Mixing wifi and hardwired units without using sonosnet

  • 25 October 2018
  • 4 replies
  • 1089 views

I currently have several Play:1s and Play:5, all of them connected to my own wifi network and it works well.
Still, I'd like to hardwire as many as I can while still use my own network, i.e. avoid sonosnet.

In the Sonos Software release notes 9.2 the following can be found: "It is now possible to disable a player's built-in wireless using the Sonos App".
Does this mean that I officially can hardwire a player and avoid sonosnet?

If yes, would the right procedure be as follows;
1 - disable the specific player's wifi via the App
2 - hardwire the player

Thankful for any feedback!

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4 replies

Userlevel 7
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With the new option to disable wifi on the devices. You should be able to disable the wifi on the ones hard wired and therefore stay wifi only on the rest.
would the right procedure be as follows;
1 - disable the specific player's wifi via the App
2 - hardwire the player

Other way round:
1 - hardwire the player
2 - disable the specific player's wifi via the App

Once SonosNet disappears the wireless players will have no option but to reconnect to the WiFi. This is basically a forced Mixed Mode. Wired players will show WM:0 in About My Sonos System; wireless ones will be WM:1 (or WM:2 for home theatre satellites).

Bear in mind that grouping may not perform optimally in this arrangement, in particular if wireless players are attached to a mesh WiFi which varies its channel between different access points.
Other way round:
1 - hardwire the player
2 - disable the specific player's wifi via the App

Once SonosNet disappears the wireless players will have no option but to reconnect to the WiFi. This is basically a forced Mixed Mode.
Would there be any drawbacks using a 'mixed mode' setup?

Bear in mind that grouping may not perform optimally in this arrangement, in particular if wireless players are attached to a mesh WiFi which varies its channel between different access points.Using Ubiquiti unifi with several APs (no mesh). I guess a player could switch between different APs dependent on signal strength, but as it works well today (all players conneced wirelessly), I do not foresee problems in that area.

My main concern was that once a player got connected through wire, it would start with sonosnet and affect my other players?
Correct. A single wired unit will pull the rest of them over to SonosNet, assuming they're within range. Disabling its radio would prevent this from happening.

In this instance Mixed Mode should work without problem.