Sonos speaker setup guide: pairing with the S2 app, fixing connection failures and tuning sound

Before starting, download the Sonos app from the App Store or Google Play, create a Sonos account and make sure the speaker and the app are on the same network. After connecting the speaker to power, open the app, select Start a new Sonos system, press Add your speaker and let the app locate the hardware. The app then walks the user through joining the Wi-Fi network, so the router password should be at hand. The speaker can be assigned to a room using one of 22 preset names, which range from bathroom to TV room, or given a custom name.

Adding further speakers is easier, according to the guide: go to Settings, then Add Speaker or Component. Anyone building a surround sound system should expect the surround speakers to be the same model, so a pair of Era 100s rather than an Era 100 mixed with an Era 300. Speakers can also be linked to services such as Amazon Alexa by scrolling to Add a Voice Assistant in the settings menu.

When the app cannot find a speaker, the guide points first to network problems. The speaker and the app must be on the same Wi-Fi network, since putting one on a guest network interferes with communication between devices, and a recently changed router password can also block pairing. VPNs can disrupt the connection and should be disabled briefly during setup, while regular software updates through the app are recommended to head off future problems. Apple users need to grant the Sonos app permission on an iPhone or iPad so it can find devices on the network.

If the speaker still cannot be found, the next step is a reboot: unplug the equipment, wait at least ten seconds, plug it back in and wait about a minute before trying to pair again. A No products found message may require a hardware reset, which the guide describes as a last resort because it erases saved EQ settings and TruePlay configurations. To perform a factory reset, unplug the speaker and hold the Bluetooth button while powering it back on, continuing to hold until the status light flashes between orange and white; the reset is complete when it flashes green. On older Sonos speakers, the Join button, marked with a small sideways loop icon, is held down instead.

The guide also covers in-app adjustments meant to improve sound. For a home theater setup it recommends the TruePlay feature, which sends test tones from the speakers and uses the smartphone microphone to measure the room as the user walks slowly around the perimeter of the entertainment area. TruePlay then analyses those frequencies and makes acoustic adjustments to account for furniture placement and where the speakers sit, with EQ tweaks in the app offering further changes. Engadget notes that the app experience has improved over the last couple of years, and that setup steps described in the guide reflected the software as of publication.