Wifi Internet Radios: 3 Myths About Listening Online   by Jamie Tyler

Internet Radio was once an extremely small part of the web, limited to a few established FM stations broadcasting their output online through a low-quality stream. But with the advent of broadband connections and wireless internet in the home, online radio has become massive. Gone are the days of having to choose between eight or nine radio stations; With internet radio, you can flick between tens of thousands of channels from all over the world. Whatever your interests, there’s a station for you.

Many people are wary of taking the plunge and joining the online radio revolution, however. If you’re not sure it’s the right thing for you, it may be that you’re concerned about cost, the technical details or something else. Here are four myths which may be stopping you, along with the facts you need to know.

Myth 1: You Need to Install Software on Your Computer to Listen to Internet Radio

One common misconception about Wifi Internet Radios is that you use it in conjunction with your PC or Mac. This is not true – You don’t even need a computer! All you need is access to an internet connection. If you buy an internet radio, the most technically complicated thing you’ll need to do is hook it up to your connection. And even that part is made as easy as possible.

If you want to take the popular route and connect it to your wireless hub, this will most likely involve little more than turning on the radio, selecting your hub’s name from the list on the radio’s screen, and then entering the security code (which is usually printed on the hub itself, and is used to that passers-by can’t access your connection). You’ll only need to do this once, as the radio will then automatically connect to that hub whenever you switch it on. Once this step is complete, the technical part is over and you’re free to start roaming the world of online radio!

Myth 2: You Need to Be a Computer Genius to use an Internet Radio

Just as you don’t need to understand frequency modulation and transistors to work a traditional FM radio, you need no computer knowledge to use a wifi internet radio. Everything is controlled through a screen and a few simple buttons, with most radios working in a similar way to a portable MP3 player – The huge quantity of content on offer is navigated through a few easy-to-use menus. Most internet radios allow you to browse stations by country or by genre, making it extremely simple to find your way around the thousands of stations on offer.

If the thought of all those stations sounds overwhelming, don’t panic! Internet radios make it easy for you to explore what’s out there and, once you’ve found a station you like, to keep hold of it. Just like a car stereo, internet radios allow you to store your favourite stations as presets. This means that when you finally discover that perfect Bolivian polka station, you can save it under button 1 and go straight there next time you switch on, rather than having to find it again amongst all the thousands of other stations. And, as you get more adventurous, you’ll be glad to know that many internet radios allow you to easily set up an online account where you can store as many of your favourites as you wish, and access them all through your radio.

Myth 3: If I buy an Internet Radio, I’ll miss all my favourite FM stations

Not at all. Just because you’re entering an exciting new world of music from around the globe, talk shows from the other side of the planet and entertainment never before heard in your home, you don’t have to say goodbye to your trusty local station. Most internet radios are actually multi-function radios, and so also include FM radio. Many models can also pick up DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) radio where available, as well as playing tracks from the music library on your PC, and even connecting to online services such as last.fm. And of course if your local station also broadcasts online (as most stations do these days), you can always listen to them that way!

Myth 4: It’ll cost a fortune to have an internet radio using my web connection

Many people worry that a radio using their internet connection will quickly exhaust their bandwidth. Whilst that may be the case if you’re on a limited plan, provided you have a sufficient monthly allowance (and are not already using it up through other activities such as downloading large files), an internet radio shouldn’t cause you any problems. Very few ISPs place such low restrictions on their plans these days, but it’s worth checking your details just in case.

Here’s how the numbers stack up; Although the figures vary between stations, the average online radio station uses around 64 kilobits per second. This works out at roughly 23Mb per hour – Roughly the same as if you were watching YouTube videos for the same period. Assuming you listened to the radio for two hours per day, this would mean a monthly bandwidth usage of 1.4Gb. Provided your internet service provider allows you 2Gb or more bandwidth per month, you shouldn’t have any problems with internet radio.

About the Author

For more advice on finding the best wifi radio for you, and for information on DAB and internet radio, visit dab-or-internet-radio.co.uk.

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