Sonos is a global leader when it comes to home audio. A major role in the success of Sonos goes to its excellent speakers that are louder and clearer than any other speaker system. Besides that, Sonos provides a smart speaker in ‘Sonos One’, which is fully capable of working with smart voice assistants such as ‘Amazon Alexa’, Google Assistant and Apple Siri.

To be able to use Sonos with Amazon Alexa (a leader in smart voice assistants), you will have to connect Alexa to Sonos. What makes Sonos a perfect home audio system is its ability to play different tracks in different rooms of the house, which you can sync together and control from your smartphone.

How to connect to Sonos?

Sonos can be used for a host of operations, so you need to identify the reason(s) as to why you are interested in buying Sonos. To play sound in a single room, you can select either ‘Play:1’ or ‘Play:3’. In order to get a better sound for bigger rooms, you will have to opt for Play:5. In order to use Play:1, Play:3 and Play:5, the first thing that you will have to do is find a way for Sonos Play 1 setup and the same for Play 3 and Play 5 as well.

If you wish to enhance the audio of your TV, then Sonos Playbase or Playbar is what you need. Once you are done with Sonos speaker setup, you will have to download Sonos app. Launch the app on your phone, then select the music services that you wish to use followed by selecting the music files wirelessly that you want to play around the house.

One of the main highlights of the product is its ability to play different music in different areas of the house. In one room, you can play jazz music and in another room, you can play a rap song. Moreover, you can sync the speakers in order to listen to the same song in different rooms.

Sonos app is fully capable of controlling all Sonos speakers. You can control the speakers with your voice as well, thanks to Sonos One. It is possible for you to adjust music volume and other settings from the app.

How Does Sonos Work?

The working of Sonos depends upon your wireless network, as the communication of all the speakers with the controller will take place over the Wi-Fi network. Therefore, the first thing that you need to do is figure out how to connect Sonos to Wifi.

Connect a single Sonos speaker to the Wi-Fi network, which your phone or PC is connected to. Once a secure connection between the two has been created, you can begin playing your music and other things on the device. If you connect Sonos to new Wifi, then you won’t be able to make a connection.

Now, Sonos will create a secure mesh network that connects rest of the speakers as well. ‘SonosNet’ is the name of the network and it will be different from your Wi-Fi network.  Your Sonos devices begin to communicate with one another and with the controller, thus transmitting a parallel set of wireless signals in the house.

Speakers that are sold by Sonos:

  1. Sonos One: A smart speaker that is compatible with Amazon Alexa.
  2. Play:1: A perfect mini speaker for smaller spaces.
  3. Play:3: A midsize speaker that produces stereo sound and can also be integrated into a wireless surround-sound system with more Sonos speakers.
  4. Play:5: The biggest, loudest and most amazing speaker sold by Sonos.
  5. Playbase: This soundbar can be placed under the TV and is capable of producing wide-range sound.
  6. Playbar: This is another soundbar that can be connected to the TV and play programming along with sounds that choose from the Sonos app.
  7. Subwoofer: To add some bass to the surround-sound setup of Sonos, you can add a subwoofer.
  8. Beam: This device can be connected to your TV and it plays everything that plays on the TV.
  9. Connect: This device upgrades your existing stereo or receiver for instant music streaming.
  10. Connect:Amp: Power up your standalone speakers with this amplified music streaming upgrade.
  11. Amp: An all-round amplifier to augment all your entertainment.

How to set up Sonos?

The process of setting up Sonos could be a bit lengthy, but it is not complicated, especially when you follow the correct steps in the exact same way as they are given. The process begins with the Sonos Wifi setup because if the device is not connected to the Wi-Fi network, then nothing is going to work

  1. After unboxing your Sonos speakers, identify a place where the line of sight for the speakers is clear corresponding to where you will be operating it. Don’t place the speakers behind obstacles as that could impact the sound quality.
  2. After identifying the right spot, download the Sonos app on your smartphone (operating on either Android or iOS).

Note: the Sonos App is free of cost.

