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Save the CR100

en.community.sonos.com

51–60 of 67 posts

Re: Save the CR100

#51
post #31

I bought my first Sonos elements in 2006, and used to love them. I still use Sonos, for lack of a better option (?) but have come to hate it, the devices, the company, the whole "ecosystem", with the heat of a thousand suns. It updates constantly, you can't ever refuse an update, updates stop the system just when you need to use it, change the UI for no reason, and every update breaks something. Every single iteratio…

I have exactly the same feeling. It feels like every time I go to cook in the kitchen and open the app on my phone, it brings the update process up. Numerous times, i've lost connectivity entirely, which seems to only be fixed by deleting the app from my phone, re-installing, signing back in, going back through the basic pairing process. It just makes me want to throw the whole thing out. It's beyond maddening!!

Why can't it support bluetooth without purchasing the stupid bridge? Sometimes I want to watch Netflix when cooking and have the audio come out the system. Somebody should bring out a decent competitor to fix these issues. I'd buy it in a heartbeat.

Re: Save the CR100

#52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you be able to point us in the direction of the gear you ended up using for your DIY-ish RGB lighting? I'd love to do something similar in my own home

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222734901758 Its one of these, unfortunately you still need the app to get it to connect to your network, but from then on you can fire packets at it to change the colours. There is a python library up on github for interfacing with it, and I think there might be alternate firmware for its microcontroller available. I really wish more of this home automation gear would use powerline network…

I had never read about power line home automation before. Interesting stuff.

Re: Save the CR100

#53
post #20

Their main concern sounds like a liability issue (they cite the aging Li-ion battery heavily). They're not selling it anymore, so why not bundle together some internal docs and release some sort of technical manual or detailed repair guide to give users the option of replacing the battery? Of course this would be a "you people are on your own if you screw it up" but that's to be expected.

> Their main concern sounds like a liability issue (they cite the aging Li-ion battery heavily)

Gratuitous power autonomy is quite high on my "things I won't buy" list. I was once scouring Amazon et al for some cheap bluetooth speakers for stationary use as a "poor man's Sonos", but they all came with their own integrated power bank. Ended up buying a radio that had BT input just as a secondary feature. About three times as expensive as originally planned, only to avoid seeing one more 18650 (or pair thereof) idling into decay under my watch.

I'm not always that eco-aware, but when I get stuck on an issue I tend to get irrationally zeaolous (probably a quite common form of mild bigotry)

Re: Save the CR100

#54
post #31

I bought my first Sonos elements in 2006, and used to love them. I still use Sonos, for lack of a better option (?) but have come to hate it, the devices, the company, the whole "ecosystem", with the heat of a thousand suns. It updates constantly, you can't ever refuse an update, updates stop the system just when you need to use it, change the UI for no reason, and every update breaks something. Every single iteratio…

I'm quite happy with a squeezebox server running on a linux computer, and music streamed to a Squeezebox Radio. Sadly these cannot be bought anymore, but there is a chromecast plugin that works with squeezebox server - I can then stream to a chromecast audioplug + powered speaker (edifier 1280T). Unfortunately the edifier does not have USB for chromecast power, but the sound is pretty decent. I've also streamed to a sony SRS-X 77 with a bit less success, there are occasional wifi dropouts.

Re: Save the CR100

#55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/222734901758 Its one of these, unfortunately you still need the app to get it to connect to your network, but from then on you can fire packets at it to change the colours. There is a python library up on github for interfacing with it, and I think there might be alternate firmware for its microcontroller available. I really wish more of this home automation gear would use powerline network…

I had never read about power line home automation before. Interesting stuff.

It's how it used to work, X10 home automation. Incredibly primative but considering we can run Ethernet over the houses electrical wiring now it's a more elegant solution.

I have some sonoff wireless power switches for my living room lamps, they keep losing their wireless connection and need power cycling.

I don't know if it's crappy firmware of if it's the usual unreliability and fickleness of WiFi.

Re: Save the CR100

#56
post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>And I don't see why it wouldn't Because your new NAS no longer supports the old protocol. Because there was a security issue that's too serious to allow you to keep it on without a fix. Because...

If I own the hardware, I decide whether the security issue is “too serious”. Not them.

Sure, but we're moving from a time where your audio gear was something you could fix and would last for decades to having these kinds of devices where software support may last a very short time. If you're ok with that tradeoff that's fine. Personally I'm not.

Re: Save the CR100

#57

I'm getting really sick of appliances depending on smartphone apps, they're brittle as hell and have no longevity as OS updates kill them off (and eventually as mobile OS's die completely). I had a right faff on finding a IP security cam that didn't use the bloody awful onVIF protocol and would connect to a network without a mobile app to configure it. I take care of remote access myself, so I don't need the "feature…

> bloody awful onVIF protocol

What's wrong with ONVIF?

Even if you don't have a use for the extra features it provides it guarantees you'll get an RTSP URL you can use.

It's been my experience that the ones that don't advertise ONVIF support are the ones that require cloud-connected or proprietary crap.

Re: Save the CR100

#58

I’m against bricking devices arbitrarily, but this product was more than 12 years old and hadn’t been sold since 2009 (I had one in 2006 when I was still in college and Sonos’s killer feature for me was that it worked with the original streaming music service, Rhapsody). Frankly, giving customers $100 credit seems kind to me. Plus the CR200 still works and they don’t have plans to brick it, so there is that. I feel f…

I think what we're trying to rail against here is that why should 13, or whatever, years be an acceptable figure. My car is older than that. My toaster over is old, I've had CRT TVs that were much older before they died. I'm gonna go with a big fat juicy 'No!' here. We ought to be building for longevity and serviceability. Don't end support, just open it up. Publish the relevant source code, documentation etc. We sho…

My car is older than that. My toaster over is old, I've had CRT TVs that were much older before they died.

Moreover, the audio equipment community that they're clearly targeting these things at definitely loves its old equipment: and for good reason, because good audio equipment lasts a very long time.

Re: Save the CR100

#59

I'm getting really sick of appliances depending on smartphone apps, they're brittle as hell and have no longevity as OS updates kill them off (and eventually as mobile OS's die completely). I had a right faff on finding a IP security cam that didn't use the bloody awful onVIF protocol and would connect to a network without a mobile app to configure it. I take care of remote access myself, so I don't need the "feature…

I take care of remote access myself, so I don't need the "feature" of having my video streams routed through a server in china so I can view it on the go.

Ironically, if you want a "pure" IP camera, one that you connect to directly, the best way to find one (and "try it out" too) is to look at the models of those that people have exposed to the Internet --- either deliberately or accidentally:

http://www.insecam.org/en/

Re: Save the CR100

#60

I'm getting really sick of appliances depending on smartphone apps, they're brittle as hell and have no longevity as OS updates kill them off (and eventually as mobile OS's die completely). I had a right faff on finding a IP security cam that didn't use the bloody awful onVIF protocol and would connect to a network without a mobile app to configure it. I take care of remote access myself, so I don't need the "feature…

> bloody awful onVIF protocol What's wrong with ONVIF? Even if you don't have a use for the extra features it provides it guarantees you'll get an RTSP URL you can use. It's been my experience that the ones that don't advertise ONVIF support are the ones that require cloud-connected or proprietary crap.

I've been through several ONVIF cameras which did provide RTSP but only at 240p resolution. Now I go straight for a camera with a web interface and exclusive RTSP output.
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