Sonos Look To Release API to Solve Integrated Network Problems

 

A popular wireless multiroom system Sonos has a proprietary
mesh network resulting in home automation specialists having to reverse
engineer applications so that they could integrate a Sonos system into a home
network. This worked okay until Sonos started to deliver several system
upgrades said sources. 

 

Michael Papish, platform strategies director told attendees
to the recent CEDIA show that Sonos will open up its API to make it easier for
home-automation suppliers to integrate with Sonos speakers and soundbars.

 

Sonos wants to provide home-automation users with “the right
amount of control without compromising sound quality and ease of use,” he said.

 

There has been no indication when this will happen.

 

When asked about the issue by TWICE, Parish acknowledged
that there have been problems he said that Sonos “won’t cut them off,”
(specialist dealers)

 

He said that recent software updates, had affected the
reverse-engineered solutions. Creating a “standardized protocol” will prevent
that problem, he said.

 

In Australia several specialist dealers are using a Sonos
system as music source systems, they are also using Sonos Connect: Amps placed
in a third-party rack to drive in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, some installers
use multiple Sonos Connect preamps to drive multizone amplifiers.

 

Last December, Denon released its Heos API so that
home-control systems could control Heos wireless-multiroom amps, preamps and
tabletop speakers. The API also enables integration with Denon’s Heos Drive, a
component-size rack-mount four-zone preamp/amp that incorporates Heos
technology and distributes network-music and cloud sources around the house to
in-wall and in-ceiling speakers. A mix of the Drive’s wired zones and Heos
wireless zones can be controlled from the Heos app.

 

Heos products currently integrate with home-control systems
from Control4, RTI, Pro Control, Key Digital’s Compass Control systems and
Simple Control. Integration will be available soon with Crestron, URC,
Honeywell’s Tuxedo systems and Fibaro systems, the company said.