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Problem adding surrounds to Amp.


Just added Sonos Amp, and trying to add (2) Play:1s as surrounds. Tried multiple ways to to set up surrounds, but failed.

Background:

I have 4 Sonos; (1) Amp, (1) Play: 5 Gen 2, (2) Play:1s. 

Amp is hardwired, WM0.

Rest are on wifi, WM1.

Have (3) Google wifi’s around my house

 

What I tried:

  1. tried adding Play:1s as surrounds (with solid white light), wireless, failed.
  2. hard reset both Play:1s, and set up as surrounds (with blinking green lights), wireless, failed.
  3. hardwired one Play:1, and set up both as surrounds (with blinking green lights). The other Play:1 was wireless. I confirmed  both play:1’s are working together with Amp as surrounds. (I read subs and surrounds need to be on WM2, but when I checked, they were both on WM0.) I unplugged both play:1s and relocated them to correct locations wireless. No sound. They changed back to WM1 and can see them on Google Wifi, but no sound. 

Both need to be in the back of living room as surrounds, and I can’t have them wired because AMP, TV, Google wifi are all in the front of living room. 

Can you please help how i can get these surrounds to work wireless with my Amp?

Thank you for your help in advance. 

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Best answer by John B 25 April 2020, 06:57

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12 replies

I suggest that you wire a PLAY:1 or the PLAY:5 to your network and remove the WiFi password. Wait a few minutes, then everything should have switched away from WM1.

If you are still having trouble, go to http://[IP address of AMP]:1400/support/review and post the Network Matrix here.

Let me try that and report back here. Thanks for suggestion. 

If the Amp is hardwired (or indeed, any Sonos component is wired), then the surrounds should be WM:0.

The surrounds, if unwired, should be using direct communication with the Amp over 5GHz.

If you have ‘disabled WiFi’ in the Amp settings, then re-enable it.  This would prevent the surrounds connecting as they should.

A WiFi card failure on the Amp would be a distinct possibility if none of the suggestions made so far on this thread helps.

If you have ‘disabled WiFi’ in the Amp settings, then re-enable it.  This would prevent the surrounds connecting as they should.

I was trying what buzz suggested above, but it dropped connection as soon as I unwire play:1. Then I read John B’s reply above. I enabled Wifi and wala!! Everything works. 
 

thank you buzz and John b for taking time making suggestions. Big help!!! 
 

now I’m gonna enjoy quality HT sound. Thanks 

The suggestion made by @buzz was also sensible and referred to a completely different setting.  ‘Enable / disable WiFi’ in the product-specific settings is very misleadingly labelled, and has nothing to do with WiFi.  It actually turns off / on the wireless radio on the device.  So if you disable it, you completely remove the ability of a Sonos HT device to communicate wirelessly with its surround speakers. 

@buzz was referring to the system-level details of your home WiFi - its SSID and password.

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If the Amp is hardwired (or indeed, any Sonos component is wired), then the surrounds should be WM:0.

The surrounds, if unwired, should be using direct communication with the Amp over 5GHz.

If you have ‘disabled WiFi’ in the Amp settings, then re-enable it.  This would prevent the surrounds connecting as they should.

A WiFi card failure on the Amp would be a distinct possibility if none of the suggestions made so far on this thread helps.

Thank you, this solved my problem. I got my Sonos Amp hardwired, two Play:1 wified, and the app kept saying the Play:1 cannot be used as surround with this wifi.

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Hi @vinhattieu and @kleeped 

Welcome to the Sonos community and thanks for reaching out to us. I’m glad that everything is working now thanks to @buzz and @John B’s recommendations. I do hope you continue to love and enjoy your Sonos.

Please let us know or create a topic if you still have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,

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If the Amp is hardwired (or indeed, any Sonos component is wired), then the surrounds should be WM:0.

The surrounds, if unwired, should be using direct communication with the Amp over 5GHz.

If you have ‘disabled WiFi’ in the Amp settings, then re-enable it.  This would prevent the surrounds connecting as they should.

A WiFi card failure on the Amp would be a distinct possibility if none of the suggestions made so far on this thread helps.

