SoundTouch Troubleshooting Guide

Complete guide to diagnosing and fixing common SoundTouch Go client issues

This guide helps you quickly identify and resolve problems with the SoundTouch Go client library. Issues are organized by category with step-by-step solutions.

🚨 Quick Diagnostics

Test Your Setup

Run these commands to quickly diagnose your setup:

# 1. Test discovery
go run ./cmd/soundtouch-cli -discover

# 2. Test specific device connection
go run ./cmd/soundtouch-cli -host 192.168.1.100 -info

# 3. Test basic controls
go run ./cmd/soundtouch-cli -host 192.168.1.100 -volume

# 4. Test network connectivity
ping 192.168.1.100

🔍 Discovery Issues

❌ “No devices found”

Symptoms:

🔍 Discovering SoundTouch devices...
❌ No devices found on the network

Causes & Solutions:

1. Network Configuration

# Check if devices are on same network
ip route show default  # Your gateway
arp -a | grep -i bose   # Look for Bose devices

Solution: Ensure both your computer and SoundTouch are on the same subnet.

2. Firewall Issues

# Check if firewall is blocking UPnP
sudo ufw status                    # Ubuntu
netsh advfirewall show allprofiles # Windows

Solution: Allow UPnP traffic (port 1900 UDP) or temporarily disable firewall.

3. Device Not Ready

Power cycle your SoundTouch device
Wait 30 seconds for full boot
Check device is connected to network (solid white LED)

4. Discovery Timeout Too Short

discoverer := discovery.NewDiscoverer(discovery.Config{
    Timeout: 30 * time.Second,  // Increase timeout
})

5. Use Manual IP

// Bypass discovery entirely
client := client.NewClientFromHost("192.168.1.100")

❌ “Discovery timeout”

Symptoms:

🔍 Discovering SoundTouch devices (timeout: 5s)...
❌ Discovery failed: context deadline exceeded

Solutions:

Increase timeout:

discoverer := discovery.NewDiscoverer(discovery.Config{
 Timeout: 15 * time.Second,
})

Check network performance: ```bash
Test network latency

ping -c 4 192.168.1.1

Check for network congestion

iperf3 -c 192.168.1.1 # If iperf server available

3. **Use wired connection if possible**

---

## 🌐 **Connection Issues**

### ❌ "Connection refused"

**Symptoms:**
```go
Failed to connect: dial tcp 192.168.1.100:8090: connection refused

Diagnostic Steps:

1. Verify IP and Port

# Test if port 8090 is open
telnet 192.168.1.100 8090
# OR
nc -zv 192.168.1.100 8090

# Scan for open ports
nmap -p 8080-8100 192.168.1.100

2. Check Device Status

Device LED should be solid white (connected)
Blinking white = connecting
Red = error state

3. Router/Network Issues

# Check routing
traceroute 192.168.1.100

# Test basic connectivity
ping -c 4 192.168.1.100

❌ “Timeout” / “Context deadline exceeded”

Symptoms:

Failed to get device info: context deadline exceeded

Solutions:

1. Increase Client Timeout

config := client.ClientConfig{
    Host:    "192.168.1.100",
    Port:    8090,
    Timeout: 30 * time.Second,  // Increase from default 10s
}

2. Check Network Latency

# Test response time
ping -c 10 192.168.1.100

# Should be < 100ms typically

3. Device Performance Issues

Device may be overloaded
Try power cycling the device
Check for firmware updates via Bose app

❌ “No such host”

Symptoms:

Failed to connect: dial tcp: lookup soundtouch.local: no such host

Solutions:

Use IP instead of hostname:

client := client.NewClientFromHost("192.168.1.100")  // Not "soundtouch.local"

Fix DNS/mDNS: ```bash
Test hostname resolution

nslookup soundtouch.local dig soundtouch.local

Install mDNS tools if needed (Linux)

sudo apt-get install avahi-utils avahi-resolve -n soundtouch.local

---

## 🎵 **Playback Control Issues**

### ❌ "Play/Pause not working"

**Symptoms:**
- Commands succeed but no audio change
- Device shows wrong status

**Diagnostic Steps:**

#### 1. **Check Current Status**
```go
nowPlaying, err := client.GetNowPlaying()
if err == nil {
    fmt.Printf("Status: %s, Source: %s\n", 
        nowPlaying.PlayStatus, nowPlaying.Source)
}

