[RndTbl] creating wifi-capable speakers

[Kat]

There are a few things I want  to set up for audio / media in my house.
The house isn't very large, but it has two levels, plus the basement (which
is living space, and where my linux box is).  My linux box is my media
server (well, it usually is, but my partition table has disappeared on one
drive and... that's a whole other story.)

I am thinking about speakers at least in the kitchen and the bedroom.
Converting the sound system hooked up to my TV would be nice, too.

I don't like the range on bluetooth for this application.   The $25 1x2"
bluetooth gadget I have plugged into my living room sound system is ok, but
doesn't seem to have the range or behaviour I'd like, in actuality.  So I
was thinking about wifi.  However wifi speakers are quite expensive, and
seem very overpriced to me ($250-$800?  Seriously?)

Like my little $25 bluetooth->3.5mm gadget, I was hoping to find something
simple like that in wifi flavour, but I haven't come across anything.  Do
these even exist?

The other option is getting a Raspberry Pi (which has wifi or ethernet and
a 3.5mm audio jack) and setting up as a DLNA client for speakers / speakers
systems that have a 3.5 input.  When researching this they often talk about
setting up the Pi and also setting up a phone to be the client that selects
the music or playlist, but it occoured to me that my old HTC phone has both
wifi and a 3.5 input.... so I can probably just use the phone to perform
the function "as the Pi" in one of my three areas.  I can use my current
phone or tablet as the control devices.  Has anyone here mucked around with
this stuff already?  Any warnings for this setup, or alternate
recommendations?

My HTC phone is currently unrooted and running Gingerbread, I think.  I
will know when I can find the proprietary charger.  No objections to
rooting it and trying to install whatever I please on there.  My current
phone is a Blackberry, but I'm running Snap.  My tablet is also running
Android (KitKat).



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Katherine Scrupa
Network Technology CCNA, Hons.
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