Wireless multi-room music is great, and now it's affordable because mBox will work with the speakers you already own!
Multi-room audio set free
First there were technicians running cables all over your house, and your speakers were tied down..
Then there were wireless multi-room music systems. Your speakers were set free, but now YOU were locked in to the system..
And now there’s mBox, the wireless multi-room system that works with ANY Bluetooth speaker!
What is it?
mBox is a Bluetooth music hub which will send out music simultaneously to regular Bluetooth speakers around your home.
mBox mini is a Bluetooth and Wi-Fi adapter which can turn any wired speaker into a wireless speaker, allowing you to use these with mBox as well.
Why mBox?
Current multi-room solutions are expensive and restrictive. I wanted multi-room audio, but I didn’t want to replace all my existing speakers, and I didn’t want to pay a premium for proprietary devices when I knew there were so many great speakers on the market from other companies. I quickly realised that current multi-room systems can easily add up to thousands of dollars, just to send music to where I wanted it!
I thought to myself: “I already have wireless speakers; why can’t I use those? Why do I have to buy all this special equipment?
THEN I thought to myself: “How hard could it be?
And NOW… well here we are!
Prototype Demo
How does it work?
mBox has 6 class 1 Bluetooth radios, each capable of receiving and sending audio. It also has auxiliary input and output ports, and WiFi.
To set it up, you simply launch the app. The app will find your mBox and show you a list of Bluetooth speakers that it can see. Just tick the ones you want to play music from and you’re done! mBox will remember it’s settings until you decide to change them.
How do I send music to it?
It’s up to you; send music wirelessly over Bluetooth, or use a cable.
Send music from your phone: You can connect to mBox any time via Bluetooth the same way you would to any Bluetooth speaker. Once connected you can play your music from any app you like. mBox will take that music and send out copies of it to all your speakers.
Send music with a cable:Any device with an auxiliary output can send music to mBox; just plug it into the input jack.
What about my non-bluetooth speakers? Can I use those?
Yes! If they’re nearby mBox has an auxiliary output jack, so you can just plug them in. If they’re far away, then you’ll need an mBox mini. mBox mini will turn any speaker into a wireless speaker.
- mBox: Sends music simultaneously to multiple Bluetooth and wired speakers.
- mBox mini: Turns any speaker into a wireless Bluetooth and Wi-Fi speaker. mBox mini not only works with mBox, it can also work on its own to turn your wired speakers into Bluetooth speakers.
What about range?
mBox uses class 1 Bluetooth radios which have a range of around 100 meters. However, because mBox will have to work together with the radios in your speakers, the real life range will also depend on those. To maximise range we’ve fitted amplifiers and external antennas, meaning that mBox should work comfortably within most homes.
How many Bluetooth speakers can connect to it?
mBox has 6 radios, so it can connect to 6 Bluetooth speakers if it’s receiving music over a wired connection, or 5 if it’s receiving music over Bluetooth (because in this case one of the radios is being used to receive the audio).
What if I want to use more speakers? Or if I have trouble with range?
mBox and mBox mini have a trick.. they can also act as repeaters, so by using multiple mBox’s you can connect more speakers and you can extend the range
New feature announcement: Zone control and multi-input.
The final version of mBox firmware will support audio from multiple sources simultaneously! This means that you can:
- play different audio in different rooms; and
- MIX audio from multiple sources (phones or otherwise), so you Muso's can use it to jam with your friends! (Thanks to Dan for this suggestion ☺)
Risks and challenges Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
A working prototype has already been developed. In the coming months we will be making improvements both to the hardware and to the app in order to maximise range and user-friendliness, and to ensure a totally reliable system.
Kickstarter financing is needed to move mBox into industrial production. A manufacturing company has already been chosen and I have very strong support from experienced hardware and software engineers. I and they are very confident that mBox will deliver on all of its promises.
FAQ
Have a question? If the info above doesn't help, you can ask the project creator directly.
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