2. Verify Source Selection

sources, err := client.GetSources()
if err == nil {
    for _, source := range sources.Sources {
        fmt.Printf("Source: %s, Status: %s\n", 
            source.Source, source.Status)
    }
}

Solutions:

Select active source first:

client.SelectSpotify()
time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)  // Wait for source change
client.Play()

Use key commands instead:

client.SendKey("PLAY")   // Instead of client.Play()
client.SendKey("PAUSE")  // Instead of client.Pause()

Check device isn’t in setup mode

❌ “Source selection fails”

Symptoms:

Failed to select source: API request failed with status 500

Solutions:

Check source availability:

sources, _ := client.GetSources()
for _, source := range sources.Sources {
 if source.Source == "SPOTIFY" && source.Status == "READY" {
     // Source is available
     client.SelectSource("SPOTIFY", source.SourceAccount)
 }
}

Account-specific sources:

// For streaming services, include account
client.SelectSource("SPOTIFY", "your_account_id")

Use convenience methods:

client.SelectSpotify()    // Handles account automatically
client.SelectBluetooth()
client.SelectAux()

🔊 Volume & Audio Issues

❌ “Volume control not working”

Symptoms:

Volume commands succeed but no change
“Permission denied” errors

Diagnostic Steps:

1. Check Zone Status

zoneStatus, err := client.GetZoneStatus()
if err == nil {
    fmt.Printf("Zone Status: %s\n", zoneStatus)
}

Solutions:

Zone Member Issue:

// Only zone master can control volume
if zoneStatus == "MEMBER" {
 fmt.Println("Device is zone member - only master controls volume")
    
 // Find and use master device
 zone, _ := client.GetZone()
 // Connect to master device using zone.Master ID
}

Use Safe Volume Methods:

client.SetVolumeSafe(50)     // Clamps to valid range
client.IncreaseVolume(5)     // Incremental control
client.DecreaseVolume(5)

Check Current Volume:

volume, _ := client.GetVolume()
fmt.Printf("Target: %d, Actual: %d, Muted: %t\n", 
 volume.TargetVolume, volume.ActualVolume, volume.Muted)

❌ “Bass/Balance control not supported”

Symptoms:

Failed to set bass: API request failed with status 404

Solutions:

Check device capabilities:

caps, err := client.GetCapabilities()
if err == nil {
 fmt.Printf("Bass capable: %t\n", caps.BassCapable)
}

Use safe methods:

client.SetBassSafe(-5)       // Won't fail on unsupported devices
client.SetBalanceSafe(10)    // Falls back gracefully

Device-specific features:
- SoundTouch 10: Basic bass only
- SoundTouch 20/30: Full bass and balance
- Soundbar models: Advanced audio controls

🔔 Speaker Notification Issues

❌ “speaker beep” command fails with status 400

Symptoms:

$ go run ./cmd/soundtouch-cli --host 192.168.178.35 sp beep
Playing notification beep from 192.168.178.35:8090...
✗ Failed to play notification beep: API request failed with status 400

Cause: This was a bug in earlier versions where the Go client incorrectly used POST instead of GET for the /playNotification endpoint.

Solution: Update to the latest version. The fix changed the PlayNotificationBeep() method to use GET requests:

// Fixed implementation (v2025.02+)
func (c *Client) PlayNotificationBeep() error {
    var status models.StationResponse
    return c.get("/playNotification", &status)
}

Verification: Both commands should now work identically:

# CLI command
go run ./cmd/soundtouch-cli --host 192.168.178.35 sp beep

# Direct curl (for comparison)
curl http://192.168.178.35:8090/playNotification

❌ “speaker” commands not supported

Symptoms:

✗ Failed to play notification: endpoint not supported

Causes & Solutions:

