Method of grouping pieces of equipment together by sound space

A grouping method for grouping pieces of equipment that are capable of emitting sound signals together by sound spaces by using a decoder connected to the pieces of equipment via a network, the method including an operational stage comprising the steps of:

• emitting a test sound signal in succession by a speaker of each piece of equipment;
• receiving the test sound signal by a microphone of each piece of equipment that is capable of receiving sound signals;
• evaluating, by the decoder, a recognition level for said received test sound signal by each of the pieces of equipment that is capable of receiving sound signals;
• for each pair of pieces of equipment Ei and Ej, evaluating, by the decoder, a mutual recognition level representative both of a recognition level N(i, j) for the piece of equipment Ei receiving a test sound signal emitted by the piece of equipment Ej, and also of a recognition level N(j, i) for the piece of equipment Ej receiving a test sound signal emitted by the piece of equipment Ei;
• and
• on the basis of the mutual recognition level, determining, by the decoder, whether or not the pieces of equipment Ei and Ej belong to a common sound space, without information related to positions of the pieces of equipment Ei and Ej;
• and
• grouping, by the decoder the pieces of equipment Ei and Ej if it is determined that the pieces of equipment Ei and Ej belong to the common sound space.