How to Fix Sonos Error 701? – (7 Proven Solutions!)

Sonos error 701 may be very frustrating, especially if you have no idea where what causes it.

Error 701 on Sonos speakers is known to accompany a network error, more specifically the “Unable to add tracks to the queue” message.

In 99% of the cases, this error appears due to a network issue, either with your internet or with the connection of the speaker to your router.

To resolve Sonos network error 701, begin with a power circulation, internet inspection, and fresh reconnection.

If this doesn’t help, you might need to reinstall the Sonos app or reset your speaker to factory defaults.

Let’s unwrap the solutions in detail!

How to Fix Sonos Error 701 Instantly? (7 Quick Solutions)

Tip: Follow the steps chronologically!

1. Power Cycle Sonos and Source

To begin with, we recommend performing a power cycle on both, your source (typically phone), and your Sonos speaker by turning them off and on. 

This is very easy and straightforward as you only need to unplug the speaker’s power cord for 60 seconds and in the meantime reboot your source device.

If you’ve already tried this, and it’s not helping, continue reading…

2. Inspect your Internet Connection

As mentioned in the introduction, error 701 Sonos is a network error, typically caused by your internet, Wi-Fi, or connection to the router.

So, we’ve prepared chronological steps to verify whether the issue comes from your broadband, Wi-Fi router, or the connection of your Sonos to the internet.

2.1 Verify the Internet is Consistent

The first step is to ensure that your internet is not dropping out, which will surely cause the 701 network error on your Sonos.

There are a few ways to do so, but the most accurate way to find out if your internet is dropping is by using a Windows computer.

You need to open the Command Prompt (CMD), and type “ping 8.8.8.8 -t”, which will start pinging Google’s DNS continuously.

Then you need to observe whether any of the packets sent will time out, and if yes, then your internet is dropping. 

2.2 Power Cycle Your Wi-Fi Router

If your internet is not consistent, dropping out, or lagging surely, you will encounter error 701 in the Sonos app sooner or later.

The best way to resolve temporary issues with your broadband is to power cycle your router by unplugging the unit from the power for approximately 60 seconds.

2.3 Eliminate Wireless Interference

Sometimes, wireless interference is the culprit for the internet dropouts, therefore for the error 701 on your Sonos speaker.

Hence, here are some things to apply right away against lagging:

• Move your Sonos speaker closer to the router.
• Turn off all electronic devices near your router.
• Verify the router is not enclosed or overheating.

If the broadband connection is good, but Sonos error 701 keeps showing up, continue reading…

Quick Tip: You can use a secondary device to test whether your internet/Wi-Fi is disconnecting!

3. Reconnect Sonos from the Wi-Fi

The next step is to reconnect your Sonos speaker from the Wi-Fi, which will reset the link to the router and hopefully prevent error 701 from appearing.

To do so, you’ll first need to “Forget” the Wi-Fi from the Sonos mobile application, and then cleanly connect by re-entering the password.

Here’s exactly what to do in easy steps:

1. Open the Sonos app on your iOS or Android.
2. Go to the “Settings” and enter the “System.”
3. Navigate to “Networks” and tap “Networks.”
4. Select the currently connected Wi-Fi network.
5. Tap on “Remove” to forget and disconnect it.
6. Then, go back to the “Settings” → “System.”
7. Press on “Network” and “Manage Networks.”
8. Select “Update Networks” and choose Wi-Fi.
9. Insert the password and connect to the Wi-Fi.

When your Sonos speaker is freshly reconnected to the Wi-Fi, go ahead and try to reproduce error 701.

If you’re unable, congratulations, the error is gone, but if you see it, continue reading!

4. Switch to the 2.4 GHz Frequency

If you have a dual-band router, chances are that you have two separate Wi-Fi networks.

• One is 2.4 GHz frequency (slower) and the other would be 5 GHz (faster).

