RT-AC68U and SONOS

[jase7]

Hi all, sorry if this has already been posted but did a search and couldn't find much.

Basically i'm having big problems with Sonos devices on my RT-AC68U router, and it's driving me nuts. I have a Play:5 and Play:1 connected via the Sonos Bridge (which is obviously hard-wired into the Router).

When I run the Sonos App (on any device/platform) the components can never be found, and on the few occasions when they were (a couple of weeks back) they would disappear a short while later. Now they are completely non-functional!

I have assigned IP addresses to the Sonos components (using their MAC addresses through the router) which seemed to help very briefly, but then they stopped working again. I have the latest FW on my router etc. Very confused!

Any ideas?

J

 

[bobdob]

Have you cheched that the multicast settings are on and correct in the router?

Only a few find the way; some don't recognize it when they do; some don't ever want to.

 

[joegreat]

I have the latest FW on my router etc. Very confused!

Hi,

This a known problem with SONOS and Asus Routers (especially the RT-AC68U). I had a similare issue

But the solution is simple (as advised by SONOS):

1. Unplug ALL SONOS devices from power - really ALL!
2. Reset the router (power cycle or reboot via web/telnet).
3. Install the latest firmware (I recommend Merlin's version!) on the router
4. Reset the router to defaults
5. Reconfigure your router as you need.
6. Start/plugin power of the SONOS devices one by one, giving 5 minutes delay before starting the next one.
7. Done! All works like a charm!

With kind regards
Joe

 

[jase7]

Thanks

Great, thanks very much for this Joe - i'll try it tonight! You will be a total lifesaver if this works, my wife is constantly moaning about it!

J

Hi,

This a known problem with SONOS and Asus Routers (especially the RT-AC68U). I had a similare issue

But the solution is simple (as advised by SONOS):

1. Unplug ALL SONOS devices from power - really ALL!
2. Reset the router (power cycle or reboot via web/telnet).
3. Install the latest firmware (I recommend Merlin's version!) on the router
4. Reset the router to defaults
5. Reconfigure your router as you need.
6. Start/plugin power of the SONOS devices one by one, giving 5 minutes delay before starting the next one.
7. Done! All works like a charm!

With kind regards
Joe

 

[jonstatt]

Just a warning though if you have more than one RT-AC68U....the one Sonos device that is connected on Ethernet MUST be connected to the main router and not a media bridge one. The bug that afflicted the RT-AC68U about 3-4 firmwares ago seems to have not been fixed in all places and the problem with zones dropping out remains with zones connected to an RT-AC68U in media bridge mode.

 

[surferjoe]

The bridge is a critically important device that is hyper-sensitive to wifi interference. Replace the stock flat Ethernet patch cable they provide with a standard Cat5/6 Ethernet cable. Make sure you position the bridge at LEAST 3 feet away from the router, cordless phones, etc. The antennas are located in the feet of the bridge, so placing it on a metal surface is a no-no. Your router and Sonos need to be on different wifi channels. You can't change the Sonos wifi channel from an IOS device - the menu option can only be found in the PC, Mac, or Android software. Make sure the AC68U is not on autochannel and take it off of wideband - 20Mhz is the way to go with the bridge.

It'll take some time to find the the optimum Router/Sonos channel combinations.

You can look at your home Sonos stats at http://player-ip-addr:1400/support/review ( as in 192.168.1.20:1400/support/review )

Check Network Matrix in the Sonos stats for signal levels - anything in the low 20s indicates a weak signal and the device can drop off the network if you're in a noisy environment. You can add a wireless bridge or another Sonos player as a repeater if you need to cover longer distances. Noise floors should not be lower than -85. Try changing the Sonos wifi channel to see if you can get them above -100. Check the bridge stats for phyerrs located in /proc/ath_rincon/phyerr - ANY numbers in the 10,000 column indicates enough wifi interference to interrupt playback. Sonos collects stats every 60 seconds and displays the previous 20 minutes of collected data. You need to refresh the page to see an update in the device stats.