INTERACT FORUM
Devices => PC's and Other Hardware => Topic started by: iwf on June 14, 2009, 02:57:01 am
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I know, I know it's been asked before but I wonder if there's any better out there.
I run a HTPC in my lounge running MC13 with a NAS out back in my study.
In my kitchen I have a small amp and a couple of speakers, wired also into the bathroom.
The HTPC is connected into the lounge HiFI and I run a wired solution from the tape output through to the kitchen. I like this as it deals with all the syncing stuff. I simply play something in the lounge and by switching on the amp in the kitchen i get music through the flat. I say flat only because it's quite small and all I want to do is stream what's playing in the lounge into the kitchen.
All is fine except, I have bloody big cable running from the lounge amp up into the loft. Can't chase the cable into the wall because of shelving etc so I am thinking wireless.
Searching the web lists the old Logitech Music system blue tooth, but I'm not sure it's available any longer. I think what i need is a USB device that MC thinkings is a soundcard with a wireless transmitter and receiver that's hooked into the kitchen amp.
I've considered Sonos and so on a few times, but I like MC and the newish Theatre views. As i say I don't want different things playing in different rooms, nor video or really anything fancy.
Any ideas
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We're looking for something like this, too. Matt needs it for his kitchen. I'd like to have another zone at home.
Here's what I tried today (it failed).
D-Link DUB-9240 Wireless USB starter kit. ($130 from Micro Center)
with
SIIG USB Soundwave 7.1 USB audio adaptor ($20 from Micro Center)
Individually, they both worked fine. The Wireless USB kit has a USB stick and a 4 port USB hub connected by radio. USB Wireless is an emerging standard.
The USB audio stick was recognized by Vista without installing a driver and it worked fine. It has an 1/8 inch stereo port on one end and USB on the other.
When I tried them as a pair, the D-Link hub said it couldn't do an "isochronous" connection. I suppose this means synchronized time devices.
When I searched for "isochronous" and "wireless USB", I found a Silex device that claims it does it.
We're getting close.
About a year ago, I tried a Linksys Music Bridge. It wasn't reliable.
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I have a somewhat comparable situation, however I'm lucky enough to have ethernet in most rooms in my house.
Belkin offers a Network USB Hub that allows you to 'extend' a USB hub via ethernet, so you connect from any computer in your netwerk to a USB device on the hub. It comes with 4 ports and can be expanded via additional (regular) USB hubs. On the PC (or Mac) end you need to install software to discover & connect to the hub. You can set up devices to auto-connect (if only one PC uses that device) or manually. I've tested this with a simple USB sound card with a line out (3.5mm jack) and MC v13 and it works like a charm, behaves just as if it was connected directly to a USB port on the PC. Via MC I've set it up as a separate zone and I can use HTTP control plugin for multizone control via PC or even Iphone.
Of course you're looking at a wireless solution, but wireless USB should fill this gap as JimH explains. However if you'd be willing to consider one extra device, you could probably get a wireless-to-ethernet bridge and use the Belkin scenario I'm working with.