  1. Launch the app and then, select the option to ‘Set up new system’. Choose the ‘Standard’ option. Reason for choosing ‘Standard’ option is that your Sonos won’t remain wired to the router and will be able to connect to your home Wi-Fi network. If you choose Sonos Boost Setup, then one of your Sonos products is going to remain connected to the home’s router at all times via an Ethernet cable.
  2. Sonos will take you through the process of setting up your speakers. Make sure your smartphone is connected to the Wi-Fi network, and if it is, then press the assigned buttons on the respective Sonos Speaker followed by waiting for the speaker to connect to the network and the Sonos app. Do the same for other speakers as well. This is all about the Sonos wireless setup.
  3. Tune each of the speakers to the room in which they are installed in order to get the best audio quality. To modify the acoustic output of the speakers, make use of a feature called ‘Trueplay’, which you can find in the Sonos app. Once the ‘Truplay’ feature is activated, the Sonos speaker will begin emitting a torrent of tones for 45 seconds.
  4. For iOS device only: As those tones are being emitted, hold the device upside down and walk slowly around the room in which the speakers are installed. Wave your smartphone up and down. The app is going to record everything it hears through the microphones of the iOS device and based on that, it will bring changes as to how the speakers produce sound.
  5. You are now ready to access Sonos compatible apps such as Spotify, Apple Music, and Pandora.
  6. If you are using Amazon Echo and want to connect to Sonos speakers, then you can do that in order to use voice commands to turn on the music and control other devices installed in your house.

What to do when WiFi signal is weak in a specific room?

Sonos provides an excellent solution to this problem. You can get Sonos Bridge to boost the signal strength in areas where the signal strength is poor. For that, you will have to perform Sonos Bridge setup, the steps of which are given below:

  1. Plug in electrical cable on Sonos Bridge.
  2. Connect Ethernet cable to connect Bridge to the router. By connecting an Ethernet cable, Sonos Bridge will be connected to the internet and create a new network for Sonos wireless speakers.
  3. Download and install the Sonos app on your smartphone or PC.
  4. Launch the app, go through the prompts and select Bridge when prompted.

How to connect Sonos to Alexa?

The answer to the question, i.e., ‘can Alexa connect to Sonos’ is certainly ‘Yes’. Go through the entire process given below in order to find out how to connect Echo to Sonos. 

  1. If you have bought Sonos One, then just turn it on followed by connecting it your Amazon account from within the Sonos connect app.
  2. Now, you can start giving voice commands to Sonos speakers around the home. Whenever you are in proximity of the device, you can issue voice commands, control music, and the device.
  3. You can also make Sonos connect to Amazon Echo or Dot.
  4. In order to know how to connect Sonos Speaker to Echo, open ‘Amazon Alexa app’ and search for ‘Sonos Skill’. Once found, authenticate both, Amazon as well as Sonos accounts. Now, you can select ‘Smart Home’ from Alexa app and let it try to ‘discover’ Sonos gadgets.
  5. In the end, both devices will link up and thus, letting you give commands to Alexa, which further has control over Sonos speakers.

This was all about how to connect Alexa to Sonos. The process is quite simple and if you are using Echo Dot, then you can connect Echo Dot to Sonos in the same way, as there is no change in the steps.

Sonos Playbar Setup

To be able to play any audio file from your music service or TV, you must perform Sonos soundbar setup using the Sonos app on your PC, smartphone or tablet.

  1. Download Sonos controller on the device that you intend to use for the best Sonos setup and control.
  2. Place the Playbar or Playbase at a suitable location and power it up.
  3. Connect one end of the audio cable into the audio input of the Playbar or Playbase with another end plugged in the audio out port of the TV.

If the Playbar is the 1st component that you are setting up, then you will have to follow a different set of instructions.

  1. Launch the Sonos app on your device.
  2. Select the option labeled as ‘Set up a new Sonos system’.
  3. Go through the instructions that are given on the app to complete the setup. The app will walk you through the configuration process of the remote so that it starts working with the Playbar or Playbase along with the surround speakers that you have installed.

Follow below-mentioned steps if adding Playbar to an existing Sonos system:

  1. From Sonos controller, choose ‘add a player or sub’.
    1. If using a smartphone, then go to ‘more tab’ followed by selecting ‘Settings’ and then, ‘Add a player or sub’.
    2. If using Sonos Desktop Controller for PC or Mac, then select ‘Add a player or sub’ under ‘Manage’ menu. In PC, the ‘Manage’ menu is present at the top left corner of the Sonos application. In Mac, you can find ‘Manage’ menu in the toolbar given at the top left corner of the screen.
  2. Go through the instructions that are given on the app to complete the setup. The app will walk you through the configuration process of the remote so that it starts working with the Playbar or Playbase along with the surround speakers that you have installed.

How to connect Sonos to TV?

To play your TV audio through Sonos smart speakers, you need to connect Sonos Playbar, Playbase or Beam with the TV. Sonos TV Speakers are specially designed for this particular purpose and will offer crisp and clear TV audio.

