• Connects your stereo system to a Wireless-B (802.11b) network
• Supports 5.1 channel audio through optical audio connection
• Select songs, lists, and services on the built-in display with the easy-to-use remote control
• Includes high-quality detachable powered "bookshelf" speakers

The Linksys Wireless-B Music System lets you bring the digital music stored on your computer to your Home Entertainment Center, without running cables through the house. Using a wireless connection, the Music System finally frees your digital music collection from those little computer speakers to play in full glory through your stereo system.The Wireless-B Music System sits by your home stereo and connects to it using standard consumer electronics cables. Then it connects to your home network by Wireless-B (802.11b) wireless networking, or if you prefer, it can be connected via standard 10/100 Ethernet cabling. Using the included remote control and the built-in LCD menus, you can browse your MP3 or WMA formatted music collection on your home PCs by title, artist, album, genre, or playlist. Or, access the Rhapsody Digital Music service (free trial included) to listen to over 450, 000 songs on demand, create custom playlists and radio stations, and burn mixed CDs on your PC. You can also tune into thousands of Internet radio stations from over 100 different countries around the world.Choose the music you want, and let the Wireless-B Music System play it through your living room stereo. Or, with its small but powerful detachable speakers, it can also act as your portable digital music "boombox". Carry the Music System around the house and have access to your entire music collection, and your favorite Internet radio stations, anywhere within range of your wireless network - the kitchen, den, even out on the patio by the pool.Let the Linksys Wireless-B Music System bring digital music out into the living room for the whole family to enjoy.

This product depends upon a media server application. The installation CD comes with MusicMatch Jukebox, which doesn't work anymore since MusicMatch is out of business. You can use other media servers (Microsoft Media Player, for instance), and it somewhat works. If the reason you bought this, however, is for internet radio, Media Player doesn't help. Your best bet is to go to www.linksysradio.com, download their replacement firmware, and use their Super Internet Radio Tuning Service. It updates the station list on the device and let's you tune in to stations without having to use a separate computer to run a media server. You can still use something like Microsoft Media Player if you wprefer to access music that resides on your computer.

In summary, (a) don't bother trying to get the out-of-the-box software to work, (b) use www.linksysradio.com (run by vTuner) to upgrade the firmware, (c) buy Super Internet Radio Tuning Service ($20-30) from vTuner if you want internet radio, (d) use Windows Media Player if you want to play stuff that's already on your computer.

You can find new units for $25-30 if you look around. If that's what you'll pay, it is worth having. On the other hand, if you have to pay $100 for the unit, I wouldn't recommend it.

Ok, if you buy this item be aware that its limited to mp3 audio delivery. Also, you must upgrade to the latest bios on the system otherwise is very limited.
To receive other radio station you need to purchase access to the radio software.
Also, you should join the yahoo group for this radio.

Outside that, the setup is easy (if you follow the instructions). Radio output is ok, it sound more boxy that anything else even if you change the output quality.

Its ok for this inexpensive radio.

All I needed was to play 2 mp3 web stations. Once I found the URL's and loaded them into the Favorites it started playing the stations just fine. I like the fact that you can wirelessly load the URL's. I also upgraded the firmware to ver. 1.0.9 and it gave more room for favorites.

I am surprised to find out that this product was discontinued a year or 2 ago. I guess that's why I got it for about 1/3 of the original price when it first came out.

Pros:
-The sound is clear and enjoyable via wireless connection.
-Wireless reception is strong enough so I can listen to music/radio upstairs even if the wireless access point is located downstairs at the other side of the house (about 40ft. away).
-Windows Media Player can be used as the media server to stream music to the unit.

Cons:
-It was a hassle to look for the updated firmware so it could work properly.
-With the speakers attached, the unit is rather big for a radio.
-If you look at the back, there are so many wires visible even though I tried to tidy up with cable ties.
-If you want to keep your personal radio stations selections, you need to pay $30 to join. But you actually don't need that "membership" to listen to hundreds of radio stations broadcasted on the Internet.

Even though there are some cons about this unit, I still highly recommend it to a friend.

About 18 month ago, I purchased my first wireless internet radio. media player. An Acoustic Energy. I spent over two years arguing over what to buy, was it worth so much money, etc. One of the first I looked at was this Linksys Wireless Music System but at the time it cost 150 dollars. While I was arguing with myself overpurchasing this system, Acoustic Energy came out with its first wireless radio using the Reciva database.
The AE was not my first system. I did have an earlier system, a "Sonowave" that used XML based software to transmit stations to a remote boom box by means of a separate USB tranceiver that was connected to the computer and transmitted on a 900MHZ frequency. It had wonderful stereo sound, but it died in six months and was only useful for FM after that.

The Reciva system is very good and it has gotten a lot of the wrinkles out of receiving streaming internet radio.

But the 30 dollar price of this unit makes it well worth anyones while to buy it, either as a second system or a first internet radio for anyone who does not wish to spend the 300 dollars that most wifi radios now cost

As an internet radio, it works more than well enough. It does not handle Real Audio streams, but most stations also run on either MP3 and Windows Media formats as well, so this is not a big sacrifice.

Many here have complained that some of the station that are programmmed into this music system do not play, but that is rather due to its reliance on the VTuner database. Reciva established its own database for its user, and Linksys relied on an existing product. Many of the vTuner stations are dead links. Users can send updates to urls to the Vtuner site as well as request that they add stations and they are rather good about doing this. But the fact that stations do not play is not a fault of the unit, but of the web site that runs the database of stations.

On the whole I would recommend this radio as an inexpensive introduction to internet radios, a second system to those who already own one.

I am not all that interested personally in streaming my music collection from my computer. My Reciva unit does that quite well, but it is something I actually never use.

The unit is very easy to set up by anyone who has ever set up their own wireless router/dsl modem combo or a wireless modem. It is a simple matter of simply connecting the radio to your computers ethernet port and running the set up software. Updating to the latest drivers and firmware is recommended, its easy to get them both off the Linksys site.

While people state that it only runs MP3 stations, I have been able to run radio stations that use Windows Media files as well. Again, there are many that are listed on the vTuner site that are not up to date and so do not run, but those that are up to date run on this unit fine, so far.

If the station runs off of the VTUNER site on your computer, it will run on this music player. You just have to look at the VTUNER site, try to run the station from there, and then try it on your Linksys Wireless Music System. The only VTuner stations that will not run on this one seem to by those using Real Player modes.