SoundTouch on different subnet

[netfreak]

Hi,

I cannot connect to my speakers from a different VLAN/Subnet. 

I have been reading in another post about this being due to security reasons. I really cannot see where this provides any security. Due to me it just creates hassle.

A quick fix is to run a mDNS proxy and simply masquerade the client subnet towards the SoundTouch subnet. So there is no security enhancement at all for private subnets.

In a corporate context this is a reason to ban Bose SoundTouch. To decide if another subnet should not be allowed to connect is a task for a firewall!

Please change it and allow incoming connections from all private address spaces:

10.0.0.0/8
172.16.0.0/12

192.168.0.0/16

fd80::/8

If this is not changed, we cannot install these speakers in our enterprise.

[akhileshb]

I'm having a similar issue. I called the bose support helpline today for multiple issues (this being one of them) and the answer I received is that "Bose will look into it when multiple people have this issue". It is uncalled for in a way to get that answer when you pay a premium for these systems. Disappointed.

[Hector_B]

Hey Netfreak and Akhileshb, 

Thank you both for posting and providing us with feedback on this topic. 

The majority of our customers that use the SoundTouch speakers are customers that use the speakers in home environments rather than enterprise environments which is why the speakers are designed the way that they are. I would love to forward this feedback that you have provided us with above to the appropriate teams for future consideration. 

If you do have any other suggestions for the speakers please do let us know below. 

Kind regards, 

Hector B - Community Support 

[netfreak]

Hey Hector B,

thanks for following up on this.

Just some more things to consider. It is not just enterprise environments. I'm lacking the ability to connect from a different subnet in my home environment. It might not be the avarage environment, but...

If you google a bit, you will see a lot of people talking about seperating out there media network on a different SSID or VLAN. If you want to keep your performance up, that's the way to go.

Also it really does not provide any bit of security. Simply do a NAT and you passed around it.

I could see a security point, if you block public IPs and just allow private address spaces as I suggested above.

By the way, the Bose SoundTouch App is continously crashing on my Android Samsung S7. I unable to configure the Speaker via the App. Always when I select WiFi after the software update check it crashes. I already send in a bunch of error reports with stack trace.

All the best!

[guelcki]

Hello Hector_B!

I am using the Soundtouch at home in a consumer environment. I just bought all the network equipment to separat the network for the parents, the children, guests and IoT. All of them should have access to the Soundtouch devices within the IoT VLAN.

I think, this a setup that will be used more and more also for consumer! It is really annoying, that this is just another SW issue of the Bose equipment (or maybe only poor systems engineering during design phase).

Is there a plan to just use network standards established long time ago also for Bose Soundtouch? 

Otherwise I have to sell all my Bose equipment again and buy Sonos devices. With Sonos such a network segmentation is working.

But, to be honest, as I am already not really satisfied with the software quality of the Bose equipment in the past, I am pretty sure, that I will never buy Bose equipment anymore in such a case.

Kind regards

Timo