Hi Forumities!
I don’t need too much! I just want to play a music!
I want my Vera lite to play different pieces of music from a USB or SD-Card through different speakers in hall and bedrooms for “Wake up” and “Bed time” scenarios.
It seems that I have different options:
1- Sonos WI-FI Speakers with Sonos plugin
2- SQ Blaster
3- Itach & Irule
I don’t have a home theater system, but I will buy if I have to, I am just looking for the most easy and user friendly option. It seems to me that Sonos should be quiet easy as they don’t need wiring and I can place speakers wherever I like, but I was following up the forum and I see complicated codes for Sonos plugin and see people have problem to configure Sonos and play music.
If this difficulties in configuration and installation of plugins are only 1 time and there is no need to re-configure or install the plugin any more time, it is okay! But I really wonder how a simple thing can be quite difficult in Vera lite, I just want to play a music! That’s all!
Is playing music through other controllers like Home Center 2 or Homeseer the same difficult as Vera?
Thanks!
For what you are wanting to do the sonos is going to be your best bet. The plugin is great and can do all you are asking, I recommend having your music stored on a nas so you can play the music files without having a pc on, you can also have it say alerts using TTS.
Hello Steve,
Thanks for your comments. I see some guys combine Sonos speakers with Russound MCA-C5, what is the reason for this combination? If Sonos speakers can work standalone, why they purchase an expensive Russound MCA-C5?
I think I only need the below items, do I need anything else?
- SONOS PLAY:1 Speaker---- 3 units
- SONOS BRIDGE to connect to your router---- 1 unit
Generally Sonos are expensive (The price PLAY:1 is more than the price of Vera Lite controller!!), is there any cheaper solution?
Thanks!
Yeah sonos is expensive for just a speaker but when you look at the cost of whole house audio systems its not expensive at all, the audio between different zones syncs up perfectly and the ios and android apps are very nice as well.
as far as the russound with sonos go they are probably using a sonos connect zone as a source for the russound to distribute to the different zones, that my guess anyway.
the play one is the newest and cheapest sonos zone player, I have one and it actually sounds pretty good for its size.
also you only need the bridge if you are unable to hard wire one of the sonos speakers to your router.
DIY route, you can use a raspberry pi and the squeezelite software and have it hooked up to an audio source. Then you can use the squeezebox plugin. Or see if you can pick up some squeezebox radios (discontinued).
- Garrett
Thanks Steve & Garrett,
Sonos seems expensive to me for start. I would like to test Raspberry PI and play music from NAS. I have some questions, sorry to ask simple questions, I am a beginner!
1- It seems to me that I have two options:
1-1: I should found some squeezebox radios and connect it to a NAS. *** Then install squeezebox plugin on Vera, then I can play a music through Vera. This option is unlikely while they are discontinued.
1-2: I can purchase a Raspberry Pi and install Squeezelite software on it and connect it to a NAS. *** Then install squeezebox plugin on Vera, then I can play a music through Vera.
am I in a correct way?
I am good at software, but I am not the end user of Vera system, I am a bit worry that Raspberry Pi would be difficult for the end user specially for a 12 YO boy for audio control, would it be easy for the end user to make play list of music, etc? Is it possible that the end user change the configurations and needs support very often?
Thanks!
I use squeezelite on everything, phone, tablet, PC, xbmc plugin. Cheap and runs well. Also has tts or file annoucments.
Hello Javelin,
What are the android apps that work with Squeezelite?
I know Squeezer, what do you use?
Do you have a Vera controller and do you use Raspberry Pi for mullti room audio control?
Thanks
Reza