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DHCP issue with Sonos speakers #22

@schmurtzm

Description

@schmurtzm

Sonos speaker can't obtain DHCP IP via Ethernet

Device: Linksys WRT320N converted to E2000
Tested firmwares:

  • FreshTomato 2024.3 K26MIPSR2_RT Max
  • FreshTomato-E2000-K26MIPSR2_RTN-NVRAM60K-2025.4-Max

🧩 Problem description

I have a WRT320N converted to E2000 running perfectly under FreshTomato.
However, it's impossible to connect any Sonos speaker via Ethernet — the speaker refuses the IP address offered by the DHCP server.

When connected over Wi-Fi it achieve to get an IP but using ethernet doesn't work.

Here’s what happens in the logs (the process keeps looping indefinitely):

Oct 25 15:01:32 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPDISCOVER(br0) 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 
Oct 25 15:01:32 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPOFFER(br0) 192.168.0.55 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 
Oct 25 15:01:32 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPREQUEST(br0) 192.168.0.55 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 
Oct 25 15:01:32 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPACK(br0) 192.168.0.55 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 Sonos
Oct 25 15:01:36 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPDISCOVER(br0) 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 
Oct 25 15:01:36 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPOFFER(br0) 192.168.0.55 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 
Oct 25 15:01:36 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPREQUEST(br0) 192.168.0.55 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 
Oct 25 15:01:36 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPACK(br0) 192.168.0.55 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 Sonos
Oct 25 15:01:39 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPDISCOVER(br0) 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 
Oct 25 15:01:39 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPOFFER(br0) 192.168.0.55 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 
Oct 25 15:01:39 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPREQUEST(br0) 192.168.0.55 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 
Oct 25 15:01:39 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPACK(br0) 192.168.0.55 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 Sonos
Oct 25 15:01:42 FreshTomato daemon.info dnsmasq-dhcp[10801]: DHCPDISCOVER(br0) 34:7e:3b:32:da:b7 

I’ve tested with several different Sonos devices (Sonos Amp & Sonos Connect doesn't work), all showing the exact same behavior:
They continuously send DHCPDISCOVER requests and never seem to accept the lease, even though it appears correctly in the logs.


🧠 Additional information

If I flash the same router with DD-WRT, the Sonos speakers work perfectly — they get an IP instantly via Ethernet.
So it’s likely related to how dnsmasq in FreshTomato responds to DHCP requests.

I found this related discussion on the Sonos community forum:
🔗 Sonos One SL ignores DHCP offers and becomes unreachable

The last few posts there suggest that Sonos requires DHCP responses to be broadcast, not unicast.
I tried adding the following to the dnsmasq custom configuration, but it didn’t change the behavior: dhcp-broadcast


💡 Possible cause

It seems that dnsmasq in FreshTomato might be sending unicast DHCPACK replies, which Sonos Ethernet devices ignore.
Forcing dnsmasq to send broadcast replies might solve the issue — but the existing dhcp-broadcast option doesn’t appear to take effect.


🧪 Tested versions

Firmware version Result
FreshTomato 2024.3 K26MIPSR2_RT Max ❌ Sonos Ethernet DHCP loop
FreshTomato-E2000-K26MIPSR2_RTN-NVRAM60K-2025.4-Max ❌ Same issue
DD-WRT ✅ Works fine

🧾 Summary

  • Wi-Fi Sonos → ✅ OK (strangely... after few refused request)
  • Ethernet Sonos → ❌ DHCP loops endlessly
  • DD-WRT → ✅ Works
  • FreshTomato → ❌ Fails
  • Suspected cause: DHCP replies sent in unicast instead of broadcast
  • Attempted fix: dhcp-broadcast (no effect)

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