PC internet access through a zone player

[coach1929]

Have successfully installed Sonos bundle on the 1st floor. However, I need to extend system to an upstairs room, where I also have a 2nd PC with no wireless or wired connection. Could I place a Sonos player in that room and connect the PC to it? The objective is to listen to music upstairs as well as have the PC access the internet.

Have nothing but good experience with Sonos. Thanks a lot for anyone's input?

[Avee]

Yes that should work, providing the zoneplayer is within range of any of the downstairs zoneplayers.

[Cecilia]

I sort of do the same thing, using the wireless zone for my XBMC to stream video. Works great.

[WeePee]

Hello,

if you need only 1MBit/sec then it's okay. If you use more then you can use powerline to transmit data.

Kinde regards
W.

[coach1929]

Originally Posted by Avee

Yes that should work, providing the zoneplayer is within range of any of the downstairs zoneplayers.

Thanks very much. Currently I have a ZonePlayer 90 connected to the modem on the 1st floor. Would you recommned I replace it with a ZoneBridge and use another ZoneBridge upstairs to enhance performance?

Thans again.

[buzz]

coach1929,

Unless you are currently having performance issues, stay as you are. The potential advantage of using a ZP90 or ZP120 at both ends of a hop is increased range and better immunity from RF interference, not higher speed. Yes, if you are currently operating at or near maximum range, you may notice a slight speed improvement, but this should be considered a fortunate, unintended consequence, not a planned benefit.

[Turbotulpe]

There exists an article in www by tomsnetworking about the performance of the sonos system for office purpose. The result was that the performance is only about 2MB/s stable. Thus I think internet acces will work until maybe 1-2MB/s. However if you have a fast access downloads may bring down your sonos system. You have to try how it will work in your network situation.

I myself have a 2MB/s internet acces and it works most times. But sometimes I get atmospherics of my network environment (small german town with about 10-14 wireless networks), an then it does not work at all.

Kind regards
Thomas

[buzz]

I have two computers connected to a wireless ZP90. According to the dslreports line test of a minute ago I'm getting 1668/1857 (send/receive kb) over my FIOS connection.

[Cecilia]

Originally Posted by buzz

The potential advantage of using a ZP90 or ZP120 at both ends of a hop is increased range and better immunity from RF interference, not higher speed.

This is what works for me. I live in a townhouse complex where it seems each and every one of the 300+ townhouses now has a wireless router and each one tries to steal my space. The 2mb (or whatever it is, I don't have FiOS, just regular cable) is sufficient for video streaming, and SonosNet helps isolate the stream(s) from interference. Oh, and I just realized that I have two computers working this way, an Xbox XBMC and a laptop.

Are the rates that buzz quoted (approx 2mb) considered slow?

[buzz]

Cecilia,

I would classify the 2Mb connection as mid range, but faster than the typical ADSL in my area. Many of the ADSL lines are rated at 3Mb, but I rarely observe them running at this rate. More typically they run in the 1.5Mb range.

My home FIOS is faster than this and the SONOS link slows things down a bit, however for web surfing this is not an issue. The FIOS latency is noticeably lower than the ADSL latency. Even with the SONOS link, a somewhat graphic page, such as cnn.com, loads in less than a second. Large downloads, such as operating system upgrades are a little slower than they need to be.

I am currently typing on a nominal 3Mb ADSL connection. A speed test run about a minute ago claims 1503/356. This is a business connection and the latency is lower than nearby residential ADSL connections, but this connection feels much slower than my home FIOS connection behind the SONOS.

Cable Internet speeds vary quite a lot. Early in the morning, peak speeds can be impressive for small downloads, but the high burst is short lived. After a while, speed is throttled. Cable speed during peak hours is usually slower than ADSL.

I'm sure that each area (neighborhood) has its own quirks. My observations are simply generalizations for my limited area.

I recently encountered a connection that is very unusual and very fast. The unfamiliar modem definitely plugs into the phone line, but the speed test test is reporting about 18000/5000. I'm not aware of any FIOS or VHDSL availability in the area, but clearly this is not your Dad's ADSL.