I am a severely disabled guy living in a nursing home with very poor WiFi. I am not allowed to have my own broadband! Currently I have Amazon Music Unlimited, which offers chromecast, a Motorola G22 Android phone with 150gb data per month and a Bluetooth speaker.
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I am wondering if I bought a NaimNuso qb2,whether I could use Chromecast streaming to get around the WiFi issue? Because of my situation, Iwould need set up to be as straightforward as possible. Any help or advice would be most welcome as music is so important to me.
Hi, I’m afraid Chromecast needs access to a wireless network so you will still need a Muso to have a network connection.
Are you not able to have a 4G router? This uses a mobile phone network (usually EE or 3) instead of a conventional broadband provider and would be entirely independent from service provided by your home.
Or use a travel router in access point mode, so a qb would appear accessible over WiFi; just without internet connection. You could then chromecast to it.
Though I’d be tempted to connect using a dac attached to your phone, though this would tether it to a wired connection from phone to qb.
If you try this, you need to check that the service works reliably in your location. Three have some good deals on unlimited data packages, and setup is simple, but you need to run it for a few days to make sure that it is reliable, especially at peak times in the evenings. Check that they will allow you to return the router and cancel the contract if it doesn’t work properly.
You can use Bluetooth to play to a Qb from your phone, without ever connecting to a wifi network (even for setup). You don’t get the Naim App or built-in streaming services, but you would be able to play everything that your phone has - including things like Tidal, Spotify, Apple Music, the Radio Paradise app, and the BBC iPlayer feeds.
Some cellular travel routers can accept your phone SIM card, so your existing data plan might work in one of those either - but that would need to be checked and you might need help to swap the SIM card between your phone and the router depending on what you want to do.
Our Internet service has been down for an extended time, and we first used Bluetooth to the Qb and it worked great. Then they issued a temporary cellular router access point, and we connected the phone wifi to that, then followed the easy Qb setup to have it join the same network by holding the phone near the Qb and launching the Naim app to connect to a new device. Zero complicated network things to worry about, it all connected automagically. Also works great. I think you’d like it whichever way you end up using.
Good luck with your purchase and very best wishes for a future with better access to music.
I’m not sure this would work, Robert … once the phone is connected to a wifi access point so that it can talk to the Qb, it will no longer have internet access via cellular - most are one or the other, but not both together… although maybe there is a “fallback to cellular connection” option? You’re right that you can’t connect the Qb to your phone’s wifi access point, unfortunately, which would be ideal…
Either way, since Chromecast uses your phone as a control point only, rather than a streaming source, I don’t see how the Qb would get to the internet when the access point is local only?
Maybe I’m missing something here??
EDIT: Argh! I missed the idea that travel routers can be tethered via USB cable to your phone, thus using your cellular data for the internet connection! Nice one! I’m still a bit confused about how you’d have the control point function… maybe a cheap wifi only phone with the Naim app could join the same network??
You can get highly regarded ZTE MF286D 4G routers from eBay for around ÂŁ60 with 2.4GHz and 5GHz wireless and four gigabit switch ports, although they go for less. These are usually unlocked Three devices reflashed with Nordic firmware.
Alternatively CEX claims to sell the Three version for ÂŁ42, so compatible with Smarty data SIMs which are great value.
They’re easy to configure, and appear to work well (although dependent on signal quality and network).
Could you not just set up your phone as a WiFi hotspot and connect the Muso to the internet through that? I do this all the time with my iphone and I’m sure android phones do the same.