I have a RBRE960 on a single network that has several Sonos speakers. The issue I am having is that the Sonos Playbar (GEN 1) is 2.4ghz only -- so the controller doesn't see it well. I tried enabling the IoT network for ONLY 2.4ghz with no luck -- we tried disabling 5ghz just to test, and it actually did not disable it for the SSID. The only option I see here is to keep the Playbar hard-wired. But, I've seen some other reports of similar issues -- shouldn't y effort to create an isolated 2.4ghz network really work correctly? That is, disabling 2.4 on the primary SSID and enabling only on the IoT network. I don't see options for bandwidth steering, as a Sonos rep asked about, in addition they recommended a different channel for 2.4ghz which isn't present in the firmware menu (can't remember what that was lol). Thanks.

By "controller" I am referring to the iOS app -- for some reason, there's no option to have the PC/Mac as a controller, which I don't fully understand why. Another thing, the iPhone 15 Pro operates at 6ghz -- and the "controller" app here (Sonos) keeps having trouble seeing my systems when I leave the house and return -- just now, for example. But the app on my Macbook is operating the speakers and streaming just fine (I have a 16" Macbook Pro (Intel)). Right now, the iOS "controller" app says "Unable to find your Sonos system, let's fix it" LOL I'm like WTF for the Nth time of this.... I've reset this iOS app a few times, it's really frustrating -- that this doesn't work more smoothly. The Sonos rep and I were trying to join the Gen 1 Playbar to just the 2.4ghz SSID, but we just didn't have any luck.

gumpgump wrote: The issue I am having is that the Sonos Playbar (GEN 1) is 2.4ghz only -- so the controller doesn't see it well. 2.4G WiFi has a stronger signal at any given distance than 5G WiFi, so frequency is not likely to be the issue. Does "controller" mean: An actual physical device, or An app from Sonos running on a smartphone or tablet?

If I could get the iOS app ("controller") to behave in a consistent manner (LOL) I could join the Playbar to another SSID. But this just isn't happening -- it's the latest Sonos app, but I believe it may be a bit buggy.

I fear there is too much fixation on frequency. For example: gumpgump wrote: Another thing, the iPhone 15 Pro operates at 6ghz While technically correct, this is not material. The iPhone 15 Pro has this specification: From Apple: https://support.apple.com/kb/SP903?locale=en_US Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO9 From GSM Arena: https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_15_pro-12557.php a/b/g/n/ac/6e, means that it supports 2.4G and 5G WiFi (dual band) including every WiFi standard from the very first (802.11a) through the most recent (802.11ax) and also supports the new WiFi6E (6Ghz frequency band). This iPhone is supposed to communicate with any form of WiFi, from the oldest pre-2000 WiFi to the latest, which also is supported on the RBRE960 Orbi system. i.e. if you enable the WiFi6E (6GHz) feature on this Orbi system, the iPhone should connect to it. (See page 62 of the user manual: https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/RBKE963/RBRE960_RBSE960_UM_EN.pdf ) The way the vast majority of Internet of Things (IoT) devices work is When it is waiting to be configured, the device (soundbar) broadcasts a WiFi signal with some goofy name (like maybe 'sonos-12345'. The app installed on the smartphone looks for a WiFi access point with that goofy name and connects to it. If the device is supposed to connect to the home WiFi (and nearly all of them do), the app communicates the WiFi credentials to the device, i.e. WiFi SSID and password. The device searches for a WiFi system with that SSID, asks to associate with it (fancy term for connect), supplies the required password, and is connected. From then on, if either the IoT device or the WiFi network is powered off, when power is restored the IoT device connects automatically. The smartphone can connect to the primary, IoT, or 6G network at any speed. Because they communicate through the network, there is no problem. Some IoT devices have smartphone apps that are poorly written: Some of them detect that the smartphone is connected to WiFi at 5G and refuse to proceed. "MUST have 2.4G" they scream. Ironically, if they would just deliver the SSID/password to the IoT device, it would find the WiFi network just fine. But they are trying to be too helpful and will not proceed. Some of them appear to convey the hardware MAC address of the 5G WiFi access point to the IoT device. Having only a 2.4G radio, it cannot find this access point. Again, trying to be too helpful. Some are just s**t. (I won't name the brand, but...) It took me almost 10 tries to get a window blind controller to work. The setup failed over (and over, and over). Did everything but light a candle. Finally, success. So, what's the solution? The most common tactic is to have the smartphone connected at 2.4G to the desired WiFi SSID. Complete the setup. After that, the smartphone can connect any way it pleases and everything will be good. There are several ways to do this: Some users keep an old WiFi router (in a box or on a shelf) that can disable 5G. Temporarily power off the Orbi. Connect the old router and set it to exactly the SSID/password used by the Orbi. The smartphone will connect at 2.4G because that is all there is. After the setup, remove the old router and power on the Orbi. Some users create a 2.4G WiFi Hot Spot on one cell phone with exactly the same SSID/password as the Orbi. Power off the Orbi. Go through the setup. etc. etc. Some of the newer AX routers now offer an IoT SSID that can disable 5G (including the 960). Connect the smartphone to the 2.4G IoT SSID and go through the setup. It would be really helpful to (a) have a link to the Sonos Soundbar setup instructions, and (b) have detailed information about exactly how the setup process fails.

