Aluratek AIRMM01 Internet Radio Alarm Clock with built-in WiFi (Black)

When the Smooth Jazz station in my area went off the air, I thought about getting a subscription to satellite radio but figured that there should be a device that allowed me to listen to the radio - away from my computer - over the internet via the internet subscription I already have. Enter the Aluratek AIRMM01 Internet Radio. It does everything I want: streams thousands of smooth jazz stations from around the world (I listened to a station in Belgium last night!) to my bedroom, picks up my local FM stations, displays the time and has a sleep timer. (The media service streaming & MP3 player are icing on the cake for me) It's fabulous.

BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD & INSTALL THE FIRMWARE UPDATE. Once you do the unit automatically detects the wireless networks available; pick yours, enter your security key if necessary and you're good to go. The sound is decent, better than your average clock radio, but it's not Bose. It's a nice size - doesn't take up too much space on your dresser or night stand. The display is quite bright, not good for sleeping; I turn it off at bedtime since I like my room dark. I'm seriously considering a 2nd unit for the kitchen. I've been using it about a week and I consider it money well spent.

Here is the way to get the best use of the Aluratek Internet Radio:

1.Download the latest firmware from here and install it:
http://www.aluratek.com/download_drivers_manuals.php
2.Now you can add stations not otherwise available. Here is how:
http://helpdesk.aluratek.com/index.php?
pid=knowledgebase#display_entry,true,29
Windows Media player then lets you find the URL of most stations via a pls file.
(but not radio365, which does not provide URL access from internet radios )
3.Set up via the Aluretek manual to stream MP3s from your computer. If you need to convert CDs to MP3s, iTunes makes it easy.

Now you have access to most internet radio and your own music, too.

Not only that, but anyone can access all this easily.

What a super product!!

After purchasing a Sangean WFR-1 radio for a friend of mine, I can definitely say that this little wonder has provided excellent audio quality and interaction when connecting to my Wifi router was quicker than the one for the Sangean; sound quality is perhaps a bit better since the Aluratek sound is a bit crispier. Price also is great. I read some reviews complaining about the light being too bright. The model I have here has an option that shuts the light off while the system is still working. Remote control is very user friendly. We are now thinking about asking Santa for a 2nd unit in 2009. Cheers!

It takes under 5 minutes to set up... no joke. Lots of great stations. The remote is a little wonky and takes a bit (few minutes?) to get used to. It even knows what time it is right off the bat and everything... literally NO set up!!

I LOVE this radio and recommend that you buy it. As a longtime radio fan, this is a dream and will work well if you do a little legwork BUT if you want to get the most out of the unit you have to look out for a couple things:

1. Update The Firmware...it is necessary to get it working with WPA security.

2. Note that YOU CAN add stations directly to this radio (contrary to what most reviewers say) via a website at http://aluratek.vtuner.com where you register your radio and get access to this feature. However, I can't blame other reviewers for not knowing it! For some reason, this key feature IS NOT included in the documentation! I only stumbled on this at one of the forum posts here at Amazon.

I have not gotten into the media server function but as an internet radio this is absolutely amazing! I LOVE IT, its sound is perfectly good for unit of its type plus you can output it to better speakers if you wish.

The remote is very nice. Do a little legwork and you'll love it too.