I think an update has bricked my Play5

[picnic]

iPad just told me new firmware was available for the Play5 and would I like to install it. I said yes but eventually the iPad came back with a timeout error. Now the Play5 is just sat there flashing the Red LED. Pattern is 3 flashes followed by 6 I think. This is not listed as a valid sequence in the Sonos component LEDs FAQ page (can't link I don't have enough posts )

Has the Play5 trashed itself? I dare not let the upgrade anywhere near the ZP100 or Play3 now.

Been through this process 3 or 4 times since I've had the kit, why has it gone wrong this time? How do I make the Play5 better?

[steelrat]

Well the problem might be if you have updated the ipad to verison 3.8 from the itunes store, then you might have to upgrade everything.....

However, is the P5 that's affected wireless? Or is it wired? If not, try it on the wired....

Are either of your other devices wired? If so then you should be able to reset the P5, and have it rejoin.

But you might then have to upgrade all other devices....

Do you have more than the ipad to control? If you have a desktop, I would suggest trying to add the P5 back to the system from there.

[picnic]

Thanks for the ideas steelrat. The Play5 was my wired device providing access to the others. However good news.....


After waiting 90 minutes and nothing changed I unplugged the Play5 (foolish some might say but how many firmware updates take that long). Same result when I plugged the power back in, flashing red led. Next I unplugged the mains, the ethernet cable and the line-in. I applied power while holding the mute button in and the Play5 has sprung back in to life - phew. I had tried the mute/power on trick before unplugging the other cables with no change so the problem seems somehow related to the cables being plugged in.

[buzz]

picnic,

First post! Welcome to the forums.

At this point DO NOT FACTORY RESET anything without supervision of SONOS support or a senior forum member.

You could have multiple issues and I would not rule out a defective PLAY:5.

If the update servers are overloaded, users might see timeout messages. This will work out over time. The flashing light sequence of the PLAY:5 is unusual.

Duplicate IP addresses on your local network can cause trouble during or after an update. I recommend that you reset your network now by removing power from EVERYTHING and set the PLAY:5 aside. Restart in the following order:

Modem
Router
Wired SONOS
Wireless SONOS
NAS if you use one
Everything else

Allow each step to fully complete before moving to the next step.

Again, don't apply power to the PLAY:5 at this time.

Continue with the update and if successful, wire the PLAY:5 to your network and attempt to update it again.

Keep a log of events. Please keep us in the loop, report your success or failure here.

Yes, we may end up factory resetting that PLAY:5, but don't do this yet.

---

Edit: I was distracted while composing my post and the world changed in the interval. In this case the situation was resolved.

In general I like to send diagnostics when I encounter something odd. In most cases the diagnostics are ultimately not needed and are simply ignored, but once in a while something significant shows up. In your case, taking a diagnostic was not possible because your system was completely down. My sequence would probably have resulted in a working system, minus the PLAY:5, and a diagnostic could have been taken from the remaining units. Then, while attempting to update the PLAY:5 and get it going, if there was any trouble, a diagnostic could have been taken.

Anyway, we are working now.

[björn]

Hi everybody! This is also my first post here. I have done the same thing as Picnic... the play 5 flashes red (three times then six times, and continues).

I have restarted the play 5 several times and also restarted the home network in the order buzz suggested. It doesn´t work...

The thing is that I did this update at a friends house, and now she isn´t very pleased (and I should be the technical guy)

Now I restarted everything again, but I already haw a few times. Starts to get a bit embarrassing

Hope that someone can help me with this!

Best regards
Björn

[buzz]

björn,

Yes, it is always embarrassing when a "simple" tech good deed goes wrong.

If you remove all connections from the PLAY:5, then factory reset the unit, then wire the unit to the router and update, you will most likely clear the issue. At this point you will need to add the unit to the system as if the unit was fresh out of the factory box. If there are other SONOS players in the system, all of the settings will be copied to the factory reset unit. If this is the only player, all settings will be lost.

[björn]

Thanks Buzz

I´ll try your tip the next time I´ll be invited (if I´ll be).

I´ll also post my experiences here then.

best regards
/Björn

[björn]

Hi,

It doesn´t work to factory reset the unit.
When I hold down mute button and reconnect the power cord, the system doesn´t enter factory reset mode (it acts exactly the same way as if I didn´t hold the mute button).

The cat5 cable is now connected to a free port on the router.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Best regards
/Björn

[buzz]

björn,

Hold the mute button pressed for a few seconds -- until the status light changes color. If the light does not change color, you'll need to take this issue to SONOS support.

[björn]

Thanks for the reply.

I have hold down the button about 20sec during restart (remove and plug ni the power cord). Still nothing happens.
I guess it is time to contact the support.

Have a nice weekend!