In the UI of the latest firmware, I should be able to disable 5ghz completely, reboot and have 2.4ghz. The Sonos rep and I worked through this and unfortunately it does not work. Our goal was to get the entire group of the Sonos speakers to connect to the IoT network and leave it at 2.4ghz-only. But no dice. I also found the hidden web menu on Sonos devices and was able to get some info out of that; but didn't write it down. I wish there were a direct CLI tool to connect to these and manually tweak their configs, but that's another topic. The Playbar Gen 1 is 2.4ghz only. No way around that. But it just refuses to join this network -- Sonos says, from their internal tools, that it's connected and I see the connection and IP on the Netgear interface, but it doesn't ping. Nmap doesn't show much, either. Right now, the iOS app is completely f'ed up and doesn't have any of my devices shown, but the app on my Mac does. Another topic. I tend to think the logic of the Sonos rep is solid; that is, getting these on the IoT network --- but I can't see that happening after so many attempts. So I see a couple of issues. One, the Netgear Orbi should disable the 5ghz radio if I tell it to and reboot. It doesn't appear to. Second, the Playbar Gen 1 connects to the Orbi, gets an IP but doesn't ping -- makes me think it's not routing IP, but will route the Sonos protocol (which I believe is proprietary). The next trick (GRIN) I can think of is these WIFI dongles -- that plug in to an ethernet port and connect via WIFI. The Playbar has two ethernet ports (I wonder why 2). Perhaps I could try that as a last ditch effort. The setup guide for the Playbar:https://www.sonos.com/pdfs/productguides/en-us/sonos-user-guide.pdf Thank again!

RBRE960 (7.2.6.21) and 2.4ghz-only IoT and Sonos Playbar Gen 1

16 Replies

CrimpOn
Guru
Oct 20, 2023
gumpgump wrote:

The issue I am having is that the Sonos Playbar (GEN 1) is 2.4ghz only -- so the controller doesn't see it well.

2.4G WiFi has a stronger signal at any given distance than 5G WiFi, so frequency is not likely to be the issue.

Does "controller" mean:

An actual physical device, or

An app from Sonos running on a smartphone or tablet?
- gumpgump
  Guide
  Oct 21, 2023
  By "controller" I am referring to the iOS app -- for some reason, there's no option to have the PC/Mac as a controller, which I don't fully understand why.
  
  Another thing, the iPhone 15 Pro operates at 6ghz -- and the "controller" app here (Sonos) keeps having trouble seeing my systems when I leave the house and return -- just now, for example. But the app on my Macbook is operating the speakers and streaming just fine (I have a 16" Macbook Pro (Intel)). Right now, the iOS "controller" app says "Unable to find your Sonos system, let's fix it" LOL I'm like WTF for the Nth time of this....
  
