3. Setup and Configuration

Installation of the box was a breeze. Several years ago, during a home remodel, I installed a network drop behind my entertainment center. With easy access to my home network, I simply plugged in a network cable, hooked the output of the box into my stereo, and applied power. Almost immediately a message popped up on the display showing both the mt-daapd iTunes server running on my NSLU2 and the mt-daapd iTunes server running on my Kuro box.

All configuration was automatic. The DHCP request was answered by my local Linksys WRT54g wireless router, and the Rendezvous Protocol used in the box automatically discovered all iTunes servers on the local subnet. So with zero configuration, I had instant access to thousands of my mp3's. This is the way that home network appliances should work! It literally couldn't have been any easier. A few intuitive menu selections later, and I was listening to a classic Eagles song.

Figure 3: SoundBridge M1000 after finding an NSLU2 iTunes server

Since I have a couple of security features enabled on my wireless network, wireless configuration was a bit more involved. To test the wireless capability, I unplugged the unit and unhooked the network cable, then plugged in the included 802.11b card and powered back up. After a few status lines, I received a message indicating that no open wireless networks could be found and asking me to start configuration.

I was guided through several menus where I selected the access point to connect to, and then entered my 128 bit WEP hexadecimal key (WPA is not supported). Entering the key was a bit cumbersome using the included remote, but without a real keyboard, the menus were as well done as could be expected. But when the SoundBridge unit rebooted, it still couldn't connect to my network.

After a bit of head-scratching and double-checking the long password, I realized I had forgotten a couple of steps due to my wireless network's setup. Since my wireless network was set up for 802.11g only, I had to change it to allow 802.11b devices as well. In addition, I had MAC address filtering turned on in my wireless router, so I had to add the SoundBridge's MAC address to the filter's "allowed" list. After these changes, I reset the unit once more and got a successful connection.