1. Device Model Compatibility

✅ Supported: SoundTouch 10 (ST-10), SoundTouch 20 (ST-20)
❌ Not Supported: SoundTouch 300 (ST-300), older models

Solution: Verify device model with:

soundtouch-cli --host <device> info

2. Missing App Key (TTS/URL only)

TTS and URL playback require an app key, but beep does not:

# Beep - no app key needed
soundtouch-cli --host <device> speaker beep

# TTS - app key required
soundtouch-cli --host <device> speaker tts --text "Hello" --app-key "your-key"

❌ “Device is busy” during notifications

Symptoms:

✗ Failed to play notification: device is busy

Solutions:

1. Wait for Current Notification to Complete

Only one notification can play at a time. Wait a few seconds and retry.

2. Check Current Playback Status

nowPlaying, _ := client.GetNowPlaying()
fmt.Printf("Current source: %s, status: %s\n", 
    nowPlaying.Source, nowPlaying.PlayStatus)

📡 WebSocket Issues

❌ “WebSocket connection failed”

Symptoms:

Failed to connect WebSocket: dial ws://192.168.1.100:8080/: connection refused

Solutions:

1. Verify WebSocket Port (8080)

# WebSocket uses port 8080, not 8090
nc -zv 192.168.1.100 8080

2. Check Protocol Specification

// WebSocket client should auto-handle this
wsClient := client.NewWebSocketClient(nil)

// Manual connection (if needed)
url := "ws://192.168.1.100:8080/"
headers := http.Header{}
headers.Set("Sec-WebSocket-Protocol", "gabbo")

3. Connection Conflicts

Only one WebSocket connection per device
Close other apps using SoundTouch
Restart SoundTouch device if needed

❌ “WebSocket disconnects frequently”

Symptoms:

Connection drops every few minutes
Constant reconnection messages

Solutions:

Increase ping interval: ```go config := client.DefaultWebSocketConfig() config.PingInterval = 60 * time.Second // Increase from 30s config.PongTimeout = 20 * time.Second // Increase timeout

wsClient := client.NewWebSocketClient(config)

2. **Check network stability:**
```bash
# Test for packet loss
ping -c 100 192.168.1.100 | grep loss

Power management issues: ```bash
Disable WiFi power saving (Linux)

sudo iwconfig wlan0 power off

Check Windows power management

powercfg -devicequery wake_armed

### ❌ "Events not received"

**Symptoms:**
- WebSocket connects but no events
- Missing volume/playback updates

**Solutions:**

1. **Verify event handlers:**
```go
wsClient.OnVolumeUpdated(func(event *models.VolumeUpdatedEvent) {
    fmt.Printf("Volume event received: %d\n", event.Volume.TargetVolume)
})

// Test by manually changing volume on device

Check event parsing:

wsClient.OnUnknownEvent(func(event *models.WebSocketEvent) {
 fmt.Printf("Unknown event: %+v\n", event)
})

Device activity required:
- Events only sent when device state changes
- Try manual volume/source changes
- Check device isn’t in standby

👥 Multiroom Issues

❌ “Zone creation fails”

Symptoms:

Failed to create zone: API request failed with status 400

Solutions:

1. Check Device Compatibility

// Get device capabilities
caps, _ := client.GetCapabilities()
// Look for multiroom support

// Verify devices are on same network
for _, client := range clients {
    network, _ := client.GetNetworkInfo()
    fmt.Printf("Device IP: %s\n", network.GetConnectedInterface().IPAddress)
}

2. Correct Device IDs

// Get exact device IDs
info, _ := client.GetDeviceInfo()
masterID := info.DeviceID  // Use this, not MAC address

// Create zone with proper IDs
client.CreateZone(masterID, []string{member1ID, member2ID})

3. Sequential Zone Operations

// Don't create multiple zones simultaneously
client1.CreateZone(master1, []string{member1})
time.Sleep(2 * time.Second)
client2.CreateZone(master2, []string{member2})

❌ “Device won’t join zone”

Symptoms:

Zone creation succeeds but member doesn’t join
Member device shows as standalone

Solutions:

