How I got my Sonos Play 5 Wifi to work again

When my Sonos Play:5 (Gen 2) abruptly stopped connecting to Wi-Fi, I found myself in a frustrating loop of troubleshooting. Despite multiple attempts to reset the speaker, update the Sonos app, and reconfigure my network settings, nothing seemed to work. The speaker would only appear in the app when connected via Ethernet, and as soon as I unplugged the cable, it vanished again.

Evidently, this is a common problem with the Play 5 and people have sent it back for refurbishment or repair. I had an old Airport Express which I was first able to setup as a Wifi to Ethernet adapter and it worked perfectly! I was shocked that something a decade older than the Play 5 had better Wifi than the card within the expensive Play 5.

I wanted even better connectivity for playing CD quality music without issues and something smaller than the Airport Express.

So, I began searching for a Wi-Fi to Ethernet adapter that could bridge the gap. After sifting through various options, I discovered the TP-Link AC750 Wireless Portable Nano Travel Router (TL-WR902AC). This compact device offered multiple modes, including Client Mode, which allows it to connect to a Wi-Fi network and provide an Ethernet output — exactly what I needed.

Setting up the TP-Link AC750 in Client Mode to work with the Sonos Play:5 was a bit…