The Sonos One was released in the Netherlands at the end of 2017. This speaker can be used reliably to stream music, but also for smart assistants such as Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. You can activate Amazon's Alexa via a detour. We explain how to do that.
The marketing department of Sonos goes all out on the fact that the Sonos One speaker offers support for voice assistants via the built-in microphones. And oh yes, the audio quality is also excellent. Unfortunately for us, the speech assistants are not offered in the Netherlands at all, because they do not speak the Dutch language. Even if you just want to speak to them in English, that is not allowed. To leave you speechless, literally and figuratively. Fortunately, there is something that can be done, so that you can simply use the functionality of your expensive speaker.
apps
You can get Amazon's Alexa working on your Sonos One. You need a few things for this: the Sonos mobile app (Android & iOS) and a VPN connection. But we'll start with Alexa. Make sure you have an account on Amazon and then install the Amazon Alexa app (Android and iOS). In this app you can register with your Amazon account.
To activate Alexa on your Sonos One, we assume that you are on your WiFi network to which you have connected and configured your Sonos. When you press Voice Services in the Sonos app in the settings, you will be notified that it is not available in your country. That's why we use a VPN app to redirect the traffic. This is possible, for example, with Nord VPN, which can be used free of charge for three days. There are plenty of VPN services available with a free trial period or with a data limit. They are perfectly suitable for this Alexa activation, as long as they redirect internet traffic via a country where Alexa is available. For example the US.
VPN
The easiest way is to set up the VPN on your router. This will redirect all internet traffic from your home network. But it is also possible via just a VPN connection on your smartphone or tablet. Once you've rerouted the connection to a country where Alexa is available, you'll quickly switch to the Sonos app, which will take you back to the Voice Services goes. You should do this right away, because if you wait, the Sonos app will immediately search for the devices, which it can no longer find because you redirect your connection. So it can happen that you get an error message or the app won't do anything because it can't find a Sonos system. No worries. Disconnect the VPN and try again.
When you get the Voice Services Selecting will take you through a sign-up process, selecting your Alexa account and activating Alexa. You can then use it directly by saying Alexa and asking your question in English. After you activate Alexa, you no longer need to use VPN for the voice assistant.
mute
It's a scary idea: The Sonos One is connected to the internet, equipped with seven microphones for voice recognition and has no power button. A mute button has been placed on the speaker, which switches off the microphones. However, it is even better to supply the Sonos with power via a power strip with an on-off switch. So you can just turn the Sonos on and off whenever you want.
