Sonos one bluetooth connection. Bluetooth on Sonos’ new Era speakers isn’t…

Bluetooth on Sonos’ new Era speakers isn’t what you think – it’s better

When Sonos recently debuted its two newest wireless speakers — the Era 100 and Era 300 — it broke with years of precedence by adding Bluetooth, a connection option that has never been offered on the company’s non-portable speakers. At the time, I thought Bluetooth on an Era speaker worked the same way as it does on the Sonos Move. I was wrong.

It turns out, the Era speakers use Bluetooth in tandem with their Wi-Fi connections, as opposed to the Move, which treats Bluetooth as a completely separate mode. That has some profound implications for what you can do with one of the new Era speakers within a Sonos system, as well as a few caveats about what you can’t do.

Keep control

Using Bluetooth on a Sonos Era speaker is additive — it lets you layer a Bluetooth connection over the speaker’s existing Wi-Fi connection — which means the Sonos app can maintain its link to the Era 100 or 300 even when another device is connected to these speakers using Bluetooth. You can still control every aspect of the Era speaker, just as you would if the speaker was playing from source within the Sonos app, or via AirPlay from an Apple device.

This mirrors the way other multiroom wireless systems like Bluesound handle Bluetooth, but it’s a radical departure from the way the Sonos Move works. Once you switch the Move into Bluetooth mode, it disconnects from Wi-Fi and the Sonos app can no longer communicate with the speaker.

Unfortunately, despite the persistent connection from the app to the Era speaker over Wi-Fi, the app can’t currently display album or track artwork when audio is playing from a Bluetooth device — only the text is displayed.

Bluetooth as a shared source

When you connect to an Era speaker over Bluetooth, Sonos treats that Bluetooth connection the same way as it treats an AirPlay connection. You can simply play Bluetooth audio to just the Era speaker you’re connected to, or you can jump into the Sonos app and group the Era speaker with as many other Sonos products as you like and each component will play the audio being streamed via Bluetooth to the Era speaker.

One at a time

Even though an Era speaker can be connected to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth simultaneously, while also supporting AirPlay, there is a pecking order to these connections. First, only a single Bluetooth device can be connected at once. If you’ve paired a second device in the past, and then connect it to the Era speaker, it will disconnect the first paired speaker.

Second, if you’re using an AirPlay session to play music from an Apple device to an Era speaker and then you begin playback from a connected Bluetooth device, it will terminate the AirPlay session instead of just pausing it. To start using AirPlay again, you’ll need to pause the Bluetooth session, reconnect your Apple device to the Era speaker via AirPlay, and then begin playback from the Apple device.

Third, Bluetooth and Sonos app sources have parity when it comes to control. Hitting play on a Bluetooth streaming session will pause any content that the Era speaker had been playing from the Sonos app, and vice versa. Hitting play from the app will pause the Bluetooth source (but won’t disconnect the Bluetooth device).

Stereo yes, surrounds no

If you set up two matching Era speakers as a stereo pair, you’ll still be able to use Bluetooth streaming as described above. However, if you use those same two speakers as a set of surrounds in a home theater — along with an Arc, Beam, or Ray — Bluetooth won’t be available until you remove the speakers from this arrangement.

Still need Wi-Fi

As with Sonos’ portables, Bluetooth streaming to an Era speaker can only be done once the speaker has been set up and activated via Wi-Fi. Out of the box, there’s no way to use them as Bluetooth speakers.

If you want to be able to manage the Era speakers using the Sonos app when streaming via Bluetooth, you’ll need to be connected to your home Wi-Fi network. However, if you strictly want to use them as Bluetooth speakers — perhaps at a cottage or at a friend’s house — all they need is a power source.

Editor’s note: a previous version of this article suggested that the Sonos Move and Roam treat Bluetooth connections the same way. This has been corrected.

Editors’ Recommendations

Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like…

Sonos today sent out an email telling folks to Get ready for a new era of sound. Get it? New era? Because that’s exactly what’s about to drop with the Era 100 and Era 300 speakers, which already have leaked in pretty good detail.

The countdown on the email points to something happening on Tuesday, March 7, and the email says to expect preorders then, too.

For years, Sonos has relentlessly championed the benefits of Wi-Fi audio. The company even ran a cheeky (and hilarious) campaign showing how annoying it can be to use Bluetooth, featuring pinging notifications and phone calls routinely interrupting what should have otherwise been enjoyable music-listening sessions. Times have changed, however, and not only has Sonos added Bluetooth to its two portable speakers (the Move and the Roam), but recent leaks suggest that it’s considering expanding support for Bluetooth into its main portfolio of powered speakers too, starting with the new Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Era 300.

This amounts to a tacit acknowledgment that Sonos may have been too zealous in its past refusal to adopt Bluetooth audio, and I can’t help but think that it might be time for another company to rethink its rejection of Bluetooth: Apple.

