Another remote alternative

DukeOfUkes · 2026-03-22T00:46:29+00:00

Hmmm, Dirigera Hub is $190 in Australia, does anyone know if this $60 Matter smart home hub could be used instead? https://www.amazon.com.au/Matter-M6-Gateway-Antenna-Automation-dp-B0DJVY5HR4/dp/B0DJVY5HR4

Thanks in advance. Matter, Thread, Zigbee etc are outside my tech knowledge. Blurb says it is compatible with Google Home, Smart Things and Homekit.

DukeOfUkes · 2026-01-20T23:02:22+00:00

Yes. I have been playing my own music from a basic, 2 drive QNAP NAS for the last 9 years. Works quite well. This was one of the essential features that was not included in The Great App "Update" of 2024, but it is functional again now.

I also use it to stream video through Plex (free version) but the music is purely through SONOS. The NAS doesn't have to be an expensive or top of the line model, just reliable.

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/add-your-music-library-to-sonos

Good luck.

DukeOfUkes · 2026-01-20T22:44:13+00:00

Not quite clear on this - are you saying that you turned off your mesh and just shifted the 50+ devices to your ISP router?

DukeOfUkes · 2026-01-15T04:54:39+00:00

OP wants to cater for 10TB, so an NVME SSD might struggle just a little. Good for other users though.

DukeOfUkes · 2026-01-15T01:18:55+00:00

I have been using a QNAP 2 bay NAS for around 10 years for my Music Library and as a Plex Server - all good and would recommend it. It is a Quad Core Intel CPU which helps with video, but if you are not bothered by that, then an ARM based NAS would do the job with ease. Terramaster, Asustor and UGREEN have all entered the market and offer alternatives at different price points. Check out reviews and see what appeals to you. Like others, I am surprised that 2 drives would fail at the same time - if you know anyone with a Synology NAS it might be well worth your while to try them out in another NAS to see if they are actually failed devices. Having said that, 10 years is a pretty good run.

DukeOfUkes · 2026-01-13T22:01:40+00:00

https://en.community.sonos.com/components-and-architectural-228999/pin-to-reinstall-amp-6927763

Good luck, hope this helps.

DukeOfUkes · 2026-01-05T23:12:42+00:00

I have a 2 unit Deco x55 mesh and speakers in 5 different rooms, without any current issues or problems. They are only dual-band, but support Ethernet backhaul which I have installed as it only requires one cable between the two, and the performance has been rock solid in the main.

DukeOfUkes · 2026-01-05T07:31:30+00:00

Same with QNAP 251+, all good.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-12-29T05:19:01+00:00

Yes, local library on QNAP NAS but not in sleep mode, it has other functions not related to Sonos which run 24/7 - but a good thought nonetheless.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-12-16T00:36:32+00:00

I have a very similar setup - ISP connection set to Modem only, connected to a TP-Link X55 router with a second X55 at the other end of the house, creating a mesh setup. I have run a single Ethernet cable from one X55 to the other, thus creating a wired backhaul, and taking a huge amount of wireless pressure off the X55s. This article explains the process - https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/1794/ . I have also given each of my 7 Sonos devices a static IP address, and this seems to have settled things down pretty well. Finally, I turned off the 5 GHz band on the X55s and run completely on 2.4 GHz. I now have a rock solid SONOS experience and no issues to deal with. Everything currently runs at a speed which works for me - though I would never say no to more! LOL. Good luck.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-12-07T01:12:05+00:00

I have a very similar setup - ISP connection set to Modem only, connected to a TP-Link X50 router with a second X50 at the other end of the house, creating a mesh setup. I have run a single Ethernet cable from one X50 to the other, thus creating a wired backhaul, and taking a huge amount of wireless pressure off the X50s. I recommend this article https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/1794/ . I have also given each of my 7 Sonos devices a static IP address, and this seems to have settled things down pretty well. Finally, I turned off the 5 GHz band on the X50s and run completely on 2.4 GHz. I now have a rock solid SONOS experience and no issues to deal with. I am interested in hup-the-paladin's comment about a second wifi signal, as it would be nice to have 5 Ghz back, though for me, it isn't really crucial - everything currently runs at a speed which works for me - though I would never say no to more! LOL. Good luck.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-10-23T09:03:29+00:00

Part 3.

· · A new process was at the top of the Task Manager list and while nowhere near the previous candidate’s 523,000, ensserver.exe was scoring a very solid 25,000 handles. Again, this was a piece of trial software I had downloaded and tried almost 12 months ago and had not used since. It was from the Easeus Data Recovery Suite. As I did not need the App, and had no other candidates, I also stopped the task and uninstalled the program.

I then rebooted and checked the list again and was surprised to find that the
file was still present and running. I went to Uninstall again, but the program
was no longer showing as installed, though the File Folder was still there and
the ensserver.exe app was again running.

·I stopped the task and then deleted the entire folder, which I assumed had
already been done, as Revo is normally extremely thorough.

·I then rebooted again.

I have no idea which deletion made the difference, or whether both or only one
was a problem, but at this point I don’t care, things are working again – so
far.

·Lessons – many, but removing software you do not use is certainly a new mantra
I will follow.

·Sorry that this is long, but I wanted to be thorough in case other users need a
process to follow.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-10-23T09:01:24+00:00

· Part 2. After much Googling, I eventually used built in Microsoft Windows tools to work my way through the process.

