I just don't understand why people keep buying such things...
Reading up on it, this was achieved only after a community outcry because in the prior firmware versions the switch would have to connect to the Netgear Cloud on every bootup.
Needless to say I would not have bought the swiches if I had knew I needed to register them to Netgear Cloud to have access to the full functionality specified in the data sheet. If I had bought them as a consumer, not as a business, I would have returned them immediately.
Netgear are now on our purchasing blacklist.
⓪ - the switches are Netgear GS-108Tv3
For example, I was looking for a device that would (1) be placeable on my living room furniture[1], and let me use a couple of trusty Monitor Audio speakers both (2) for playing music (e.g. from my phone, computer or streaming sources like Spotify) and (3) for TV audio, as those speakers sound much better than a modern soundbar. And that (4) could be expandable to surround sound in the future.
I painstakingly examined alternatives in the market. There were many devices that covered the three latter points but the overwhelming majority were AV receivers, which looked great from the audio and flexibility standpoint but were at least 30 cm deep. Not useful for me, as the furniture in my living room is 28 cm deep (wasn't the point of flat screen TVs to no longer need deep furniture taking lots of space in the living room?). I found like 5 or 6 devices that would physically fit. But most of them had no flexibility for surround expansion AND no WiFi, only Bluetooth playback.
Finally, only two devices ticked my boxes and physically fit: HEOS AVR (around €1000, 27.4 cm deep) and Sonos Amp (around €600, 21.69 cm deep) which wasn't even out yet.
Since 27.4 cm deep was still quite dubious for my 28-cm-deep furniture, I finally waited for the Sonos to come out and bought it. Sonos wasn't especially on my radar, as a relatively traditional audio amateur it's not a brand I trusted, but there they were, the only ones offering the product I wanted. And indeed, it works well, it powers my speakers nicely enough and it's very convenient. I'm watching the TV, want to stream something from Spotify: TV audio is automatically muted. I stop listening to Spotify: TV audio comes back.
Why no one else has made a device that can provide good TV audio and good music playback in a shallow form factor still escapes me. I don't think my requirements were so weird, in freaking 2018.
[1] Sorry, I'm missing the specific English word for the specific piece of furniture in the living room where one has a bunch of books, CDs, mixed souvenirs and the TV, so I'll just call it "the living room furniture".
[1] https://www.crutchfield.com/S-JPQM9erNVfS/p_642NR1609/Marant...
[2] https://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-7-2-ch-with-dolby-atmos-4k...
[3] https://www.crutchfield.com/S-5ZKPlNFrS4r/p_022RXV585/Yamaha...
- Bend over backwards to buy from other audio brands, by throwing away my perfectly functional and nice designer furniture and replacing it with something deeper, that would take more space, probably be (IMHO) uglier and fit the room worse, and annoy my partner who doesn't care for audio as much as I do.
- Buy the Sonos Amp because it does the job while being small and fitting my existing furniture without further ado.
It was an easy choice...
I understand and respect that in homes where audio is a really high priority, they will plan the room around it and have deep enough furniture. On the other extreme, people who don't care much about audio just are happy buying any of the multiple sound bars in the market that fit anywhere. But if you are in the middle ground, i.e. you want a compromise between good audio quality and convenience, it seems that Sonos is practically the only brand that cares. At least in the case of an amp/receiver, that's the case, as I explained. And I suppose this is an important component of Sonos's success (and what surprises me is that others don't do the same...).
Am I right in thinking that Sonos fits your requirements? I've found their speakers to be excellent in a small package. I was after the 5s but someone lent me a One as a test. A pair of them are excellent imho.
Obviously not the route for everyone!
This recycle mode stuff is terrible, though.
That's a good point and it makes it even more important to push back - abusive, customer-hostile business models don't just affect the direct customers, they spread and infect everything downstream.
When a software update becomes available, you can no longer use the Sonos app or connect to a Sonos device, making the device essentially unusable, until you update your software.
When Sonos, for example, changes their Terms of Service to be even more draconian, you must accept the terms or the device ceases to function [1].
They require ridiculous access to personal information like location [2].
1: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15071120
2: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21771491
Everything this terrible company does shows that they consider themselves the true owners of the devices they manufacture even after you purchase them. I will never buy another product from them.
I know I'm late on this, but both Android and iOS require location permission to get any access to WiFi scans or AP MAC address data. Sonos software scans to discover new devices, and that scan requires those permissions. If you can get a list of nearby APs, you can use the skyhook database to discern location. Thus, location permission is required in order to setup new devices.
You can't really tell if the device can be remotely bricked (that easily) or unless someone's already been burned. I miss when companies would advertise their products as "cloud-enabled" so you knew exactly what to avoid.
Since we’re here, does someone have a good opensource alternative? Plug and play multi room audio streaming from Spotify et al?
You can do everything from running it on a Raspberry Pi to buying a fully put-together high-end system. Open source software.
It can play everything from MP3s to Spotify to Internet Radio, and has a really nice web interface.
It’s such a great project that deserves a lot more attention.