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Orbi & Sonos - To SonosNet or not?
Currently have Sonos using Orbi wireless, as no nearby sosnos devices to wire direct to any speakers. Performance to the 9 Sonos devices seems pretty good, but wonder if a Boost device would enhance...
I have ~9 Sonos devices running Sonosnet with Orbi in AP mode and it works perfectly.
You do not need a Boost to use Sonosnet, as every Sonos device has the hardware necessary to operate as a mesh network.
If you want to try it, all you need to do is plug in one, and only one, of your Sonos devices into Ethernet. Don't wire more than one Sonos device to Ethernet or you could potentially create a problem with network loops and crash your network.
I would plug the Sonos device into your Orbi or Fios router for best results, so it's not also traversing the Orbi backhaul. However, it should work with the one Sonos device plugged into a Satellite. (I haven't tried that though.)
For best results, you do need to manually set the 2.4 GHz channel used by Sonos and by Orbi so they do not overlap. Set one on CH1 and the other on CH11.
If you use Sonosnet, placement of the devices matters a lot. Sonosnet cannot work properly unless the Sonos devices are placed where they can see enough neighbors to form a mesh. If necessary, you can place a boost or bridge in strategic locations around the house (no need to wire them) to improve mesh topology.
None of my speakers are within wired distance of the router (router in basement, all spoeakers on second floor). Thus, the reason for a Boost device to sit next to router. Thanks for the suggetions on channel conflict. I have the Boost today, so will try it out and see if it is betre o worse than current configuation.
Hi, for what it's worth, I had a Boost plugged in to the Orbi router in one corner of the house and the system was basically unusable. I have the original Orbi and one satellite combo and 5 sonos speakers. Unplugging the Boost and going with a completely wireless setup was the solution for me - there is no controller lag any more and there are no dropouts.
ClintonBoyd wrote:
Hi, for what it's worth, I had a Boost plugged in to the Orbi router in one corner of the house and the system was basically unusable. I have the original Orbi and one satellite combo and 5 sonos speakers. Unplugging the Boost and going with a completely wireless setup was the solution for me - there is no controller lag any more and there are no dropouts.
This is not a surprise, because both Orbi and Sonosnet operate on 2.4 GHz and you need to manage the channels to prevent overlap. It will work fine if you manually set Orbi and Sonos to use non-overlapping 2.4 GHz channels, as I described above, and you make sure to keep your boost and Orbi units at least a few feet apart from one another.
Yep, understood. I had been previously aware of the potential for interference and had the Orbi locked to channel 1 and Sonos to 11. The only thing that solved my problem was unplugging the Boost. I suppose everyone's situation, setup and building layout is different.
Sonosnet would have issues if CH 11 was crowded by neighboring APs other than your Orbi.