Sangean WFR-1 WIFI Internet Radio
 |   Publisher : Sangean Company : Sangean |
Features
- Access over 16,000 Internet Radio Stations
- FM-RDS displays track and artist info during FM radio playback
- 20 FM presets
- Remote control included
- Aux In/Line Out jack
Product Description
Now you can enjoy the excitement of accessing over 16000 Internet Radio Stations almost anywhere when you own a new Sangean WFR-1 Internet Radio and in addition enjoy any of your local standard FM broadcasts using the built in FM tuner with RDS or upload your favorite or any internet station to your Sangean WFR-1s My Station allowing quick and easy future access. You no longer need to be glued to your computer to access your favorite Internet station nor do you even need your computer to be on. All you need is a broadband internet connection and a wired or wireless router. Add to your listening pleasure by creating your own Digital Music Library. The Sangean WFR-1 offers the ultimate in Internet radio listening.Customer reviews
Excellent WiFi Radio 
I primarily chose this radio over others (including the Logitech Squeezebox) because of its good looks. But it's a very good radio as well. The menu structure is logical, the display is easy to read, there is a cool web interface to easily surf all stations and add them to your favorites. Truly amazing stuff! The sounds is good, though don't expect miracles. It can be a bit boomy at times, but otherwise sounds quite good.
A quick tip: I had the same problem with the WEP setup, it only allows 64-bit WEB encoding (10 characters). However, you simply download the latest firmware (Sangean posted a new version on Nov. 5, 2008) which supports 128 bit encryption! Set your router to 64-bit (for now), connect the radio, then download the update directly over the internet (Under setup menu -> Upgrade). It will download the latest firmware and install it in a minute or so. After that you can set your router back to 128-bit encryption and reconnect the radio, this time you can enter a full 128-bit HEX code! The backlight is still on after you turn the radio off, but it's dimmed. I have this in my office, not the bedroom, but I wouldn't expect this to be a problem.
You can't WEP your A$$ with this 
I just received this radio today and I could crap a better instruction manual than the one that came with it. There are display bugs that won't let you see the entire string when you try to enter a 128 bit WEP key. Updating software from a wired connection doesn't resolve the issue. I've read that the WFT-1 from SANGEAN has the same issue but updating its software/firmware resolves it. No such luck with this model. Additionally when I solicited help from SANGEAN [...], I was told "Oh it's WiFi? Selyn isn't in today. Call back Monday." What a gyp.
Good internet radio, inadequate alarm options
I wanted an internet/FM clock radio and this one got some good reviews.
Pros: Great retro look, just like the AM radios of my childhood. Beautifully finished real wood case, a single big knob, and a yellow glowing display. The sound is quite good for a tabletop--maybe a bit boomy but that should be fixable by the eq function. The FM reception is helped by a real car-radio-style antenna. The good news is that my favorite weak stations are streamed online so the FM reception is not really much of a factor. The menu structure is logical and easy to use, giving access to FM, internet radio, podcasts, and your local shared music library. I haven't yet figured out if you can plug in your iPod, but there is a USB port that must be good for something. The wifi worked well with my AirPort (but see cons). The variety of internet stations available is overwhelming; you could waste a lot of time channel surfing. Finally, because Fort Collins CO is my home town I'm a big fan of atomic clocks. This radio doesn't have that feature, but it does have an option to sync time over the internet, which is great.
Cons: For me the biggest disappointment is the alarm clock. You have to navigate through the menus to change settings. This is worse than it sounds because although there are two alarms, there's no way I could find to have, say, one alarm for weekdays and another for weekends. If, like me, you keep flexible hours, this could be very annoying. Surely there's enough processor power and memory in this product to implement different alarms for every day of the week. Too bad it isn't open source. Also, the price paid for good looks is that the control buttons are indistinct and their labels virtually unreadable. Once you play with it a bit you can learn the keys, but I'd suggest you not toss the manual. Others have complained of the light, which cannot be turned off. I'm a good sleeper and do not expect it to be a problem for me. A minor annoyance was that the wifi setup seems to have a limit of 10 characters for a WEP password. So I had to reconfigure my AirPort before I could connect wirelessly. And, as another reviewer noted, remember that passwords are case sensitive.
Summary: This is an excellent, good-looking FM/wifi/internet radio, but with barely adequate alarm options.
Truly amazing wi-fi radio - highly recommended! 
I've watched this advertized on Sangean's site for a year, impatiently waiting, and finally got it yesteday. Its beautiful in every way. Installed easily, menu to navigate the 16,000 internet radio stations well done, web creation of playlists you can access directly from the radio or your own content on Windows Medida player 11 quite easy. The audio is very good (If the Bose CD desktop is an A, this is a B+ after getting the EQ right.) Most channels CD quality sound. I'm quite ecstatic having this and very highly recommend it.
A few little tips: when putting in your router password, there is a lower case alphabet later in the selection to use, and the remote didn't work great til I put a little paper between the batteries to line them up better, now its flawless. Don't let this lead you to believe this cheaply made, this is a very nicely built, attractive device.
No comments:
Post a Comment