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Newbie rpi streamer question

C

Crimsonhead

New Member
I don't have a router or access to ethernet in my apartment.I pay a fee to Xfinity every month, to have access to a wi fi hot spot that is somewhere close by.My imac and phone recognize it easily, and all I have to do is choose it once, and enter my password, and then both devices connect automatically to it everytime I need wi fi.My question is, I want to run an rpi4 as a streamer, for spotify, and internet radio, and also with a hard drive of my ripped cds plugged into one of the usb ports..Is there away to set up the rpi4 to work without there ever being a wired connection to my " network?"I have some advice, from a french company advising me to buy their $300 streamer, and that Volumio will make a hotspot , and I can connect from there.But, I don' t really want to risk the 300 just to find out it won' t work......any advice is appreciated...thanksG
 
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You should be able to setup a Pi based streamer, I've done two using Raspberry Pi Zero W kits. The biggest issue is how much signal strength you would get from the Xfinity hot spot. The Pi Zero kit is approx $30, $15 for a USB C DAC to 3.5mm Phone Adapter & a mini-USB to USB C Adapter, $10 or less for a micro SD card and the Volumio bootable image + Writing software are Free. So approx $60 and some setup work will get you a very nice streamer.

Mark Gosdin
 
I think the fundamental problem is that you don't seem to have a local area network (LAN) in your flat. You only have access to the internet (WAN) via the shared WiFi provision in your apartment block. This is essentially the same as you would get in a hotel or other public access areas.

This lack of LAN means you would not be able to use wifi to communicate between devices in your flat (e.g. to access an RPi UI, or stream media from it to other devices in your flat), at least not without making them available via the wifi hotspot (and that should not be possible for privacy reasons, if your apartment block wifi has been set up correctly).

I would ask Xfinity how to set up a LAN within your flat, using their wifi hotspot as a WAN access point.
 
I would get an adapter like this*, to convert your WiFi connection to ethernet. You make a wired connection from the adapter to your iMac, then set it up. Then you disconnect the iMac from the adapter, and connect the adapter to the WAN port on a router of your own choosing, and connect all of your devices, wired and wireless, to your router. This will allow you to have your own private network.

* This may not be the best one, it's just the first ethernet/WiFi adapter I saw that was AC compatible. You want 802.11ac or 802.11ax, not 802.11n.
 
Most RPi player software (Volumio, rAudio, Moode) will generate a wifi hotspot if not connected to a router. So you can connect to and control the player with your phone. Downside is if you're on the hotspot you can't check the internet so you may want to get an old phone or tablet to use as a dedicated controller.
 
i'm using three rp based music players (zero w, rp2b, rp4b) in various rooms. i listen to my pr2 all day. you will need a HAT DAC or USB DAC. The audio out on the rp isn't very good. I'm using a USB DAC on the zero (behringer u-control 202 something i purchased 11 years ago) and HATs on the others. I do have a hifiberry DAC ordered for the zero but it hasn't arrived.

i didn't spend much for any of these and doubt i have $300 total. Rune audio will create a hot spot you can connect to and control the rp. i used it to setup my wifi but don't see why it wouldn't work in your environment.

post what you decide to get.

if you want to look at Rune, go to Forums->Raspberry Pi and near the top there is a RuneAudio+Re6 thread with a fork from the original distribution. May not easy to find but it is free, easy to setup and works great for me. some use a touch screen to control the player (I think they all do this) so it might help to control your player. i'm too cheap to buy a touch screen. I like ear's suggestion to use an old phone or tablet.

I know tin ears uses runeaudio too.

I started with volumio, tried Moode and ended up with runeAudio for the last 5+years. I haven't looked at other players in a long time since rune audio works and I try to spend my time listening to music.
 
rickl said:
i'm using three rp based music players (zero w, rp2b, rp4b) in various rooms. i listen to my pr2 all day. you will need a HAT DAC or USB DAC. The audio out on the rp isn't very good. I'm using a USB DAC on the zero (behringer u-control 202 something i purchased 11 years ago) and HATs on the others. I do have a hifiberry DAC ordered for the zero but it hasn't arrived.

i didn't spend much for any of these and doubt i have $300 total. Rune audio will create a hot spot you can connect to and control the rp. i used it to setup my wifi but don't see why it wouldn't work in your environment.

post what you decide to get.

if you want to look at Rune, go to Forums->Raspberry Pi and near the top there is a RuneAudio+Re6 thread with a fork from the original distribution. May not easy to find but it is free, easy to setup and works great for me. some use a touch screen to control the player (I think they all do this) so it might help to control your player. i'm too cheap to buy a touch screen. I like ear's suggestion to use an old phone or tablet.

I know tin ears uses runeaudio too.

I started with volumio, tried Moode and ended up with runeAudio for the last 5+years. I haven't looked at other players in a long time since rune audio works and I try to spend my time listening to music.
Click to expand...
Is rune audio a subscription based software?
 
As I understand it your problem is just configuring the Pi to use your wireless, but how to do that without a network connection? The answer is to connect your PC directly to the Pi with an ethernet cable, and then login to the Pi using Putty or (maybe) a browser. Worst case you will need a "straight" ethernet cable, but most modern network cards will autosense and adjust. Browser will be easiest if it works, but the URL/name you use may depend on what OS or system you are using. I use Moode, and that allows you to just type in moode.local as the URL and then it connects. Moode will then allow you to configure the wireless connection, password, etc.
 
srisdal said:
As I understand it your problem is just configuring the Pi to use your wireless, but how to do that without a network connection? The answer is to connect your PC directly to the Pi with an ethernet cable, and then login to the Pi using Putty or (maybe) a browser. Worst case you will need a "straight" ethernet cable, but most modern network cards will autosense and adjust. Browser will be easiest if it works, but the URL/name you use may depend on what OS or system you are using. I use Moode, and that allows you to just type in moode.local as the URL and then it connects. Moode will then allow you to configure the wireless connection, password, etc.
Click to expand...

Most distros allow this to be done while the SD card is still inserted in the PC, right after burning the image. Just create or modify the wpa_supplicant.conf (or setup.whatever) file with your WiFi credentials. Most distros have instructions on their web site for doing this. No need for an ethernet cable.
 
chicks said:
Most distros allow this to be done while the SD card is still inserted in the PC, right after burning the image. Just create or modify the wpa_supplicant.conf (or setup.whatever) file with your WiFi credentials. Most distros have instructions on their web site for doing this. No need for an ethernet cable.
Click to expand...

Yes, good point, even easier.
 
I wouldn't trust Xfinity hot spots. Most of those are set up by default on other peoples
xifinity routers. It only works because most people are too stupid to disable the feature.
So Xfinity has all these open hotspots by stealing bandwidth from their customer's service.
instead of standing up their own hotspots. And a smart hacker could use exploit that.
4g/5g home internet has become common and pretty cheap. Team Mobile has $50
flat fee 5g internet available in my area. Stick the box next to a window, and you're up and running.
once my current xfinity contract is up I'm dumping them. TV and internet from them is wy too $$$
 
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