How to Setup SONOS with CasaTunes

Steps to setup SONOS Port/Connect devices and SONOS Speakers with CasaTunes

Step 1: Setup your SONOS Port/Connect device(s) and speakers
Step 2: Setup CasaTunes using CasaSetup
Step 3: How to control SONOS from the CasaTunes Apps

Setup your SONOS Port/Connect device(s) and speakers

To add one or more SONOS streams to a CasaTunes managed multi-room audio system, you must add a SONOS Port or Connect for each SONOS stream. The number of SONOS streams you can add to your multi-room audio system depends on the number of input sources available. For example, on a CasaTunes CT6X6 matrix amplifier, you can add up to six SONOS Port or Connect devices (or streams). However, in practice, you will probably need only one, or perhaps two, SONOS Port or Connect devices.

For each SONOS Port/Connect device, you must physically connect the audio output from the SONOS Port/Connect device to the next available input source on your multi-room music system. Depending on the type of input source connection available on your multi-room music system, use either the analog L/R, digital optical, or digital coaxial output.

Depending on the number of SONOS Port/Connect devices you are using, we recommend 2 different (room) naming strategies for these devices. If you are using a single SONOS Port/Connect device, we recommend you set the SONOS room name of your SONOS Port/Connect device to SONOS. If you are using multiple SONOS Port/Connect devices, we recommend you configure the SONOS room name of each SONOS Port/Connect device based on the name of the primary user of the device, for example, "David's SONOS" or "Jodi's SONOS". Assigning a user's name to each device, makes it clear to users whose SONOS device is selected, and helps prevent users from interfering with each others music selections.

After you have configured all your SONOS Port/Connect devices, add any additional SONOS speakers to the household and follow the SONOS instructions for configuring these.

CasaTunes works with all SONOS speakers, including SONOS One, Play:5, Playbase, Playbar, Port, Connect:AMP and Amp. CasaTunes automatically discovers and configures these speakers as additional rooms in CasaTunes. For example, in Figure 1, CasaTunes automatically discovered "Master Closet" (SONOS One speaker), and "Dining Room" (SONOS Play:5 speaker).

Figure 1: SONOS speakers are automatically discovered

Congratulations. You have completed configuring your SONOS system. The next step is to configure CasaTunes.

Setup CasaTunes using CasaSetup

The next step is to configure the SONOS Port/Connect devices as CasaTunes Sources using CasaSetup. CasaSetup is a browser based tool you use to administer CasaTunes. To start CasaSetup, open your browser and type in the following URL:

PC: http://casaserver/casasetup
Mac: http://casaserver.local/casasetup
Other: http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx/casasetup, where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is the IP Address of your CasaTunes server

Select the Sources menu option in CasaSetup.

For each SONOS Connect device you want to configure as a CasaTunes source, follow these steps:

Step 1: Select the CasaTunes Source to configure from the list on the left hand side
Step 2: Enter the Source name. You should use the same room name you configured for the SONOS Port/Connect device using the SONOS App in the previous section
Step 3: Select "SONOS" from the list of source types
Step 4: If this is the first time you have configured a SONOS Port/Connect device with CasaTunes, you must authorize CasaTunes and allow CasaTunes to control your SONOS devices and speakers. Click on the "Authorize CasaTunes" button and follow the prompts. Note: You may need to enable Popups in the browser for this step. Once you have completed the authorization process successfully, close the authorization tab and return to the CasaSetup tab.
Step 5: Now select the SONOS Port/Connect device from the list of SONOS Port and Connect devices and speakers

Click on "Save" to save your settings.

CasaTunes automatically configures your SONOS Connect devices that are connected to your matrix amplifier, to use a fixed volume output.

How to control SONOS using the CasaTunes Apps

CasaTunes uses SONOS Port/Connect devices connected to your multi-room audio system as both, a music streamer and as a gateway to connect to other SONOS speakers. The SONOS Port/Connect devices connected to your multi-room audio system appear as sources, while the SONOS speakers appear as rooms.

With CasaTunes you can listen to music playing on any SONOS Port/Connect device or SONOS speaker in any combination of rooms, regardless of whether they are CasaTunes multi-room audio powered speakers or SONOS speakers.

If the source is not a SONOS Connect source, then you will not be able to listen to this source on your SONOS speakers, only on the speakers connected to your multi-room audio system, as there isn't a way to switch the music from these sources to a SONOS speaker.

Listening to SONOS music

To listen to SONOS music in a room, follow these steps:

Open the CasaTunes App
Select the room to use
If the room is not a SONOS speaker, then power on the room and select the SONOS source to use
Tap on the down arrow (chevron) to reveal the select music options
Options include Open SONOS (launch the SONOS App), select from a list of SONOS favorites (organized by music service), or select a SONOS playlist
To browse and/or search for SONOS music to play, select the Open SONOS option to launch your SONOS App, make sure the SONOS source or SONOS room is selected, then select your music. Once you have completed selecting your music you can return to the CasaTunes App by tapping the option to return to CasaTunes App located at the top left portion of the screen (< CasaTunes) on iOS devices, and selecting the back button on Android devices

To open the SONOS App from the Now Playing screen, simply tap the Now Playing artwork (album cover or station logo)

We recommend creating a robust list of favorites and/or playlists for your users. This way users can quickly select the music they want to listen to without having to open the SONOS App

Grouping multi-room audio and SONOS speakers

When you want to listen to your SONOS music in various rooms in your home, pick the Group Rooms menu option, as illustrated below:

Tap the room name "Office"

Select "Group Rooms"

Select all the rooms where you want the music to play

Changing the volume for grouped multi-room audio and SONOS speakers

When a room is grouped together with other rooms, you can change the volume for the group of rooms, or each individual room.

The Office plus 3 other rooms, Dining Room, Master Closet, and Living Room are all grouped together. To change the volume for a room or the group, tap the volume button

Use the Master Volume control to change the volume for the whole group, or select the individual volume controls to change the volume for a particular room

Learn more about how SONOS works with CasaTunes >