Sonos Playbar or Playbase can be connected to the TV using a single optical cable and power cord. Then, you will see everything that is being played on your TV.

Note: Sonos device with inputs can only be connected with TVs, so if you are using Sonos Play 1 and are looking to connect it to TV, then you’ll have to buy Sonos Connect in order to make a connection between Play 1 and TV. Take Sonos help to figure out the right method to connect Sonos Play 1 to the TV. 

How to connect Sonos to Spotify?

Download Sonos app on your smartphone or PC

For PC:

  1. Launch the app, select ‘Add Music Services’ from ‘Music’ pane.
  2. Choose ‘Spotify’ followed by clicking ‘Next’.
  3. Choose ‘I already have an account’ followed by clicking ‘Next’. If you don’t have an account, then select ‘Sign up’.
  4. Click the link that you see and then, enter your credentials to allow Sonos.

For Smartphones and Tablets:

  1. Launch the Sonos app, then tap ‘Add music services’ from ‘more’ tab.
  2. Choose ‘Spotify’.
  3. Choose ‘I already have an account’.
  4. Tap the link that you see on the screen followed by entering your credentials to allow Sonos

Get Playing

Once you are done setting up Spotify on the app, you can use Sonos Spotify connect to play your Sonos from Spotify app on your smartphone, tablet or PC.

  1. Make sure that the device and Sonos are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. Open Spotify now.
  2. Play a song followed by tapping ‘Devices Available’.
  3. Select the Sonos app from the device picker and begin listening to your favorite songs.

Set up Sonos Connect: Amp as Surround Speakers

Things to know prior to set up the process:

  1. For Sonos Amp Connect setup, you need to make sure that you have selected ‘Boost’ instead of ‘Standard’ at the time of Sonos system setup.
  2. Make sure that connect Amp setup has already been done on your existing system and updated to the most recent software.
  3. When using Connect Amp in this configuration, make sure that Subwoofer output and Line-in connections are disabled.
  4. Sonos Connect and ZP100 can’t be used to power surround speakers.

Sonos Connect Setup

  1. Connect Sonos Connect Amp and home theatre speaker to a network switch or router or to each other by making use of an Ethernet cable.
  2. Connect the desired speakers to Connect: Amp.
  3. The speaker that is connected to the left terminal on the Connect: Amp needs to be positioned as the left surround speaker in the surround sound setup.
  4. The same needs to be done with the speaker connected to the right terminal.
  5. Figure out the IP address of Beam, Playbar or Playbase (not Connect Amp). On smartphones, go to ‘Sonos Music Menu’, then ‘Settings’ and finally, ‘About my Sonos System’. For PC, Go to ‘Help’ and then, ‘About My Sonos System’. For Mac, go to ‘Sonos’ and then, ‘About my Sonos System’.
  6. Launch a web browser on the respective device.
  7. Type http://(your IP Address:1400/wiredsat.htm. Follow the instructions that you see on the screen to complete the setup.

Sonos Connect Vs Connect: Amp

The process of setting up Connect and Connect: Amp is different because the former one is an un-amplified device designed to run into an amplifier or receive that you already have as a music source. You run an audio cable from an output on the Sonos Connect into the input on your existing device. On the other hand, Connect: Amp comprises an inbuilt amplifier and drives passive speakers directly via speaker wire.

Sonos being a smart home audio system encounters a wide range of problems because a number of connections are made wirelessly and using wires and cables. Problems in an electronic device are inevitable, but by taking the assistance of a reliable Sonos help and support providers, the functionality of the device can be restored in a matter of a few minutes.

  1. Sonos won’t connect to the home Wi-Fi network.
  2. Problems in Sonos after performing an update.
  3. Don’t know how to reset Sonos connect.
  4. Unable to make Sonos connect to the receiver.
  5. Unable to find the right steps for Sonos 5.1 home theatre system surround setup.
  6. Sonos not connecting to the TV.
  7. Unable to add songs in the queue.
  8. Not able to play radio station.
  9. Can’t add music folder.
  10. Sonos can’t browse music.
  11. Connection lost way too frequently.
  12. Sonos won’t connect to Spotify, AirPlay, Amazon Alexa.
  13. Sonos can’t access Apple iTunes library.
  14. Can’t find the server.
  15. Sonos can’t find and music library.
  16. Unable to find Sonos connect manually.
  17. Unable to find Sonos connect amp alternative, manual and review.

In case, you come across any of the aforementioned issues or a new issue that is not mentioned on the list, get in touch with Sonos help and support for precise and reliable assistance.