Logitech Squeezebox Radio

As with all Squeezebox music streamers accessing music from your PC hard drive or network storage involves downloading the Squeezebox Server software, formerly known as Squeezecentre. Now at version 7.4.1 the server software is available for Windows, Mac, Debian/Ubuntu, vanilla Linux and Netgear Ready Nas or you can download the Perl source code.

Now playing: album art puts you in the picture

We have always found Squeezebox Server to be pretty reliable and robust, but some may quite reasonably ask why Squeezebox devices aren't set up with the option to look for any old DNLA or UPnP server system or iTunes. Roku's kit is, and it's all the better for it.

When importing the iTunes music library from a Windows PC, the Server and Radio combo made a reasonable, but not perfect fist of things. Over the course of a week we found about half a dozen tracks or albums in the 'wrong' place either on the Server or the Radio or both. On the up side, it managed to import our iTunes and Windows Media Player playlists in good order and recognized gapless albums.

Like the Squeezebox Duet and Boom, the Radio hooks into your 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi network to access stored music or Internet feeds. The wireless card in the Radio is only 'g' spec though, so don't expect the extra range of true 802.11n. Once up and running our Radio didn't prove quite as reliable at keeping hold of a Wi-Fi signal as the other Squeezebox devices we have tested in the past and in the same surroundings.

Every now and again the Radio would seem to lose connection and then replay the current song from its buffer, only to stop again and replay at the same point. We couldn't find any rhyme or reason for this and it certainly wasn't a distance-from-router issue. However, after a couple of days, the problem largely – though not entirely – vanished.

Sounding off: hooks up with your MP3 player

Format support is typical for Logitech, so the Radio will happily stream DRM-free MP3, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, WMA, Ogg Vorbis, AAC and Apple Lossless files. The Radio can also stream MP3, Ogg Vorbis, AAC and WMA formatted radio directly from the Internet.