If a document published by accessory maker Sanus is accurate, Sonos‘ next speakers will be called the Era 100 and Era 300, according to a report from Chris Welch at The Verge. Welch claims that The Verge had already learned from its sources that Era will be the public-facing name of the as-yet-unreleased Smart speaker that he had previously reported on under the code name Optimo, and that the Sanus document offers further evidence of this claim.

Sanus is a company that makes a variety of mounting solutions for AV products, including many Sonos models such as the Sonos Beam, Arc, and Sonos One. The discovered document, which was posted to the site device.report, is entitled Sanus Elite. Adjustable Speaker Wall Mount for Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 Speakers.

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How Many Sonos Speakers Can You Link Together?

I’ve been on a Sonos buying spree the past few years.

I recently upgraded my entire system and added a few more speakers.

Even before that, I kept adding speakers.

First I wanted one in every room. Then I wanted several in every room to get a full sound.

Then I wanted surround sound in my living room.

I have 15 speakers at this point. And I haven’t reached the limit of how many Sonos speakers you can link together.

So what is the limit, for those of you with a mansion to fill with speaker?

Keep reading to learn exactly how many Sonos speaker can be linked together at one time.

How Many Sonos Speakers Can You Link Together?

You can link up to 32 Sonos speakers at once. Of course, I haven’t actually tested that. My place is far too small. But that is the official info from Sonos.

It’s nice to know if I ever strike it rich and move into a mansion with a ridiculous number of rooms, I can achieve better audio quality throughout my home.

I can simply connect as many Sonos Bluetooth speakers at the same time as I can, and I will get perfect audio in multiple rooms (including my bathroom, in case I want to practice my opera singing under the shower).

The number of speakers is the same for regular models and the Shadow Edition components. What is Sonos Shadow Edition? Simply follow that link to read all about it.

32 speakers really is a huge amount. That is far more than even top competitors like Bose. To see how Sonos compares to Bose in other areas, read our article comparing Sonos home theater vs Bose.

How I Use Sonos Currently

I currently have a number of Sonos speakers throughout my home. At least one in every room. This means I can even play different kinds of songs in every room at the same time!

But usually, I have the same music playing in all rooms at once, since I live alone. I just connect my Spotify and blast my favorite playlist.

Imagine hearing your favorite songs in sync while you walk through the rooms of your house. Well, that is how my days are spent (or were spent, when I was stuck at home during the height of the Covid panic).

I would walk around my place in my underpants all day long and listen to every type of music I love, from the big 4 (Anthrax, Slayer, Megadeth, Metallica), to Tool, to Wu Tang, to Led Zeppelin, to Mazzy Star, to Robert Johnson. And everything in between.

And the best thing is that you don’t have to touch any device to skip to the next song, turn up the volume, or pause playback for a moment.

That’s why a multi-room wireless system is the easiest way to listen to music, podcasts, or any other audio entertainment in more than one room at a time.

Since I switched to Sonos, I definitely feel I have the best multi-room speaker system, because it is compatible with most services (I mostly use Spotify) and offers a wide variety of models.

As said, you can combine different Sonos speakers (up to 32) and create your own sound paradise. I have 15 speakers throughout my house and the party never ends!

When Sonos speakers are connected, you get audio for the whole house, allowing your tunes to stay in sync as you travel from room to room.

All I have to do is start my favorite playlist or album, and it will play on the speakers, keeping my hands free to use joysticks and saving me from having to restart a track if I move to another room.

By connecting Bluetooth speakers at the same time, I have obtained greater musical richness and achieved a more rock concert-like audio experience (playing the video on the TV really helps).

To be fair, I did have some issues with my Sonos speakers cutting out occasionally in the beginning, but I’ve learned small, annoying problems are common when getting started. Once you get them ironed out, everything works great.

How To Connect Sonos Bluetooth Speakers

It’s all thanks to Sonos which uses its wireless network to allow the speakers to communicate with each other. This is how to connect Sonos Bluetooth speakers:

• To pair Sonos Bluetooth speakers, you must first have downloaded the Sonos app on your iOS or Android device.
• Next, you have to sign in to your Sonos account or create a new one.
• Now you have to connect a Sonos speaker to your network, for which you have to use the Sonos app.
• If you see the message “New Sonos product found,” tap “ Info,” but if you don’t see the message, tap “Add Product.”
• The app will take you through the device setup process, including pressing buttons on the unit to get it to communicate with other units (boring stuff, but hey, it pays off).‎
• When the speaker is found, give it a name (like Eddie Van Halen), and you will be ready to control it from the application.

My Recent Upgrade To S2 And 5.1 Surround

The best sound experience started when I upgraded my Sonos system and added 5.1 surround in my living room from multiple Sonos Bluetooth speakers, plus adding additional speakers in various other rooms.

