- Feb 14, 2004
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I've been working on a Smart Home system and one of the key features I wanted was whole-house audio (music in every room). Whole-house audio receivers are expensive, require lots of in-wall wiring, and doesn't provide the level of features I wanted. Sonos, a wireless music system, is the best option, but it has two problems: (1) it's too expensive for my current system-testing budget and (2) it's not open-source, which makes it difficult to custom program (doable, just difficult). The Sonos prices are as follows:
Remote Control - $400
Cradle for Remote - $40
Unamped Receiver - $350
Amped Receiver - $500 (55w per channel)
Wireless Bridge - $100 (for expanding into far-away areas)
So the minimum system you could get away with would cost $750 (1 Remote Control and 1 Unamped Receiver). Yikes! Sonos has the best-in-class features, including an amplified model and audio inputs which can route audio to any of the receivers in your house, but the price for my test setup was simply too great. To setup, say, 6 rooms, it would cost $2500 (1 Remote Control and 6 Unamped Receivers).
Enter Squeezebox. Logitech acquired Slim Devices and released the Squeezebox Duet, a lightweight Sonos competitor. It features a slim color remote and a tiny receiver. I say lightweight because the receiver lacks (1) inputs and (2) amplification. This isn't necessarily a bad thing if you have a digital music collection (MP3, AAC, etc.) and if you use your own receivers. Plus - their Squeezebox Receiver only costs $150!
The way the Logitech works is that you buy a base system first. This includes 1 Squeezebox Receiver and 1 Squeezebox Remote for $400. Once you have the Remote, you can activate as many additional Receivers ($150) as you want. However, since I was planning on using the whole-house audio system with my iPhone, I wasn't really thrilled with the prospect of having to purchase a $300 remote ($250 with Receiver) for the sole purpose of activating the Receivers, especially since they advertise using other remotes with the system:
http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_remotes.html
But...Logitech's stuff is Open Source! After a bit of searching, I found a guy who had made a custom Perl script to emulate the Squeezebox Remote and activate the Squeezebox Receivers without actually having to own a Remote. I ordered a Squeezebox Receiver (sans Remote) and gave it a try last night...and it worked!
For convenience, I've zipped up a package for Windows that includes ActivePerl and the custom Perl script, along with instructions for using Ethernet + DHCP to configure the Receiver:
http://rapidshare.com/files/14...241/SqueezeMe.zip.html
If you want to configure your Squeezebox Receiver to connect wirelessly or setup other features, here is the project webpage:
http://projects.robinbowes.com/Net-UDAP/trac
And the original project thread at the Squeezebox forums:
http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=43722
The SqueezeCenter software comes with a skin called "Touch" which is fairly usable on an iPhone or iPod Touch, although it's not the best. Another programmer released some Mac software for interfacing the iTouch devices and Squeezebox systems together and called it iPeng, available here:
http://penguinlovesmusic.de/
Anyway, the bottom line is that you can hack the Squeezebox Receiver and use the Remote of your choice so that you only have to shell out $150 per room. This way, you can use whatever audio equipment you want - something as simple as a boombox or stereo receiver or as advanced as a Home Theater system. The same 6-room system that cost $2500 from Sonos would only cost $900 plus the cost of an iPod Touch or your iPhone - less than half the cost, but with all the benefits of being Open Source.
:thumbsup:
Cliff's:
1. Squeezebox Receiver gives you whole-house audio for $150 per room
2. Just hack with Perl script
3. Add amp/speakers and enjoy!
Remote Control - $400
Cradle for Remote - $40
Unamped Receiver - $350
Amped Receiver - $500 (55w per channel)
Wireless Bridge - $100 (for expanding into far-away areas)
So the minimum system you could get away with would cost $750 (1 Remote Control and 1 Unamped Receiver). Yikes! Sonos has the best-in-class features, including an amplified model and audio inputs which can route audio to any of the receivers in your house, but the price for my test setup was simply too great. To setup, say, 6 rooms, it would cost $2500 (1 Remote Control and 6 Unamped Receivers).
Enter Squeezebox. Logitech acquired Slim Devices and released the Squeezebox Duet, a lightweight Sonos competitor. It features a slim color remote and a tiny receiver. I say lightweight because the receiver lacks (1) inputs and (2) amplification. This isn't necessarily a bad thing if you have a digital music collection (MP3, AAC, etc.) and if you use your own receivers. Plus - their Squeezebox Receiver only costs $150!
The way the Logitech works is that you buy a base system first. This includes 1 Squeezebox Receiver and 1 Squeezebox Remote for $400. Once you have the Remote, you can activate as many additional Receivers ($150) as you want. However, since I was planning on using the whole-house audio system with my iPhone, I wasn't really thrilled with the prospect of having to purchase a $300 remote ($250 with Receiver) for the sole purpose of activating the Receivers, especially since they advertise using other remotes with the system:
http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_remotes.html
But...Logitech's stuff is Open Source! After a bit of searching, I found a guy who had made a custom Perl script to emulate the Squeezebox Remote and activate the Squeezebox Receivers without actually having to own a Remote. I ordered a Squeezebox Receiver (sans Remote) and gave it a try last night...and it worked!
For convenience, I've zipped up a package for Windows that includes ActivePerl and the custom Perl script, along with instructions for using Ethernet + DHCP to configure the Receiver:http://rapidshare.com/files/14...241/SqueezeMe.zip.html
If you want to configure your Squeezebox Receiver to connect wirelessly or setup other features, here is the project webpage:
http://projects.robinbowes.com/Net-UDAP/trac
And the original project thread at the Squeezebox forums:
http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=43722
The SqueezeCenter software comes with a skin called "Touch" which is fairly usable on an iPhone or iPod Touch, although it's not the best. Another programmer released some Mac software for interfacing the iTouch devices and Squeezebox systems together and called it iPeng, available here:
http://penguinlovesmusic.de/
Anyway, the bottom line is that you can hack the Squeezebox Receiver and use the Remote of your choice so that you only have to shell out $150 per room. This way, you can use whatever audio equipment you want - something as simple as a boombox or stereo receiver or as advanced as a Home Theater system. The same 6-room system that cost $2500 from Sonos would only cost $900 plus the cost of an iPod Touch or your iPhone - less than half the cost, but with all the benefits of being Open Source.
:thumbsup:
Cliff's:
1. Squeezebox Receiver gives you whole-house audio for $150 per room
2. Just hack with Perl script
3. Add amp/speakers and enjoy!
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