Speaker on network but desktop Soundtouch app can't find it

[JulianHorn]

I have been having a new problem for the last three weeks or so. The SoundTouch app on my PC is playing music just fine, connected to my SoundTouch 20 speaker over wifi. Suddenly the music just stops.

If you look at the speaker, it shows a brightly lit wifi symbol indicating a healthy network connection. The front panel displays the message "Select a preset or explore music on the SoundTouch(R) app". Turn the speaker off using the power button and the wifi symbol becomes dim and the message disappears. Turn the speaker back on using the power button and the wifi symbol becomes bright again and the message "Soundtouch(R) music servier unavailable" displays briefly, followed by the "Select a preset..." message.

I go back to my PC and the SoundTouch app says it can't find the speaker. After restarting the app, it searches for speaker and can't find it. Restarting again doesn't help.

The only way to fix the problem is to unplug the speaker and then plug it back in. After the speaker reboots (takes a minute or two), you can go back to the PC and the app has automatically discovered the speaker and is ready to play music. After you tell it what to play you're back in business. After a random amount of time, e.g. fifteen minutes the error recurs. It's pretty annoying. My wife is ready to throw the speaker out the window.

The fact that cycling the power on the speaker clears the problem suggests that the problem is on the speaker side rather than the app side or the router/network side. It feels like the speaker has dropped its network connection and thinks it has reconnected when in fact it hasn't. The  "Soundtouch(R) music server unavailable" message indicates that the network connection is not operational, yet the wifi symbol remains brightly lit.

This is getting pretty annoying. Any theory what's going on here? Is there a firmware update I can apply to the speaker?

[JulianHorn]

I followed the instructions to capture the system logs on the speaker when it was in the bad state. 

It reported the following data on the display:

1.1 Ethernet MAC=9884E3BE46EA

1.2 Wifi MAC=9884E3BE46EA

2.3 IP Address=192.168.1.2

i also noticed the Version was equal to 19.0.5420122794642

I tried to copy the logread file into this message but it exceeded the 20,000 character limit.Is there some way to attach the logread file?

[Joel_D]

Hello JulianHorn,

Thank you for posting, I'm sorry to hear about this issue you are running into. 

Before we gather logs, there is something I would like you to test for me. Can you factory default your system by pressing Preset number 1 and Volume - and hold this down until the display states the system is resetting. 

You will have to go through the process of setting this back up to your network and SoundTouch account.

Let us know if anything changes after a few days of testing.

Warm Regards,

Joel - Community Support

[JulianHorn]

I reset the speaker as indicated. It did appear to work for a while, but then the problem has since recurred. Is there going to be a solution to this problem?

    Julian

[Tony_A]

Hello Julian

Thanks for giving this a try.  Do you have any issues finding the speaker using a different device with the app on it like a phone or tablet?

Also, has the router been reset by disconnecting power on it for 30 seconds?

Can you also provide who you internet service provider is as well?

Let us know so we can further assist!

Warm Regards,

Tony A 

[JulianHorn]

I never access the speaker via a phone; only a desktop PC. The router has not been disconnected, as far as I can tell. There have been no power failures recently and I never power down the router. I get my internet service from Comporium Communcations.

I unplugged the speaker for several minutes and switched to another desktop PC (my wife has given up on the speaker, so I'm going to try to debug this from my PC). I started the Soundtouch app on my PC, let it update to the latest version, then after a while the PC was able to find the speaker. So it's no longer in the bad state. I'm confident it will get back into the bad state at some point.

[Tony_A]

Hi Julian

Thanks for the reply and the test of the other device.  Can you try and reboot the router by disconnecting the power for 30 seconds as it appears there's a communication break down between the speaker and the app.  

If this does not resolve the issue, would you be able to provide us the make/model of the router that you're using?

Thank you,

Tony A 

[JulianHorn]

Hi Tony,

It's been a while so let me summarize the failure case I'm trying to diagnose again.

1. Start Soundtouch app on PC. Soundtouch app finds the PC on the network. Start playing a playlist of files on the PC. Speaker makes sound.
2. Speaker suddenly stops playing music. Indicator says speaker is connected to wifi (but I think this is a lie).
3. Go back to the PC immediately. PC is connected to the network over the same wifi as the speaker. PC sees the network is just fine; router was not interrupted. If you turn the router off and then on the PC takes a little while to reconnect. This isn't happening, so I believe the router was never unavailable. Soundtouch app is still running, but can't find the speaker on the network. You can tell it to search and it will search for hours and never see it. You can restart the Soundtouch app and look for the speaker. It will never find it.
4. Quit the Soundtouch app. Unplug the speaker. Wait a while. Plug in speaker and turn it on. Go back to the PC. Start the Soundtouch app. Eventually it finds the speaker. Then you can play music again.
5. Whole thing happens again. It might take days, or it might take 10 minutes for the problem to recur.

Since I have a recovery mode this issue might not sound so bad, but it makes the speaker effectively unusable. Having to walk between rooms, wait for things to restart, find the playlist, etc is more trouble than it's worth. And you often have to do this over and over again.

I have reloaded the firmware on the speaker. This did not make any difference.

I don't see how the router can be the problem here. I use the same router to access the internet wirelessly all day every day and never have any network connectivity issues. It's rock solid. The only time the router goes down is when there is a power failure. When power comes back on, the router comes back and reconnects. If your idea is that connectivity can be restored by rebooting the router, then this is not an acceptable solution. The recovery solution I have is easier than that, and that solution is already unacceptable.

It seems to me that the underlying issue is the error recovery logic in the speaker's network interface. When it gets an error it thinks it has recovered but in fact it has not. So any momentary glitch results in a permanent disconnectcion on the speaker's side, and eventually the player side recognizes that the speaker has stopped responding and times out. This kind of error would be in the firmware in the speaker, and can only be fixed with a software update. Can you tell me if Bose is working on this problem?

    Julian

[Tony_A]

Hi Julian,

Could you still try and reboot the router?  I have seen in the past these exact symptoms caused by a communication error between the speaker and app.  If you feel this is an actual speaker issue, I recommend contacting support by clicking HERE for service.  Just select your country and Contact Us at the bottom of the page.  

Warm Regards,

Tony A 

[JulianHorn]

OK, I'll reboot the router. Then I'll wait to see if the problem happens again.