Thank you, this solved my problem. I got my Sonos Amp hardwired, two Play:1 wified, and the app kept saying the Play:1 cannot be used as surround with this wifi.

Sorry for hi-jacking this treat but today I had a call with Sonos Support about issues with connecting my two Play:1s to my PlayBar as surround speakers.it turned out that when using SonosNet (I have a hard-wired SonosBoost) the surround speakers connect over 5Ghz, as you mentioned, directly with the PlayBar. BUT when using Wifi-Only (I my case removing the SonosBosst) the surround speakers connect to the PlayBar over the WIFI network and NOT directly with the PlayBar...

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@Paul A Can you confirm this last statement is true? It goes anganinst everything I have read on this forum in the last couple of years…….

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Hi @106rallye and @jeroena.

Thanks for letting me know about this statement. We have not been known for such a situation where a surround speaker would choose to connect to Wifi during the process of transitioning from Sonos Net to Wifi mode. The only situation that we have been made aware that this is true is on these occasions. 

  1. The wifi on the main Sonos home theater speaker is disabled.
  2. The satellite speaker is too far away from the main Sonos home theater speaker that it is impossible to connect via 5Ghz that the main home theater speaker generates.
  3. Or on a different situation where the surround speakers are wired to the router.
  4. The router settings do not allow multicast. (which the Playbar need to communicate on behalf of itself, the Sub and surround speakers)

Other than the provided scenarios, the satellite speaker should maintain a connection with the 5Ghz of the main Sonos home theater speaker at all times.

If the above statement is present, I would suggest removing the network name when on SonosNet by going to settings » system » network » network so that the satellite speakers would maintain the connection to the Playbar. 

@jeroena. Please let us know if you still have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,

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Hi @106rallye and @jeroena.

Thanks for letting me know about this statement. We have not been known for such a situation where a surround speaker would choose to connect to Wifi during the process of transitioning from Sonos Net to Wifi mode. The only situation that we have been made aware that this is true is on these occasions. 

  1. The wifi on the main Sonos home theater speaker is disabled.
  2. The satellite speaker is too far away from the main Sonos home theater speaker that it is impossible to connect via 5Ghz that the main home theater speaker generates.
  3. Or on a different situation where the surround speakers are wired to the router.
  4. The router settings do not allow multicast. (which the Playbar need to communicate on behalf of itself, the Sub and surround speakers)

Other than the provided scenarios, the satellite speaker should maintain a connection with the 5Ghz of the main Sonos home theater speaker at all times.

If the above statement is present, I would suggest removing the network name when on SonosNet by going to settings » system » network » network so that the satellite speakers would maintain the connection to the Playbar. 

@jeroena. Please let us know if you still have further questions or concerns. We are always here to help.

Thanks,

 

Hmm… that is weird. To be exact. 

  1. I have my SonosBoost WIRED and the Play:1 (P1) satellite speakers and the PlayBar (PB) NOT wired and all is using SonosNet. So far so good, all is fine. (except some other speakers in the house, but that is the reason why I would like to switch to wifi, but ignore this for now)
  2. I configure my WIFI settings in the APP, after this nothing changes the P1s and PB are still WM:0, so SonosNet.
  3. I remove the power from the SonosBoost. After a few seconds audio stops on the P1s and PB (the other speakers in the house keep playing and seamless switch to WM:1 (wifi).
  4. After a minute or so the PB comes back but the P1s are "gone"
  5. In the APP the PB room shows (+?+?)
  6. Checking my WIFI network I see DHCP requests coming on from the P1's but they fail to join (EAP failures)
  7. So no speakers are moved and nothing is changed in the WIFI environment… So coming back to the 4 options above: 1: Not true, WIFI is enabled on the PB, 2: Not true, it does work on SonosNet and speakers are not moved, 3: Not true, nothing is wired, 4: This could be the case but that does not explain why the P1's are trying to connect to the WIFI, isn't it?

Any body any idea's, I;'m about to give up and stay on SonosNet, but nevertheless I'm still curious what could be the issue...

Hi.  You say that the P1s are trying to connect to WiFi once the Boost is turned off.  Is that based on the fact that they are requesting IP addresses?  They need IP addresses even if connecting over 5GHz to the Playbar in a SonosNet environment.