Virgin Media Community

[GadgetRescue]

How it all works

SONOS

• Multi-room audio streaming

• Incredible sound from your V6 or TiVo®

SONOS offers multi-room audio streaming and TV sound products in one cohesive ecosystem. But are you getting the most out of your SONOS setup? Here are some quick tips to turn you into a SONOS super user

SONOS PLAY:5The digital revolution means it is now essential for the modern home Hi-Fi setup to be properly equipped to stream music and programming from the internet. Bluetooth just isn’t cutting it for some users, and they are now turning to a higher quality SONOS solution.

Connectivity

Step one is make sure you have the right home connectivity setup for your SONOS. 

SONOS offers both Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity options. However, if you can’t run Cat-5 cable all around your house, then it’s important to make sure you’ve got powerline adaptors or a strong Wi-Fi connection. Poor Wi-Fi coverage in your house can lead to data drop outs and therefore, loss of audio.

Make sure your SuperHub is placed well within Wi-Fi range of your speakers. They may struggle to connect if the SuperHub is a couple floors or a few rooms away.

If you’re still having Wi-Fi issues, then consider purchasing an extender - Powerline adaptors are great, but SONOS also produce the 'Boost',  a device which plugs into your SuperHub and creates a dedicated network for your SONOS and is less prone to Wi-Fi interference. 

Getting more out of your SONOS

SONOS PLAY:5

Make the most of your sound system with these hacks:

• SONOS speakers love to work together. If you have a large room, then two SONOS Play1, 3 or 5 speakers can be paired together to give stereo sound.
  
  
• The mute button does more than just mute the sound. Press it once to play/pause tracks, press it twice to move to the next track and hold to mute only a single speaker.
  
  
• On the 2nd Gen Play:5 speakers you can use the new touch sensitive buttons to skip tracks by swiping left and right.

Control your sound with the SONOS app

The SONOS mobile app lets you build playlists with tracks from multiple online streaming vendors, including Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Sirius XM, SoundCloud, and more.

The iOS app also includes a very useful tool called TruePlay which calibrates the speaker to the acoustics of the room and makes a huge difference to how the speaker projects audio into your space.

If you’d rather stick to your preferred streaming app, Spotify and Google Play Music have recently updated their own apps to allow you to play directly to a SONOS speaker.

Using SONOS with your TV

A beautiful 4K display is nothing without a booming sound system to match.

SONOS has invested heavily into a range of dedicated products specifically designed to improve the sound quality of your TV. The PlayBar and PlayBase are both great options designed to bring your TV audio to life.

Unfortunately, SONOS has restricted connectivity options, with an optical connection being the only way to get sound from your TV to your PlayBase or PlayBar. Make sure you have the correct optical connectors on your TV, and check that your TV won’t try to downgrade your Dolby Digital signal to plain old Stereo. You can double check which audio signal is being received by your SONOS device by going to the Settings —> About My Sonos System option on your app menu.

Want more?

You can always ask for help and advice on sound systems, and how to get them working with your V6 or TiVo on the Virgin Media Community in the TV forums - or if it's home audio streaming, try our Networking and WiFi board. The Tech Chatter board is worth a visit too.

And if you’re experiencing issues with your connected devices in your home, the Virgin Media Gadget Rescue team is here to help. We’re available 24/7 to answer almost any tech question you can think of (but not music questions. We only listen to Kraftwerk).

Any more tips to get the most out of a SONOS set-up? Pop a comment below.

Happy Listening!

Gadget Rescue is a 24/7 chargeable support service designed to fix issues with non-Virgin Media technology in your home. From tablets and mobiles to cameras and computers, 93% of issues are fixed first time.
Gadget Rescue Subscription is £5 a month + a £20 set-up fee, with a minimum 6 month period).
Gadget Rescue one-off fix is charged at £35, with a no fix - no fee guarantee.
To chat live to a Gadget Rescue expert online just go to VirginMedia.com/gadgetrescue, or call free on 0800 014 7398.

[Sololobo]

http://blog.sonos.com/en/sonos-privacy/

http://www.zdnet.com/article/sonos-accept-new-privacy-policy-speakers-cease-to-function/

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/08/22/sonos_forces_revised_privacy_terms/

[hackneydave]

Would Sonos work over HomePlug AV2? We've got some parts of the house that are out of range of the Superhub.

[Sololobo]

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/10/11/sonos_privacy_speakers/

Rejecting Sonos' data slurp breaks boombox.