It is fairly common knowledge these days that you can listen to radio stations from around the world on your computer. All you need is a good Internet connection and you can listen to live music from a dozen or so radio stations from Thailand. Obviously this is excellent for Thai people living abroad. They can enjoy all the latest music where ever they may be in the world. It is also good for people learning Thai. They can practise their language skills by listening to the DJs. However, the downside is that you have to fire up your computer in order to listen to the radio stations. You are also restricted to listening to the music in the room where your computer is set up. But not any longer. Now you can buy Internet Radios that are independent from your computer system. They look a bit like your ordinary radio receiver that you might have in the kitchen or living room. However, this one picks up signals from your Internet modem. The model I am reviewing today is wireless and so you can use anywhere around the house as long as it is within range of your wireless modem router. Unlike your normal radio, this one can pick up over 6,000 radio stations from around the world. This includes nearly 600 stations from the UK alone.
The device I recently bought is the Logik IR100 Internet Radio from Currys. It is also sold at PC World. It actually looks a bit like an old wireless. Which is funny because it has now gone a full circle to a different kind of wireless. I first saw this model last year when I was in the UK. I was thinking about buying it back then. I am glad I didn’t because it has since been reduced twice to only 49 pounds. There isn’t much competition on the shelves. Certainly not at this price range. I find that a bit strange as I have found this Internet radio to be really great. It is literally plug and play. Turn it on and it starts looking for your network. Once connected, you can choose your station either by location or genre. I chose Asia and then Thailand. It then loaded 17 stations. All you then do is scroll down the list to choose the radio station that you want to listen to. It then connects, buffers and starts playing. You can see the transfer rates so you know if there is any likelihood of that radio signal dropping out. It is basically only as good as your Internet connection.
The website that the wireless device connects to is reciva.com. If you go there and register, you can actually suggest further radio stations to add to the list. You can also test out the radio before you buy by listening to them on their website. The Logik IR100 is not the only radio device to use this website. If you go there, you will see other radios. The more expensive ones have more features. But at this price, I am very happy with my Logik IR 100 and I am looking forward to using it a lot in the future.
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