Is my extender breaking my Sonos Arc?

The short answer

If the speaker and your phone end up on different halves of an extender, the app loses the speaker. Cheap extenders make a second network. Once your phone and the gadget end up on different halves of it, they can no longer find each other.

What's happening underneath

Heavy. Grouping, control and playback all depend on speakers finding each other continuously. An extender that makes its own network name puts your phone and the gadget on two different networks.

Source: Manufacturer documentation

Try these, in this order

• • Put your phone on the same Wi-Fi name as the speakers — not the guest network, and not a separate 5 GHz name.
• • Give your main Wi-Fi one name for both bands rather than two separate names.
• • Turn off any 'client isolation' or 'AP isolation' setting on your router.
• • If you have a plug-in extender, unplug it and see whether the speakers come back.
• • Check the signal where the gadget actually lives, not where you're standing.
• • Move the router off the floor and out of any cupboard before buying anything.
• • Put the gadget and your phone on the same Wi-Fi name.

Setting it up again properly

• • Stand next to your router while you set it up, then move the gadget to where it lives.
• • Put your phone on the 2.4 GHz network name for the setup, or use one name for both bands so the phone can follow.
• • If your router splits bands into two names, turn the 5 GHz one off for five minutes rather than fighting it.
• • Turn mobile data off on your phone during setup — some apps quietly use it and never find the gadget.

When it's worth spending money

Only if the room genuinely has no signal. A wired connection to one Sonos speaker fixes far more homes than new kit does.