Erratic Controller on Ipod touch

[Kumar]

Originally Posted by ratty

If you go directly to https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/ask are you able to submit a ticket?

Yes, thanks, submitted one after the long wait, but I got an acknowledge message. Sonos website still returns a failure message right away. Now waiting on Sonos support, thanks again.

[Kumar]

In response to a suggestion from Sonos Support, I have changed my router DNS to an OpenDNS IP address, and things are immediately better.

On the Sonos website access that is now happening, accessing this forum is back to normal speeds, and internet radio is working again

Since my understanding of the net is superficial, before I close out the support ticket, what is this magic fix? More importantly, are there any downsides to it? On the internet side generally in terms of security and specifically on any Sonos features?

According to Sonos, there is a similar problem happening in Scandinavia too.

So nice to have the controller feel like one again

[ratty]

I half wondered whether you had a local DNS issue, but felt that couldn't obviously account for the behaviour of just some of your controllers. It would be interesting to know what the controllers were trying to do which was falling foul of your original DNS provider.

I don't know much about OpenDNS, but it appears to use DNS hijacking/redirection which I've found can interfere with Sonos' attempts to resolve a NAS (though to be fair if you config OpenDNS addresses into just your router's DNS forwarder things may be okay). If you'd rather deal with a known entity, you could try changing the DNS servers to Google's: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4

[Kumar]

Originally Posted by ratty

I half wondered whether you had a local DNS issue, but felt that couldn't obviously account for the behaviour of just some of your controllers. It would be interesting to know what the controllers were trying to do which was falling foul of your original DNS provider.

I don't know much about OpenDNS, but it appears to use DNS hijacking/redirection which I've found can interfere with Sonos' attempts to resolve a NAS (though to be fair if you config OpenDNS addresses into just your router's DNS forwarder things may be okay). If you'd rather deal with a known entity, you could try changing the DNS servers to Google's: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4

The mac controller wasn't affected at all, except it wasn't able to get radio to work the last few days.

All the ipod touch controllers were affected, and slow to respond to the point they were not useful, even for NAS control.

Now, all is well. Including access speeds to this forum, the sonos website, and internet radio too.

A quick test shows that the NAS is working fine too.

All I did was to enter 208.67.222.222 in the DNS server box. Changing over from the earlier set of numbers which were the same as the router address.

For now, I will stay with this fix.

PS: All works well with 8.8.8.8 too. On second thoughts, I will stay with that. Thanks!

[Kumar]

I can't figure out why this issue affected just the touch controllers, when they were trying to control the system in local mode, as it should be when NAS is in use...they were very slow in doing anything that needed them to interface with a zone unit, even something as simple as pause all music was taking 30 seconds to implement.

On the other hand, a benefit of the fix is that in general my internet speeds seem to have improved a bit. What is very noticeable is that even the Linn radio stream, that is a high bit one, isn't stopping and buffering as much as it tended to even before this problem surfaced.

Kudos to Sonos Support again, even if it is early days

[ratty]

Originally Posted by Kumar

On the other hand, a benefit of the fix is that in general my internet speeds seem to have improved a bit. What is very noticeable is that even the Linn radio stream, that is a high bit one, isn't stopping and buffering as much as it tended to even before this problem surfaced.

I can understand why surfing performance may have changed. The Google servers are pretty quick at name resolution.

But I can't explain why Linn Radio could be beneficially affected. TuneIn returns just one stream URL for that station, at a hard IP address of 89.16.185.174 so not even requiring a DNS lookup. It could simply be serendipity.

[Kumar]

Originally Posted by ratty

I can understand why surfing performance may have changed. The Google servers are pretty quick at name resolution.

But I can't explain why Linn Radio could be beneficially affected. TuneIn returns just one stream URL for that station, at a hard IP address of 89.16.185.174 so not even requiring a DNS lookup. It could simply be serendipity.

If it is serendipity, I am not complaining

But given that none of the stations were working, and even earlier, when they were, Linn was one of those that stopped more often than others to buffer as compared to now, perhaps there is more to it.

Remember too that when all the stations had stopped working via Sonos, I was still able to get them on the touch via wifi.