And thanks to the new Sonos S2 operating system, I now have access to higher resolution audio, including Dolby Atmos technology, which makes the entire ecosystem easier to use and much more powerful!

And the room-correcting Trueplay technology can perfectly balance the sound between where I am and what I’m listening to.

This is how I enjoy amazing bass tones from David Ellefson, Lemmy, Cliff Burton, and all the others, and a wide sound field.

This is due to the automatic adjustment of Trueplay, that adapts the sound to the place (although you can make it any way you want).

The audio output automatically updates to sound better whenever you move the speaker to a new location, allowing you to pair multiple Sonos Bluetooth speakers more efficiently.

To pair multiple Sonos Bluetooth speakers, you can use the “Standard” setup which relies on a Wi-Fi network and a mesh network to achieve synchronization of Sonos speakers, so they can be controlled from your app and give access to your content sources, such as Spotify and Apple Music.‎

Sonos Boost

However, if you buy Sonos Boost (which I did recently) the technology changes slightly, because it connects directly to your Wi-Fi router and creates a proprietary network for your speakers.

I think the Standard and Boost configurations use the same SonosNet mesh network, but the latter is a bridge that prioritizes communication better (you will have fewer of those boring network issues, in short).‎

This is how Sonos Boost creates a separate wireless network for Sonos and eliminates interference from other devices, so you can listen freely without any interruptions and errors (finally).

To connect Bluetooth speakers at the same time, setting up Sonos Boost is simple. Just connect it to your router and follow a few simple steps in the Sonos app.

In most cases, your standard home Wi-Fi network will be compatible with a Sonos system. Boost is especially necessary if you have a super slow Wi-Fi connection, or increased interference due to bad weather.

The Sonos Bridge is similar to the Sonos Boost, in terms of setup. It is simply the older version, so you are better off buying the new and upgraded Boost, instead of the Bridge.

Pay Attention To Compatibility

Finally, it is important to be aware that only Sonos speakers of the same model can form a stereo pair. Whether it’s two Sonos Ones, Sonos One SL, Play:1, Sonos Move, Play:3, Play:5, or Sonos Five, setting up a stereo pair is accessed through room settings.

You can even connect two Bluetooth speakers from a Sonos One and Sonos One SL. Find a guide on how to link all of these different speakers, so as not to waste your hard-earned cash on speakers that are not compatible (as one of my less-intelligent friends did recently).

How Many Sonos Speakers Can You Connect: Final Thoughts

Sonos claims you can link up to 32 speakers at one time. I believe them when they say this, but I have yet to meet anyone who actually has the space in their home for that many speakers.

If you do, please leave a comment and let us know how it went with so many speakers linked at once. And also know that the rest of us are extremely jealous!

If you need help deciding what Sonos speakers you should buy, this article breaks them all down for you and explains which speakers are best for which situations.

How To Connect Sonos Into Bluetooth Pairing Mode

How to connect to sonos bluetooth – The Sonos Roam is the newest portable speaker from Sonos, but it’s not a wireless speaker like the Sonos One. Instead of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, there’s only one button next to the USB Type-C power port that controls both the power and pairing.

The speaker automatically switches between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth as you move in and out of your home, but if you want to manually engage Bluetooth pairing mode and connect it to your phone, we’re here to help.

How to put Sonos Roam into Bluetooth Pairing Mode

Here’s how to connect your Sonos Roam to your smartphone. Like the initial setup of your Sonos Roam, it’s very simple. The process is as follows:

• You need to open the Bluetooth settings on your phone.
• To turn on the Sonos Roam, press and hold the power button. The top panel of the speaker will illuminate white. When your Roam is turned on, you can control it using your Sonos app.
• When you turn your Sonos speaker on, a white light will appear above the logo. It will flash when your device is connected to Wi-Fi.
• When you have a solid light, press the button again.
• When you hear the ding, release the button.
• When the LED light flashes blue, it means the speaker is in Bluetooth pairing mode.
• If you have an iPhone, tap Settings Bluetooth. If you have an Android, tap Settings Wireless networks Bluetooth. Then, find and select Sonos Roam.

The Sonos Roam will now be listed in your Bluetooth devices on your phone. To do this, it will switch automatically between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

How to put Sonos Move into Bluetooth Pairing Mode

To use Move with your Bluetooth speakers, you have to have the Sonos app on your phone and set up Move on Wi-Fi. When it’s connected to Wi-Fi, you can switch the speaker to Bluetooth mode and pair it with your Bluetooth devices.

While using Sonos Move with Bluetooth, you won’t see Move in the Sonos app. Playback and volume controls will remain available through the paired Bluetooth device.