  I've reset this iOS app a few times, it's really frustrating -- that this doesn't work more smoothly.
  
  The Sonos rep and I were trying to join the Gen 1 Playbar to just the 2.4ghz SSID, but we just didn't have any luck.
  - CrimpOn
    Guru
    Oct 21, 2023
    I fear there is too much fixation on frequency. For example:
    
    gumpgump wrote:
    
    Another thing, the iPhone 15 Pro operates at 6ghz
    
    While technically correct, this is not material. The iPhone 15 Pro has this specification:
    
    From Apple:
    
    https://support.apple.com/kb/SP903?locale=en_US
    
    Wi‑Fi 6E (802.11ax) with 2x2 MIMO⁹
    
    From GSM Arena:
    
    https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_15_pro-12557.php
    
    a/b/g/n/ac/6e, means that it supports 2.4G and 5G WiFi (dual band) including every WiFi standard from the very first (802.11a) through the most recent (802.11ax) and also supports the new WiFi6E (6Ghz frequency band). This iPhone is supposed to communicate with any form of WiFi, from the oldest pre-2000 WiFi to the latest, which also is supported on the RBRE960 Orbi system. i.e. if you enable the WiFi6E (6GHz) feature on this Orbi system, the iPhone should connect to it.
    
    (See page 62 of the user manual:
    
    https://www.downloads.netgear.com/files/GDC/RBKE963/RBRE960_RBSE960_UM_EN.pdf )
    
    The way the vast majority of Internet of Things (IoT) devices work is
    
    When it is waiting to be configured, the device (soundbar) broadcasts a WiFi signal with some goofy name (like maybe 'sonos-12345'.
    
    The app installed on the smartphone looks for a WiFi access point with that goofy name and connects to it.
    
    If the device is supposed to connect to the home WiFi (and nearly all of them do), the app communicates the WiFi credentials to the device, i.e. WiFi SSID and password.
    
    The device searches for a WiFi system with that SSID, asks to associate with it (fancy term for connect), supplies the required password, and is connected.
    
    From then on, if either the IoT device or the WiFi network is powered off, when power is restored the IoT device connects automatically.
    
    The smartphone can connect to the primary, IoT, or 6G network at any speed. Because they communicate through the network, there is no problem.
    
    Some IoT devices have smartphone apps that are poorly written:
    
    Some of them detect that the smartphone is connected to WiFi at 5G and refuse to proceed. "MUST have 2.4G" they scream. Ironically, if they would just deliver the SSID/password to the IoT device, it would find the WiFi network just fine. But they are trying to be too helpful and will not proceed.
    
    Some of them appear to convey the hardware MAC address of the 5G WiFi access point to the IoT device. Having only a 2.4G radio, it cannot find this access point. Again, trying to be too helpful.
    
    Some are just s**t. (I won't name the brand, but...) It took me almost 10 tries to get a window blind controller to work. The setup failed over (and over, and over). Did everything but light a candle. Finally, success.
    
    So, what's the solution? The most common tactic is to have the smartphone connected at 2.4G to the desired WiFi SSID. Complete the setup. After that, the smartphone can connect any way it pleases and everything will be good.
    
    There are several ways to do this:
    
    Some users keep an old WiFi router (in a box or on a shelf) that can disable 5G. Temporarily power off the Orbi. Connect the old router and set it to exactly the SSID/password used by the Orbi. The smartphone will connect at 2.4G because that is all there is. After the setup, remove the old router and power on the Orbi.
    
    Some users create a 2.4G WiFi Hot Spot on one cell phone with exactly the same SSID/password as the Orbi. Power off the Orbi. Go through the setup. etc. etc.
    
    Some of the newer AX routers now offer an IoT SSID that can disable 5G (including the 960). Connect the smartphone to the 2.4G IoT SSID and go through the setup.
    
    It would be really helpful to (a) have a link to the Sonos Soundbar setup instructions, and (b) have detailed information about exactly how the setup process fails.

Forum Discussion

RBRE960 (7.2.6.21) and 2.4ghz-only IoT and Sonos Playbar Gen 1