network connection speed insufficient to maintain playback buffer

  • 9 November 2018
  • 12 replies
  • 1313 views

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We just moved to a new house, and I can't find a configuration to stream music to Sonos from my NAS. Old farmhouse, thick wall, etc, the usual problems. Currently, almost the only electric gadgets connected are Sonos and the Wifi (an Orbi Mesh system, base with 4 satellites), so not much interference possible. Sonos is on Channel 1, the wireless on 11. The the LAN connection between the two is from one of the Orbi Satellites to a Sonos Bridge, and the NAS connects physically to the same Orbi. (To minimize distance over the air.)
Spotify generally plays fine, NAS gets the above message - sometimes every 10 songs, sometimes all the time. My music on the NAS is almost all in FLAC.
The diagnostic is 2104916441. I had the music only playing in one room on purpose (thought it might be a grouping issue).
Thanks in advance
Chris

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12 replies

Have you tried moving and then cabling the NAS to one of your other Hubs? I get the impression, from your post above, it currently is connected over the orbi WiF (physically??) .. and also just to be sure, have you also removed your WiFi credentials from 'Advanced Settings/Wireless Setup' in the Sonos App?
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Ken, yepp, it started out at another hub, which was further away from the Orbi base. The hub it is on now should allow the shortest possible travel for the signal. Cabled is what I mean by physically, so there never were WiFi credentials in the app - the Sonos is considered wired.
Are the orbi hubs WiFi channel actually fixed on channel 11?... have you checked if that channel and the SonosNet channel 1, are both the least-used ones in your area around the home? If not, then maybe scan the area with wifiinfoview (or similar free software) to see which are actually the best channels to use.

The other thing to do, is to ensure minimal WiFi interference for each of your devices, so try to keep 'all things wireless' separated-out from each other. A minimum of two feet separation is recommended, but the further apart they are, the better.

You could also add all the devices IP addresses to your DHCP Reservation table, just to provide a little more network stability.
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To clarify, we are still renovating the house and it is only sparsely furnished. Right now, Orbi and Sonos are the only things wireless, and noone lives near, that's why I chose 1 and 11, maximum distance. (Yes, fixed, first thing I did.) Will be installing Philips Hue next, so a ZigBee network will be added, but that can't be the issue yet. I'll try the DHCP thing, thanks.
I am really hoping on the diagnostic analysis - if Sonos can tell me exactly which device has the lags, I might be able to shift stuff around. Currently it can only be a distance issue, there is nothing that can interfere.
Okay, hope you get things sorted soon.?
Whenever there's a Bridge involved, until proven otherwise the primary suspect should be its power supply. With age their voltage can gradually fade. Connectivity problems ensue.

Either check the PSU with a meter -- a healthy PSU puts out a steady 5.1V -- or temporarily substitute a player as the wired component as an experiment.
Userlevel 7
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You might want to inspect the signal matrix: http://IP-ADDRESS:1400/support/review, then click on 'Network Matrix'. Substitute the bold text for the IP address of one of your speakers.
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pwt: it's a 5 unit chain - one connection is green, the other 3 orange
ratty: I'll have to postpone that experiment - currently the only other Sonos next to an Orbi is the one farthest away where the WiFi connection is already fishy. When the kitchen is done, I'll wire that one, is near the router (or I could wire into the router).
Userlevel 7
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pwt: it's a 5 unit chain - one connection is green, the other 3 orange
ratty: I'll have to postpone that experiment - currently the only other Sonos next to an Orbi is the one farthest away where the WiFi connection is already fishy. When the kitchen is done, I'll wire that one, is near the router (or I could wire into the router).


Hi there,

Thanks for sending in the report. Your Bridge is pretty jammed up trying to send wireless data to your Sonos speakers. How close it it to your Orbi router? I'd recommend setting your Orbi system to a specific wireless channel, and changing the wireless channel your Sonos system is using so they are far apart. Channels 1, 6, and 11 are best as they do not overlap with each other.

As you have your Sonos system set up in its mesh configuration by wiring in the Bridge, you'll want to keep the speakers separate from your Orbi access points as the 2 wireless networks will interfere with each other.

Please try those steps then send along a new diagnostic report if any issues continue.
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Thanks, Jeff. The bridge is connected to one of the Orbi satellites, and it's standing right next to it. Channels already are 1 and 11.
Keeping the Sonos and Orbis separate will be pretty difficult in most rooms, as they tend to have one tech corner. Would it help if I wire a One directly to the Livebox router? It would still be fairly close to the Orbi router.
Anyway, let's leave this on hold for now - renovation took longer than anticipated and it will be another 2-3 weeks until all rooms are set up. Then I can test with other configurations. I also got two additional Ones which should help with the connectivity overall.
I’m getting this message for the past few months only when I try to play Spotify.
I'd recommend that you submit a system diagnostic like the original poster did. You may want to start a new thread, too, this one is 4 months old.