If you are using Sonos Move and you want to use voice assistants, speaker grouping, or stereo pairing features, you cannot use Bluetooth.

Switch Move to Bluetooth mode

To connect your Move speaker to Bluetooth, find the Bluetooth button located on the back of the device between the Power and Join buttons. Press the button once and it will turn blue. The LED on top of the speaker will also light up.

Enable pairing mode on Move

To start pairing, press and hold the Bluetooth button. Move will chime again, and the LED will flash blue.

Pair your device with Move

• To use Bluetooth, enable Bluetooth on your device.
• From the device list, tap Move. If Move does not appear on screen, ensure that Move is in pairing mode and displays a flashing blue LED.
• Once the Bluetooth is connected, you will see a solid blue LED light and hear a chime.

Reconnect Move with your Bluetooth device

Sonos Move is designed to be the easiest way to play music in any room. It will pair with the last device it was connected to. Sonos Move remembers up to 6 devices that it’s been paired with.

If you’ve reset the Sonos speaker and are trying to pair it with your phone or tablet again, make sure to forget it in your device’s Bluetooth settings before trying to reconnect.

Switch Move back to Wi-Fi mode

You can switch back to Wi-Fi mode just by pressing the Bluetooth button on your Move. The LED will change from blue to a flashing white light, and the device will reconnect to your network. When Move is back on Wi-Fi mode, the LED will show a solid white light.

Sonos One (Gen 2) review

The Sonos One (Gen 2) is a Smart speaker, and a pretty good one at that. With both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built-in, it’s almost guaranteed to satisfy anyone’s preferences. The speaker has great, app-adjustable sound, and you can also connect it to your home Sonos ecosystem for multiroom audio. The speaker is a bit pricier than other Smart speakers we’ve reviewed, but it may make up for it with its nice design and good sound.

Sonos One (Gen 2)

The Sonos One (Gen 2) is a Smart speaker, and a pretty good one at that. With both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa built-in, it’s almost guaranteed to satisfy anyone’s preferences. The speaker has great, app-adjustable sound, and you can also connect it to your home Sonos ecosystem for multiroom audio. The speaker is a bit pricier than other Smart speakers we’ve reviewed, but it may make up for it with its nice design and good sound.

Built-in Amazon Alexa / Google assistant

Surface collects fingerprints

Privacy concerns (applies to any Smart speaker)

It’s painful to sacrifice sound quality for Smart features when buying a home audio system. Luckily, with the Sonos One (Gen 2) that’s not much of a concern. This Smart speaker has built-in Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and it sounds pretty good for something so little. You can connect it for multiroom playback, and it’s built for easy control via the Sonos app or with just your voice.

We spent about a week testing out the Sonos One (Gen 2) and learning all of its quirks. Let’s get into it.

Editor’s note: this Sonos One (Gen 2) review was updated on September 22, 2022, to add additional FAQs.

Home audio system newcomers should enter the world of Sonos with a simple Smart speaker like this one. Smart speaker enthusiasts will appreciate the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa integration on the Sonos One (Gen 2).

What’s it like to use the Sonos One (Gen 2)?

The back of the speaker heats up a little bit when you play music through it for a long period of time.

The Sonos One (Gen 2) comes wrapped in a protective sock and is fairly compact at 16.2cm tall. A metal grille wraps around the speaker with a matte black surface on the top and backside. Touch control icons are etched into the speaker’s touch control panel, which accumulates a lot of fingerprints. Otherwise, the Sonos One (Gen 2) has a cute rectangular design without harsh corners, and its bottom has silicone feet to ensure a soft landing.

The included power cable fits flush with the speaker’s bottom edge, making a clear statement that this speaker isn’t meant to be unplugged and taken around. That’s right, the Sonos One (Gen 2) doesn’t have a battery—it’s supposed to stay in one place on your bookshelf or countertop for its whole life. You can power the speaker by plugging it into a wall outlet and it needs to remain plugged in to function. After streaming music through the Sonos One (Gen 2) for an hour, the back of the speaker heats up a little. While it feels warm to the touch, it doesn’t seem like cause for concern.

You can move the speaker from room to room after unplugging it, just make sure to go into the app to change the room your speaker is associated with. Fortunately, you don’t have to re-do the Wi-Fi setup process when you unplug and re-plug the speaker. There’s also an ethernet input on the back of the speaker if you’re old school.

Sonos advertises its Sonos One (Gen 2) as humidity-resistant, but it is not water-resistant and does not have any official IP rating. This means you can keep it on your bathroom counter for jamming out in the shower, but you shouldn’t actually bring it into the shower with you.

How do you control the Sonos One (Gen 2)?

The Sonos One (Gen 2) has touch controls on its top for media playback and Smart assistant functions. Here’s a table outlining the things you can do with the speaker’s touch controls: