Can multiple controllers control single receiver?

[bobkoure]

I have some friends who have a house that's already wired for central sound and has wireless.
It seems to me that the most seamless way to insert a Squeezebox into that system would be the receiver-half of a duo at the central audio closet (there'll be ethernet there) and a controller connected to their house-wide wireless.
Any reason that won't work?
Then... they have multiple remotes scattered around (big house), so they'll probably want multiple controllers. Will that work with a single receiver? (Yes, I know this is backwards from what folks are interested in doing).
Thanks!
Bob

[peter]

Can multiple controllers control single receiver?

On Sun, 18 Jan 2009 08:14:15 -0800, "bobkoure"
<bobkoure.3m7viz1232295301 (AT) no-mx (DOT) forums.slimdevices.com> said:
>
> I have some friends who have a house that's already wired for central
> sound and has wireless.
> It seems to me that the most seamless way to insert a Squeezebox into
> that system would be the receiver-half of a duo at the central audio
> closet (there'll be ethernet there) and a controller connected to their
> house-wide wireless.

Yes, you can!

> Any reason that won't work?

No.

> Then... they have multiple remotes scattered around (big house), so
> they'll probably want multiple controllers. Will that work with a
> single receiver? (Yes, I know this is backwards from what folks are
> interested in doing).

Nevermind, the system is flexible enough...

Regards,
Peter

[bobkoure]

Thanks!
Actually, now that I think about it, it likely makes more sense to have a SB3 and a number of controllers.
The house is wired for IR-repeat to the audio closet, so, something with IR-in, so the remotes already in place can do simple things like pause/play/skip. Looks like the wall units (where the IR receivers are) are also programmable for simple stuff like that, as well as changing audio/video source.
... and it also sets things up so the IR out from the SB3 can feed into the centralized system. Looks to be an interesting system to get set up. :-) (oh - and, yeah, I am jealous - at least a bit)

[st2000]

Can multiple controllers control single receiver?

bobkoure wrote:
> Thanks!
> Actually, now that I think about it, it likely makes more sense to have
> a SB3 and a number of controllers.
> The house is wired for IR-repeat to the audio closet, so, something
> with IR-in, so the remotes already in place can do simple things like
> pause/play/skip. Looks like the wall units (where the IR receivers are)
> are also programmable for simple stuff like that, as well as changing
> audio/video source.
> ... and it also sets things up so the IR out from the SB3 can feed into
> the centralized system. Looks to be an interesting system to get set up.
> :-) (oh - and, yeah, I -am- jealous - at least a bit)

I don't get it?

W/o the display at every control point all you can really do is play,
pause... yup, that's about all I think you could do.

So, you just sank $300 into an SB and stuck it in the closet? Plus you
still need to put the music on a computer (I consider a NAS box a
computer if that's what you are using). Why not just skip the SB and
stick a computer in the closet complete w/a ASK IR receiver (dongle)
thingy and softsqueeze? I can't believe a USB IR receiver being more
than $50, more like $30. I don't know how much of a hassle this would
be in Windows, but in Linux it would be a snap.

Personally I would never install or pay more for a house w/an audio
system. It's old fashion to run analog and you are stuck with that type
of media. If you ran 1000, 100 or even 10BaseT lines you could
distribute all kinds of services from HDTV to VOIP.

[bobkoure]

I don't get it?

That's up to you, of course

W/o the display at every control point all you can really do is play,
pause... yup, that's about all I think you could do.

Right - play/pause/skip, with the IR controls they already have - including ones built into wall panels in each room

So, you just sank $300 into an SB and stuck it in the closet?

Well actually, not $300, but the difference in price between SB3 and receiver, so more like $150. IMHO worth it for the additional IR integration. Yeah, the display'll never get seen. Wouldn't be using the receiver's ability to connect with a controller wirelessly, anyway

Plus you still need to put the music on a computer (I consider a NAS box a
computer if that's what you are using).

Server's already in place. Used as a remote control point for their PBX and local print server. Directly downstairs from the a/v closet, anyway, and there's a chase.

Why not just skip the SB and stick a computer in the closet complete w/a ASK IR receiver (dongle)
thingy and softsqueeze? I can't believe a USB IR receiver being more than $50, more like $30. I don't know how much of a hassle this would be in Windows, but in Linux it would be a snap.

Not a bad way to go, if you feel softsqueeze is reliable to just run for weeks on end. My experience (admittedly on win as I tend to use linux for servers) has not been that positive.

Personally I would never install or pay more for a house w/an audio system.

I suspect you might not be in the market for this one, anyway. Big house, big barn (barn's maybe two football fields away), guest house (which I've never seen), carriage house, pool, pool house, all in a fairly expensive town. Eight or ten acres. Not something I would ever be able to afford.

It's old fashion to run analog and you are stuck with that type of media. If you ran 1000, 100 or even 10BaseT lines you could distribute all kinds of services from HDTV to VOIP.

You might be missing the point that the analog A/V wiring's already there. Ditto the I/R relay/amplification stuff. Pretty sure cost's a non-issue, but ripping up walls would be. Rewiring will be a major job (large house). And, old-style or not, this'll work fine.

[cshaida]

similar situation

I have a vacation house that happened to come with a whole-house audio system (Russound). I would never have done it that way but since it was already there I added a sbr that essentially functions as another audio-in (it sits in the cabinet along with a bunch of ridiculously over-priced components--the 6-zone amp, cd changer (never used), tuner (never-used), power conditioner). The controller works just fine. It is a bit counter-intuitive though since the controller can't control (no fault of the controller!) the on/off, audio-in or individual volume of each zone; there are proprietary in-wall units that do that. In actual practice what happens is that the in-wall units are all set to the squeezeebox as the default audio-in. People will turn on the music in a given room/zone using the wall unit and then use the controller to select music. Seems to work, quests think its cool.

(I should note that I was already an sb devotee and have internalized all of the sb quirks. It was/is great to be able to get my rhapsody library, pandora stations, access to mp3 tunes locker in the second house. It's also mildly amusing to be able to change music remotely when guests are staying at the house!)

[st2000]

Can multiple controllers control single receiver?

bobkoure wrote:
> st2000;386652 Wrote:
....<cut>...
>> Why not just skip the SB and stick a computer in the closet complete w/a
>> ASK IR receiver (dongle)
>> thingy and softsqueeze? I can't believe a USB IR receiver being more
>> than $50, more like $30. I don't know how much of a hassle this would
>> be in Windows, but in Linux it would be a snap.

> Not a bad way to go, if you feel softsqueeze is reliable to just run
> for weeks on end. My experience (admittedly on win as I tend to use
> linux for servers) has not been that positive.

Well, there are alternatives clients which run on PCs. The most lean I
can think of (so perhaps the most robust??) would be slimp3slave.
Totally written in C and compiles out the gate from linux. I don't know
what you would have to do to get it to work for windows (I usually find
windows make tasks which are simple in linux unbearably complex).

I know you don't want to add 10BaseT wiring, but I'll tell you I would
want if the set up was mine and you stuck to the analog distribution.

I'd like a local display at the most used outlets. If you used
slimp3slave you could easily re-write it to send the text to internet
appliances. And, I should think, you could find VFDs with 10BaseT
interfaces. They will probably cost a arm but that doesn't sound like
it would matter. And, as the VFDs would ultimately be controlled by SC,
many plug ins should work "out of the box" (i.e. weather, time, stock
market, news scrapers...). Sounds like fun!