Product Description

High quality Full-range Stereo Speakers (2 x 5W)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7471 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Roberts
• Model: WM201
• Dimensions: 8.46" h x 4.53" w x 11.42" l,

Features

• Roberts Radio WM201 Wifi Internet Radio & Media Player
• Requires Broadband Internet Connection with Wireless Router/Wired Ethernet Connection
• Listen To Radio Stations From Around The Country, From Around The World
• Receive Over 6000 Radio Stations (Over 600 From The UK)
• Listen To Previously Broadcast Material From The BBC Using Listen Again

Customer Reviews

Internet radio without a PC
As an expat, I have previously used a BT Voyager Digital Media Player if I wanted to listen to BBC broadcasts. It had quite good broadcast quality but needed a running PC to operate the USB transmitter relaying the signal to the radio, and had no sleep button. It would also suffer from interference (stations changing by themselves, sound levels moving about, etc.).

This new Roberts Radio is excellent. Sound quality is very good, it connects directly to the internet (either LAN or Wi-Fi) without the need to have a PC running, and it has a sleep function of up to 2 hours, plus alarms. Acquiring specific radio stations for the first time is easy, if a bit long-winded. The radio also provides direct access to the "listen again" features of BBC Radio 4 and other stations. So, for example, it is possible to listen at any time to the latest news or a favourite programme that you may have missed.

Overall, the radio provides better quality sound and far more stations than the DAB radio service in the UK, and surely must be the future of sound broadcasting. If it was cheaper, I would buy two of them (one for the bedroom and one for the sitting room) but will have to make do with just the one for the time being.

Brilliant - we now have 2!
These are very unassuming bits of kit but don't let the lo-tech exterior fool you. Under the gorgeous piano black exterior is a fabulous sounding, flexible and easy to use marvel of the modern age. Roberts really have put a tremendous amount of thought into this unit.

You can connect the unit to your network using either Wi-Fi (antennae on the back) or the RJ45 ETHERNET port (also on the back) - I use the latter. By the time that I'd plugged the unit into the mains, plugged in the network cable (direct connection to my router), switched it on, dashed downstairs and back up again to retrieve my mug of tea the radio had not only connected itself to my network and downloaded all of the internet stations available but it was quite happily streaming BBC Radio 1. How fab is that?!

The rest of the set up was just as easy and completed in a matter of minutes. The MENU system is intuitive and easy to navigate using the rotary control knob on the centre of the fascia. There aren't many menu options and, to be fair, you don't really need many. You just get what you need. Turn the control to highlight the menu item you want and push it in to select. You also get a handy palm sized remote control with all the main functions at your fingertips.

Radio stations can be found by region or genre and there are 12 PRESET SLOTS available for your favourites. I actually found it easier to register the unit (using a unique identifier found in the configuration menu) on www.reciva.com and then browse for stations using their search engine. reciva.com allows to add stations to list of My Stations - this list is automatically downloaded to your unit when it reconnects to your network (I just pulled out the network cable and put it back in again). A new sub menu called My Stuff containing your stations then appears under the Radio Stations menu. There are full instructions on how to do this (and more!) in the excellent and well put together OWNERS MANUAL.

Get yourself a QNAP TS Network Hard Drive and you can STREAM your ripped music collection (MP3s, WMAs, etc) to your Roberts Internet radio without having to have your computer on. This was also very easy to do as the QNAP comes with a couple of media servers preloaded. I used Twonky and it worked with the Roberts radio straight away.

Turn the unit on and it starts playing the last station you were listening to at the same volume.

The ALARM function is excellent (the time is set automatically when you connect to a network) - you can program 4 separate alarms to trigger either radio or buzzer. You get the choice of a one time only alarm, everyday, weekly, weekdays or weekends. Not only that but you get to choose which radio station you want for each alarm. So, even if you fall asleep listening to one station then you'll get woken with the one specified in the alarm. The alarm settings are stored on a non volatile chip which means that your alarms won't get lost if you unplug the unit from the mains or if there's a power cut. Of course there's a SNOOZE function too with a sensible choice of snooze times.

If all that wasn't enough the unit also has an AUXILIARY input so you can always plug in your MP3 player.

In use the unit is brilliant. I've had one for a month now and it's incredibly stable/reliable. The SOUND QUALITY is brilliant and it will fill the room with beautifully crystal clear sound even at high volume. The sound is full, rich and well rounded without too much top or mid.

The only NIGGLES I have are that the unit doesn't display the time while playing. Instead it displays the current station (if radio) or song (if streaming media). You can override this and display the clock but it's only temporary. This is only a niggle if you're using the unit as a clock radio at your bedside in the morning.

The other niggle is that we find that the lowest brightness setting for the LCD display isn't low enough. It still emits quite a glow to the extent that we have to cover up the display on the unit in the bedroom at night. This then means that I have to move the obstruction in order to see the time if I wake up in the middle of the night.

These niggles are really very minor. Put it this way, we like the radios so much that we now have 2 - one in the bedroom and one in the kitchen.

By the way I use a D-Link DIR 655 Wireless Router set up as a DHCP server.

A class act!
This radio typifies Roberts command of the top end of the radio market - it oozes quality in form and function. Setting up for most people will be a breeze - the radio will detect your wireless network and you enter the encryption key in the same way that you would if a laptop, for example, was joining the network and that is it! The Roberts helpline is exemplary in its quality of service if you do need help. The radio will then treat you to around 6000 stations searchable by name and genre e.g. pop, jazz, country, blues etc. from around the world. Although the sound quality is dependent on the bit rate of the broadcast it is very good and most stations are received with a rich "deluxe" tone. Included is a slimline remote control which gives control over tuning, presets, tone including bass and treble etc. The look and build of this radio are complemented by a rich, quality sound making it a king amongst internet radios - it's so good to see a traditional English brand at the forefront of consumer technology like this.