Check device status: ```go status, _ := memberClient.GetZoneStatus() fmt.Printf(“Member status: %s\n”, status)

if status == “STANDALONE” { // Device didn’t join - check network/permissions }

2. **Firmware compatibility:**
- Ensure all devices have recent firmware
- Update via Bose SoundTouch app
- Some very old devices don't support multiroom

3. **Network subnet issues:**
```bash
# Verify devices can reach each other
ping -c 4 member_device_ip

🔧 Development & Debugging

Enable Detailed Logging

import "log"

// Enable verbose HTTP logging
log.SetFlags(log.LstdFlags | log.Lshortfile)

// Custom HTTP client with debug
transport := &http.Transport{
    // Add debug transport if needed
}

config := client.ClientConfig{
    Host:    "192.168.1.100",
    Port:    8090,
    Timeout: 10 * time.Second,
}

Debug WebSocket Events

wsClient.OnUnknownEvent(func(event *models.WebSocketEvent) {
    log.Printf("Raw event: %+v", event)
})

// Enable WebSocket debug logging
config := client.DefaultWebSocketConfig()
config.Logger = &client.DefaultLogger{}  // Or custom logger

Network Debugging Tools

# Capture SoundTouch traffic
sudo tcpdump -i any host 192.168.1.100 and port 8090

# Monitor WebSocket traffic  
sudo tcpdump -i any host 192.168.1.100 and port 8080

# HTTP debugging with curl
curl -v http://192.168.1.100:8090/info
curl -v http://192.168.1.100:8090/volume

📊 Performance Issues

High Memory Usage

Symptoms:

Go process memory keeps growing
Out of memory errors in long-running apps

Solutions:

Connection cleanup: ```go // Always close WebSocket connections defer wsClient.Disconnect()

// Use connection pools for multiple devices pool := NewConnectionPool(10, 5*time.Minute) defer pool.Close()

2. **Goroutine leaks:**
```go
// Use context for cancellation
ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
defer cancel()

// Monitor goroutines
go func() {
    for {
        fmt.Printf("Goroutines: %d\n", runtime.NumGoroutine())
        time.Sleep(10 * time.Second)
    }
}()

Slow Response Times

Solutions:

Increase timeouts appropriately:

config := client.ClientConfig{
 Timeout: 15 * time.Second,  // Reasonable for network ops
}

Use connection pooling:

// Reuse connections instead of creating new ones
pool := NewConnectionPool(5, 5*time.Minute)
client := pool.GetClient(host, port)

Concurrent operations:

// Process multiple devices concurrently
var wg sync.WaitGroup
for _, client := range clients {
 wg.Add(1)
 go func(c *client.Client) {
     defer wg.Done()
     // Process device
 }(client)
}
wg.Wait()

🚨 Emergency Procedures

Device Becomes Unresponsive

Power cycle device:
- Unplug for 10 seconds
- Reconnect and wait 30 seconds for boot
Network reset:
- Hold Bluetooth and Volume Down for 10 seconds
- Device will reset network settings
Factory reset (last resort):
- Hold Power for 10 seconds while plugged in
- Will lose all presets and settings

Multiple Devices Acting Strange

Check router:
- Restart router/access point
- Check for firmware updates
- Verify DHCP/IP assignment
Network interference:
- Check for 2.4GHz interference
- Try 5GHz WiFi if available
- Check for microwave/Bluetooth interference

App Crashes or Hangs

Graceful shutdown: ```go // Always use context for cancellation ctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(context.Background(), 30*time.Second) defer cancel()

// Cleanup resources defer func() { if wsClient != nil { wsClient.Disconnect() } }()