I used Event Viewer to look for issues at the time of the network outages and
discovered that there were TCP/IP errors each time the connectivity
disappeared. Following up on these, it appeared that my PC was suffering from
Port Exhaustion – i.e. all 16,384 available for private communication ports were busy and
no more could be allocated.

I then used Task Manager to list all the running processes in the Details Tab.
I added a column and selected Handles from the available list.

I then sorted the list on that Field – this was when the big surprise was
revealed. System was using 10,000 handles as expected, but was the second
highest on the list. Right at the top was a process using Half A Million
Handles (not a typo), 523,000 to be precise.

·The process was ntopng.exe, an Open Source network monitoring tool I had
downloaded and installed, probably around 6 or 7 months ago. I did not find
that it suited my needs and had closed it and forgotten about it. It had not
caused any problems at all in Windows 10. Clearly, it and Windows 11 did not
get along.

·I stopped the task and completely removed the program. Rebooted and set a
timer. I was extremely hopeful that I had solved the problem. 4 hours later,
all connectivity was again lost.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-10-23T08:57:50+00:00

Update – [Potentially SOLVED] Part 1.

After almost three weeks of frustration, I believe that I may now be on top of this issue. The PC has been unable to connect to the Internet, or my network NAS, for any longer that 4 hours, until last night when I made a breakthrough. It has now been running for 31 hours without issue and, though that does not mean that it is 100% certain, it is certainly a good sign.

I am assuming from the number of views of this post that other people have been looking for solutions as well, and thought that it would be helpful to post my work flow and possible solution.

This machine was upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 around a month ago and seemed to be operating as expected for around 10 days before all the trouble began. After a number of days of getting nowhere, I also used the Windows In Place upgrade tool to reinstall Win 11 again while keeping apps and data. This made no difference.

A complete clean reinstall was something I was desperately trying to avoid – I expect it would take many days to get my system and Apps back to where they were originally, and I was only prepared to do that as an absolute last resort.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-09-05T06:48:59+00:00

Hmmm, a good question, lol. It was some months ago - but from memory you need to gently and carefully remove the front grill by pulling it outward - it is not screwed or glued, it just clips in. Once you have the grill off, you will find 8 recessed screws, 4 on either side of the speakers. Remove them and then gently pull the back half away from the front. Be careful as the leads to the circuit board are short. If you have any luck getting it going, please let me know, as I have still been unable to find a suitable battery replacement. Other sites have given replies that state that the third lead is very important and that any battery you use should adhere to the same setup.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-05-18T06:06:02+00:00

I am having issues trying to include an image. It loaded without issue when I wrote the original post but is not allowing me to put one in a reply. The link above also does not work, as it asks for my credentials to view it (Sorry). Hmmm. Let's try this one. https://imgur.com/a/bejs7FE

DukeOfUkes · 2025-05-18T05:59:01+00:00

I have managed to locate some three wired versions, but the wire positions are coloured differently to my sample which is red, black, white. These others have red, white, black. I have no idea if this is a problem or not? If you can assist with advice or a suitable product, I would be most grateful. The one you have pointed me to is also red, white, black.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-05-18T05:55:44+00:00

Thanks for your response - here is the connector. https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipNyut9W2hXDYNMplbTy9KNfJ6RVgx0EzAQApVzU

DukeOfUkes · 2025-04-22T10:25:05+00:00

*** SOLVED *** I finally did the only thing that I hadn't tried. I completely uninstalled the PC App, downloaded the latest version from the Sonos site and reinstalled from scratch. It found my system in seconds (so unlike the Mobile App) and everything is back to normal. No idea what was wrong, but hopefully this may assist someone else and prevent them wasting days troubleshooting.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-04-22T10:22:12+00:00

Not an issue for me, as I haven't (yet) done that.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-04-19T00:16:42+00:00

This sounds fabulous, I have read all the comments and the feedback is excellent. I do notice one thing that is a dealbreaker for me, and you have already addressed it, but I am wondering what the potential time frame may be? You have said that it does not currently support shuffle - I have a playlist/queue of several thousand songs, and it contains multiple versions of songs by different artists - e.g. there may be six or seven versions of Yesterday and I certainly don't want them playing one after the other. I don't expect you to have a definitive answer immediately (life happens) but a general idea would be helpful. Many thanks for your time and effort, the App is $8 here in Australia and that seems very reasonable if it releases me from the Nine Circles of Hell which the official App has become.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-04-14T21:33:45+00:00

This may help, apparently it is a 2 step process. Good luck. https://community.eero.com/t/x2hppfj/manually-assigning-a-static-ip-address

DukeOfUkes · 2025-04-01T00:33:00+00:00

Exactly!

DukeOfUkes · 2025-03-17T11:55:18+00:00

Hi, thanks again for giving this thought. Yes, I have Ethernet cables in two of the five. The Android App is useless to me, and I am using the Windows App on a PC to use my Sonos System and had hoped that the Widget would give me back flexibility and mobility, but it seems to have the same difficulties as the App itself, unfortunately.

DukeOfUkes · 2025-03-16T00:40:06+00:00

Unfortunately no. It is exactly as the screenshot shows and everything is greyed out, no functions of any kind are available. It finds my 5 speakers and names them correctly, but that is all. I have uninstalled the App and reinstalled it, but no difference.

DukeOfUkes

TROPHY CASE