is excellent and all other devices appear to have no problem with wifi (including other Sonos products).

 

Resetting the Play:5, restaring the router, assigning a fixed IP address to the Play:5 or selecting another wifi network does not solve the issue.

 

When network cable is unplugged:

  • Play:5 no longer appears as available in the app ('System' page as well 'About My System')
  • Play:5 no longer plays any music (eg radio) when I press the play button
  • Play:5 appears in the Airplay list on my iPhone, but actual Airplay connection appears to fail
  • App function 'Find Missing Products' is unable to retrieve
  • App function 'Manage Networks' brings mixed results, only once out of several attempts I managed to get connected to wifi (router lists IP address) ... but the device did not end up in the 'System' page and after restart it was no longer connected

When network cable is plugged in:

  • Everything seems to work fine (visible in app & music plays)

 

Submitted support diagnostics => Confirmation number: 2094225582

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Best answer by GuitarSuperstar 19 November 2021, 20:33

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4 replies

Userlevel 7

It sounds like the wireless card has gone bad. Contact Sonos Support:
https://support.sonos.com/s/contact?language=en_US

Well it sounds like you have done the necessary troubleshooting - just to maybe assist you further, you may also be able to contact/chat to Sonos Support Staff via this LINK

Edit: Ah I now see @GuitarSuperstar beat me to it.👍

I recommend submitting a diagnostic while the PLAY:5 is wired and another while it is wireless. Allow the system a few minutes to work through the new communication scheme after making the network connection change before submitting the next diagnostic.

Almost certainly the WiFi card has failed as I have had this happen twice now (both original speakers), most recently last week.  The real “tell” is that the speaker works fine over a direct Ethernet connection but can’t join (or remain stable) on a wireless network after previously behaving flawlessly.  There is good news though…. Here’s what I recommend.  Connect the speaker via Ethernet to your router and call Sonos support.  When I walked the support through my diagnostic process, I was asked to submit a diagnostic report via the app.  He was able to rapidly confirm an error code on the WiFi section. 

Here’s what truly impressed me.  He immediately offered to exchange the unit for a new one.  My first Play:5 WiFi failed when it was less than two years old, so it seemed like a reasonable accommodation for the company to stand behind it with a new one.  But this speaker is almost five years old — and Sonos is still replacing it for free.  I think that’s exceptional.  It’s an expensive speaker, but it’s also four years beyond its warranty.  I might still own GM products if they had this attitude toward their customers!  The RMA process requires a little work and a credit card if you want expedited replacement, but I shipped my first one back within the two week window and nothing was ever charged to my card.