2. **Resource monitoring:**
```go
// Monitor resource usage
go func() {
    var m runtime.MemStats
    for {
        runtime.ReadMemStats(&m)
        log.Printf("Alloc = %d KB, Sys = %d KB", m.Alloc/1024, m.Sys/1024)
        time.Sleep(30 * time.Second)
    }
}()

📋 Diagnostic Checklist

Use this checklist to systematically troubleshoot issues:

Network Connectivity

Device power LED is solid white
Both devices on same network subnet
Firewall allows ports 8090 (HTTP) and 8080 (WebSocket)
Can ping device IP address
Can telnet to ports 8090 and 8080

Device Status

Device not in setup mode (solid white LED)
Recent firmware version (check Bose app)
Device responds to Bose app
No other apps connected to device

Code Configuration

Correct IP address and ports
Reasonable timeouts (10-30 seconds)
Proper error handling
Resource cleanup (defer statements)

Multiroom Specific

All devices support multiroom
Device IDs are correct (from GetDeviceInfo)
Devices on same network subnet
No existing zone conflicts

🆔 Device Identification & Mapping Issues

❌ “File not found” errors with MAC addresses

Symptoms:

GET /streaming/account/3230304/device/A81B6A536A98/presets
→ 500 Internal Server Error
→ Log: "open .../devices/A81B6A536A98/Presets.xml: no such file or directory"

Cause: The service uses MAC addresses in API requests but stores files using device serial numbers. A mapping system resolves MAC addresses to serial numbers automatically.

Quick Solutions:

Restart the service (mappings are created at startup):
```
sudo systemctl restart soundtouch-service
```

Check device directory structure:

# Files should be stored by serial number, not MAC
ls data/accounts/3230304/devices/
# Should show: I6332527703739342000020/ (not A81B6A536A98/)

Verify DeviceInfo.xml contains MAC address:

cat data/accounts/3230304/devices/*/DeviceInfo.xml | grep macAddress

For detailed diagnosis and solutions, see: MAC Address Mapping Guide

🌐 Hostname Resolution

Why the service resolves the hostname from the device

When you migrate a speaker using the resolv.conf method, the service needs to write a raw IP address into the speaker’s network configuration. That IP must be the address the speaker itself can reach — which is not necessarily the same address your computer resolves.

In environments with NAT, split-horizon DNS, or Docker/container networking, soundtouch.local (or whatever you set as SERVER_URL) may resolve to a different IP depending on who is asking. The service therefore resolves the hostname by running ping -c 1 <hostname> over SSH on the speaker and extracting the IP from the output. This is the authoritative result: it is exactly what the speaker would use.

If that SSH ping fails, migration is aborted. Writing an unresolvable or incorrectly resolved hostname into aftertouch.resolv.conf would silently break the speaker’s DNS config and prevent it from reaching the service after reboot.

The XML migration method is different. It writes the full URL (e.g. http://soundtouch.local:8000) into SoundTouchSdkPrivateCfg.xml. The speaker resolves the hostname at connect time, not at migration time. This means migration can proceed even if the hostname is not yet reachable — for example, when the service will be deployed under that hostname but is not running yet. A warning is still shown in the UI so you are aware, but the Confirm Migration button remains enabled.

❌ “Cannot resolve target hostname for migration”

Symptoms (migration log or web UI warning):

cannot resolve target hostname for migration: cannot resolve "soundtouch.local":
SSH ping from device failed and service-side DNS lookup also failed

or:

resolved "soundtouch.local" to 192.168.1.100 from service, not from device —
result may be wrong if NAT or split-DNS is in use

What this means:

The service could not confirm the IP by running ping on the speaker via SSH. Either:

the ping binary is not available or not in $PATH on this firmware, or
the hostname is not resolvable from the speaker’s network context.

Diagnosis — run manually over SSH:

# SSH into the speaker
ssh root@<speaker-ip>

# Try to resolve the service hostname
ping -c 1 soundtouch.local
# or use the IP directly to verify connectivity
ping -c 1 192.168.1.100

# Check the speaker's current DNS config
cat /etc/resolv.conf

# Check if ping is available
which ping
