How-To Guide

Short step-by-step guides for the main BoSonar features.

Assigning preset buttons

The six buttons on the speaker and the twelve slots in BoSonar can hold streams just as well as music from a media server. There are three ways to do it — all with the same result.

  1. On the speaker: while something started from BoSonar is playing, press and hold the preset button on the device for three seconds. This works in native mode — for streams as well as for music from a media server, but not for audio played via DLNA.
  2. In BoSonar: the same works under “Now Playing” — press and hold the preset tile there for three seconds, without walking over to the speaker.
  3. From a list: wherever the save icon appears — while browsing a media server as well as in your list of custom streams — the entry can be put straight onto a preset slot.

Good to know: if the buttons on the device do not respond, the speaker may be running in DLNA mode. Set “Streaming mode” to “Native” in the device settings — and if that is not enough, the Device Doctor will help (see below).

Restore native mode (Device Doctor)

Native mode is required to use the physical preset buttons on the speaker. If it’s lost after the cloud shutdown, Device Doctor restores it.

  1. In BoSonar, go to Settings → Device Doctor.
  2. Select the SoundTouch speaker that lost native mode — it has a “Restore” button. Tap it.
  3. Wait about 2 minutes.

Speakers that are already in native mode don’t have a Restore button.

Good to know: this keeps running in the background. Once started, you can close the window (just don’t close the app) and do the same on other speakers at the same time.

Creating a multiroom group

Several speakers play the same thing, in sync across different rooms. Setting it up takes a moment:

In the device list, press and briefly hold one speaker, then drag it onto another speaker and let go — done. If a device is still in standby it does not need to be switched on first: BoSonar asks and takes care of it.

Good to know: every device keeps its own presets. When a preset is triggered it plays on the whole group — so the buttons on a single speaker control the entire ensemble.

Create a stereo pair (SoundTouch 10 speakers)

  1. Tap and hold a SoundTouch 10 speaker, then drag and drop it onto another SoundTouch 10 speaker.
  2. When BoSonar asks whether to create a multiroom group or a stereo pair, choose stereo pair.
  3. Choose which speaker is the left and which is the right channel.
  4. Confirm and wait up to 2 minutes.

Good to know: The pairing also keeps running in the background. Once confirmed, you can close the window (without closing the app) and carry on — you can even pair other speakers in parallel.

Setting up and browsing a media server

Music kept on a NAS or a media server on your own network can be played straight on your SoundTouch speakers. For a speaker to know the server, it is set up once as a source.

  1. In BoSonar, go to Settings → “Configure media servers”.
  2. Select the speaker and the media server, then choose “Run configuration”. The device restarts in the process — that takes up to 90 seconds.
  3. After that the server is available on the device as a source: select it, browse it, and start albums or single tracks with a tap.

Good to know: not every media server gets along with the implementation in SoundTouch devices — we have had good results with MinimServer, Twonky, Synology and Windows Media Player. And if you come across picture folders while browsing: tap the images in the folder to view them full size and page through the whole folder with the arrows.

Changing device settings

Much of what cannot be set on the speaker itself can be changed in BoSonar — under “Device settings” for the device in question. Renaming happens there too, for single speakers as well as for stereo pairs.

Which settings appear depends on the device; BoSonar shows whatever the speaker itself reports. A few typical examples: on the Soundbar 300, separate bass and treble along with center and surround speakers; on other speakers, bass reduction; on the SoundTouch 20, 30 and Portable speakers, the clock display and its time format. Whatever else your device offers is on its own settings page.

Good to know: this is also where “Streaming mode” lives — the switch between “Native” and “DLNA” that decides whether the physical preset buttons on the device work. If “Native” cannot be selected here, the Device Doctor will help (see above).

Listening without a speaker (Direct Player)

BoSonar does not need a SoundTouch speaker to play music. Alongside the speakers, the device list holds a “Direct Player” card — it plays on whatever device BoSonar is currently running on.

The card behaves like a speaker: start streams, fill preset slots, control playback. Where it appears in the list — before or after the speakers — is set in the settings.

Good to know: the Direct Player works on mobile networks too — out and about, with no speaker anywhere near.

Get stream addresses from the station

BoSonar does not ship a station catalogue — your collection is yours, and you build it yourself. Many broadcasters publish their stream addresses explicitly for use in other players. German broadcaster BR, for example, lists them under “Addresses of the BR livestreams” and states they are meant for anyone “who wants to use their own player or keep their own lists”. Many stations — in other countries too — do much the same; it is worth looking for.

  1. On the station’s website, look for “livestream”, “web radio addresses” or “stream URL” — often under Technology, Help or Reception. At German broadcaster BR, for example, that page is Addresses of the BR livestreams, which explains the procedure as well.
  2. Copy the m3u address, for example https://streams.br.de/bayern3_2.m3u
  3. In BoSonar, open “Custom Streams”, give it a name and paste the address.
  4. Use “Preview” to check that the right station comes through — and only then save.

Good to know: where possible, take the m3u address rather than the long one that shows up in your browser while the stream plays. That long address may point straight at a single delivery server and may carry a time-limited access token — in which case it works only briefly and is dead afterwards. An m3u address, by contrast, is resolved afresh on every start and therefore stays valid; if the station changes anything on its side, it updates the m3u and your entry keeps working.

Import a list you already have

If you already have a collection — from another player, from your NAS, or as an export — there is nothing to retype. BoSonar reads m3u, xspf and json, including inside a ZIP archive. The file comes from your current program itself: almost every music player on a computer can export its station list or playlist — check the program's help for the details.

  1. In BoSonar, open “Custom Streams” and go to the “Import streams” section.
  2. Choose “From file” and pick your list.
  3. After the import the streams appear in your list, where you can play them, save them as presets, or delete them.

Good to know: streams you created yourself are never overwritten by an import. And importing the same list twice does not create duplicates — existing entries are recognised by their address and updated instead.

Imports via a link

If a list is reachable via a link, BoSonar can import it directly — which also covers, for example, files on your local network that the app's file picker cannot reach.

In BoSonar, open “Custom Streams” → “Import streams”, paste the address into the field above and choose “Import link”.

Good to know: BoSonar imports not only from files on your device but also over the network via a link — both options sit side by side in the import area.

Changing the speaker’s Wi-Fi network

After a move, a new router or a changed Wi-Fi password, the speaker needs to learn the new network. No manufacturer app and no account are required for this: every SoundTouch speaker carries the setup page itself and serves it from its own address.

As long as the speaker can still be reached, a browser is enough: open the device's IP address — BoSonar shows it under “Device settings” — then pick the new network there, enter the password and submit.

If the speaker is off the network entirely, Wi-Fi setup mode helps: the device then opens a Wi-Fi network of its own called “Bose…” and does nothing else. Connect your computer or phone to it and open the same page in a browser. Which button combination puts your model into that mode, and at which address the page can be reached there, is described on the manufacturer's support page. Mind the right button combination for entering Wi-Fi setup mode: a factory reset opens such a network too, but wipes the entire configuration — for a mere change of network it is the wrong route.

Good to know: presets, media server configuration and native mode all survive this route. Some Wi-Fi setup guides start with a factory reset — that is not necessary; Wi-Fi setup mode is entirely enough.