Regular readers will know that we get sent a hell of a lot
of wireless speakers and headphones to test. Although clearly more practical
than their older wired cousins, Bluetooth and WiFi music systems tend to be a
lot for expensive - especially when multiple speakers come into play. D-Link
have the answer; one that won't result in worried calls from your bank manager.
It's the Music Everywhere WiFi Audio Extender.
If you read these reviews religiously (of course you do) then you might have already noticed that we've previously mentioned the D-Link Music Everywhere in our review of the Edifier M2280 Multimedia Speakers. There we used the Music Everywhere to make a pair of fairly run-of-the-mill speakers wireless, thus creating a WiFi music streaming network for the home for a lot less than you think.
The D-Link Music Everywhere is quite like it's sibling the
Smart Plug, in that it plugs directly into a wall socket to get the juice it
needs to run. The clever bit is that you then connect up your wired speakers,
via a standard 3.5mm audio jack, to the device. With one quick press of the WPS
button on the Music Everywhere it will automatically connect to your WiFi
network and appear as a device in the My D-Link Home app (for Android and iOS).
Just like Smart Plug you then have total control over it from you phone or
tablet, allowing you to stream your music wirelessly.
It's certainly a great idea and helpfully acts to drag older technology bang up to date. If you've been lamenting the fact that you have to get up out of your chair to change the CD on that old stereo, but love how great music sounds through those huge speakers, this is for you. Simply directly connect those much-loved speakers to the D-Link Music Everywhere and you'll now have access to all the new music you have downloaded on your mobile device.
The Music Everywhere also acts like a WiFi signal extender,
which is more of an added bonus than a selling point. Certainly the strength of
the extended signal didn't match the recently reviewed Netgear EX6200, but it
was powerful to pick up the music from anywhere in the house, no matter where
we were with our phone in relation to the device and connected speakers.
A gadget like the D-Link Music Everywhere raises issue about the future of home music systems. Whereas you once had to buy both the player and the speakers, you now have a very capable player sitting in your pocket all the time. That just leaves speakers to get the music out there, and before phone makers build a handset with an output to rival a rock concert, devices like the Music Everywhere suddenly seem very necessary.
£44.99