busybox ping --help

Solutions:

1. Use an IP address as SERVER_URL

The most reliable fix. If the hostname cannot be resolved from the device, use a raw IP instead. Resolution is skipped entirely when SERVER_URL contains an IP.

# In your .env
SERVER_URL=http://192.168.1.100:8000
HTTPS_SERVER_URL=https://192.168.1.100:8443

HTTPS works correctly with IP addresses — the service certificate includes the IP as a Subject Alternative Name (SAN).

2. Ensure the hostname resolves on the speaker’s network segment

If you use soundtouch.local, verify mDNS is working from another device on the same subnet:

avahi-resolve -n soundtouch.local    # Linux
dns-sd -G v4 soundtouch.local        # macOS

3. Use the XML migration method

Select the XML method in the migration UI. It writes the full URL and the speaker resolves it at connect time, so hostname resolution is not required during migration. This also allows migrating to a hostname that is not yet live.

🛟 Getting More Help

Information to Gather

When reporting issues, include:

// Device information
info, _ := client.GetDeviceInfo()
fmt.Printf("Device: %s %s (ID: %s)\n", info.Type, info.Name, info.DeviceID)

// Network information
network, _ := client.GetNetworkInfo()
fmt.Printf("Network: %+v\n", network)

// Go version and OS
fmt.Printf("Go version: %s\n", runtime.Version())
fmt.Printf("OS: %s/%s\n", runtime.GOOS, runtime.GOARCH)

Useful Commands

# System information
go version
uname -a  # Linux/macOS
systeminfo # Windows

# Network debugging
ip addr show        # Linux
ifconfig           # macOS
ipconfig /all      # Windows

# SoundTouch specific
go run ./cmd/soundtouch-cli -host <ip> -info
go run ./cmd/soundtouch-cli -host <ip> -network-info

Support Resources

GitHub Issues: Create detailed issue with logs and system info
Documentation: Check /docs directory for specific topics
Examples: Review /examples for working code patterns
CLI Tool: Use built-in CLI for testing and debugging

Remember: Most issues are network-related. Start with basic connectivity testing before investigating code issues.

SoundTouch Troubleshooting Guide

🚨 Quick Diagnostics

Test Your Setup

🔍 Discovery Issues

❌ “No devices found”

1. Network Configuration

2. Firewall Issues

3. Device Not Ready

4. Discovery Timeout Too Short

5. Use Manual IP

❌ “Discovery timeout”

Test network latency

Check for network congestion

1. Verify IP and Port

2. Check Device Status

3. Router/Network Issues

❌ “Timeout” / “Context deadline exceeded”

1. Increase Client Timeout

2. Check Network Latency

3. Device Performance Issues

❌ “No such host”

Test hostname resolution

Install mDNS tools if needed (Linux)

2. Verify Source Selection

❌ “Source selection fails”

🔊 Volume & Audio Issues

❌ “Volume control not working”

1. Check Zone Status

❌ “Bass/Balance control not supported”

🔔 Speaker Notification Issues

❌ “speaker beep” command fails with status 400

❌ “speaker” commands not supported

1. Device Model Compatibility

2. Missing App Key (TTS/URL only)

❌ “Device is busy” during notifications

1. Wait for Current Notification to Complete

2. Check Current Playback Status

📡 WebSocket Issues

❌ “WebSocket connection failed”

1. Verify WebSocket Port (8080)

2. Check Protocol Specification

3. Connection Conflicts

❌ “WebSocket disconnects frequently”

Disable WiFi power saving (Linux)

Check Windows power management

👥 Multiroom Issues

❌ “Zone creation fails”

1. Check Device Compatibility

2. Correct Device IDs

3. Sequential Zone Operations

❌ “Device won’t join zone”

🔧 Development & Debugging

Enable Detailed Logging

Debug WebSocket Events

Network Debugging Tools

📊 Performance Issues

High Memory Usage

Slow Response Times

🚨 Emergency Procedures

Device Becomes Unresponsive

Multiple Devices Acting Strange

App Crashes or Hangs

📋 Diagnostic Checklist

Network Connectivity

Device Status

Code Configuration

Multiroom Specific

🆔 Device Identification & Mapping Issues

❌ “File not found” errors with MAC addresses

🌐 Hostname Resolution

Why the service resolves the hostname from the device

❌ “Cannot resolve target hostname for migration”

1. Use an IP address as SERVER_URL

2. Ensure the hostname resolves on the speaker’s network segment

3. Use the XML migration method

🛟 Getting More Help

Information to Gather

Useful Commands

Support Resources