Electronics_For_You_July_2017

http://www.efymag.com electronics for you | July 2017 117

Paromik Chakraborty

How to Install A Wireless speaker system

estyle

do-it-yourself

T

o make your whole house

or office swing to melodies

through a common control

device without the cable clutter, Wi-Fi-

supported speakers are the way to go.

Here we have referred majorly to the

setup process of Bose SoundTouch 30

wireless speakers, but worry not! Most

wireless systems abide by similar in-

stallation procedures. Essentials in the

whole setup include speaker units, an

interface device to connect the system,

Wi-Fi (or ethernet) network in the

premises, power inputs, an application

software provided by the manufacturer

and, finally, your ears!

Get started

To start the setup, turn on your

speaker units. Place all the speakers

you have in the positions you want

and plug them into the nearest power

points and press power button on the

apparatus or the remote (if provided).

Usually, a small indicator light or a

small display screen on the speaker

indicates that the device is ‘on.’

Joining the dots. Speakers can be

connected using your smartphone,

tablet or even computer. Tablets and

smartphones will have the same set of

actions while your computer will be a

tad different. Make sure that the Wi-Fi

network at your place is ‘on,’ your

smart devices or computers are con-

nected to the network, and the Wi-Fi

indicator on your speakers is glowing.

Using your smartphone or tablet

Download the mobile application

developed by the vendor and install it

in your device. This application allows

users to connect the sound system

with the Wi-Fi network, choose

multiple speakers available within the

vicinity, parallely engage with them,

maintain an audio library and play

audio through the selected speakers.

The main condition is that all the con-

nected systems including the speakers

and the device should be connected to

the same common Wi-Fi network.

Speakers generally contain inbuilt

Wi-Fi systems, so these can readily

connect to your home network. The

process flow is easy:

1. Turn on Wi-Fi of your device
   and connect to intended Wi-Fi con-
   nectivity.


2. Download the vendor applica-
   tion and run it.


3. Next, select options equivalent
   to ‘Setup.’ To remind you, we had
   Wi-Fi signal on speakers blinking
   beforehand. Once you select ‘Setup’
   in the application, connect to the
   speaker Wi-Fi network.


4. From your device, go to the Wi-
   Fi option, open the list of Wi-Fi net-
   works available and choose the Wi-Fi
   network of the speaker. The network
   is usually open and not code-protect-
   ed, so you can directly connect to it.


5. Once your device is connected
   to the speaker network, go back to
   the application and continue. You will
   be taken to a screen to connect the
   speaker to your home network.


6. From the interface, select the
   Wi-Fi network name of your home
   which you wish to connect to, provide
   a password if asked for and confirm.
   You have successfully connected one
   speaker to your Wi-Fi network.


7. You can now proceed to add
   other speakers. Once again, ensure
   the Wi-Fi networks for these speakers
   are ‘on.’ You will either get an option
   to add more devices directly from the
   confirmation window or you can find it

from a separate option in the applica-

tion. The steps from here on will be the

same as for the speaker you first added.

8. Once the setup is done, you will
   have the option to view your con-
   nected speakers and the source from
   where you want to play the audio—
   be it the device, in-app library or even
   the Internet.
   Here onward, you will be able to
   select the audio file and speakers.
   You may also get the option to play
   different audio files through differ-
   ent sound boxes—depending upon
   the application.

Using a Mac or a Windows PC

1. Your computer system will also uti-
   lise the vendor application to connect
   and control your speakers. However,
   you will need to link the speaker to
   your system through a USB cable to
   install the necessary drivers. Here is
   how you do it:
   2. Connect USB cable properly
   between your Mac/Windows com-
   puter and the first speaker.
   3. Open the vendor application
   via web or via the process mentioned
   by the vendor. In case of a first-time
   login, you may be asked to create a
   user account.
   4. Next, simply connect the speakers
   to your home Wi-Fi network through
   the application. Choose your desired Wi-
   Fi network from the window display.
   5. Once you get the message of a
   successfully established connection,
   you can remove the USB cable and go
   wireless. You can now proceed to add
   another speaker.
   6. The following steps are the same
   as for the mobile application.

Paromik Chakraborty is a technical journalist at EFY