The main difference is the speed, but if you didn’t know, the faster one (5 GHz) is much more susceptible to interference.

The thing is, for music streaming you don’t really need internet speed, rather than consistency and reliability.

The higher frequency Wi-Fi could be faster, but your speaker might be constantly disconnecting, lagging, and producing network errors.

So if you keep getting the Sonos error code 701 on your speaker, perhaps all you need to do is switch from the 5 GHz network to the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi.

This is very easy, all you need to do is follow the steps from the previous solution to disconnect from the 5 GHz Wi-Fi and reconnect to the 2.4 GHz frequency network. 

Quick Tip: To differentiate the two networks, check the SSID, as they typically involve “2” or “5”.

5. Reinstall Your Sonos Mobile App

If you’re confident that Sonos error 701 does not appear because of the broadband connection, or your Wi-Fi, all evidence leads to app or software problems.

So, to begin with addressing that possibility, let’s first reinstall the Sonos mobile app, and re-add your speaker to the application.

5.1 How to Delete Sonos App on iOS?

1. Tap and hold the Sonos app icon from the screen.
2. When the options appear, tap “Remove this App.”
3. Then, go to the App Store, and download Sonos.

5.2 How to Delete Sonos App on Android?

1. Go to the Google Play Store and tap your Profile.
2. Select “Manage apps & devices”, then “Manage.”
3. Next, locate the Sonos app and select “Uninstall” 
4. From the search, find and download the Sonos app.

5.3 How to Add Sonos Speaker to the App?

1. Open the Sonos app on your Android or iOS device.
2. Tap “Set up a new system” and log in to your profile.
3. Select “Add” and choose the model of your speaker.
4. Choose “Continue” and then tap “Set up products.”
5. Follow the instructions to re-add your Sonos speaker.

When ready, test whether error 701 keeps showing up, and if yes, continue reading ahead…

6. Factory Reset the Sonos Speaker

If nothing helps, and you’re still facing error 701 on your Sonos speaker, perhaps you need to reset the system to defaults to resolve the problem. 

This is very easy, however, when you’re done you will need to re-add the Sonos speaker to the application as we’ve previously discussed.

Here’s how to factory reset Sonos speaker in easy steps:

1. First, unplug the power cord to the Sonos speaker.
2. Then, locate, press, and hold the Bluetooth button.
3. While holding, reconnect your power cable back in.
4. Keep holding until the LED flashes in orange/white.

When the light turns green, your Sonos speaker is factory reset, and you’re ready to check if the error 701 will still appear.

If yes, then the problem is surely coming from the internet connection.

Reminder: You need to re-add the Sonos speaker to the Sonos application after the reset!

7. Switch to a Bluetooth Connection

If nothing helps, perhaps you should try setting up your Sonos speaker via Bluetooth, which will also deliver a great audio experience.

When compared to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth compresses the audio, but the difference will not be that impactful, considering that error 701 will surely go away.

1. Press and hold the Bluetooth button on your Sonos.
2. You should hear a chime and see a solid blue light.
3. Open the Bluetooth settings on your source device.
4. Tap the Sonos profile under “Discovered Devices.”
5. When ready, open the Sonos app to start streaming.

If your Sonos speaker is connected successfully via Bluetooth, error 701 should no longer show up, and you will be able to use the speaker as is.

However, if it’s important to use the device over Wi-Fi, you should perform an inspection of your Wi-Fi and test via different Wi-Fi networks.

One More Thing – Have you tried pairing your Sonos speaker to a different source device?

Read Next: Sonos Soundbar Keeps Cutting Out? (Proven Solutions!)

Wrapping Up

So, if you want to get rid of the Sonos error 701 error, power cycle the Sonos speaker, verify your internet/Wi-Fi is stable, and reconnect to the app.

If this doesn’t help, reinstall the Sonos app, factory reset your speaker, and try using a different source.

We hope this guide was helpful so follow us for more Sonos speaker troubleshooting!