Aluratek AIREC01F Wireless Internet Radio Home Theater Instruction Manual

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Overview
Thank you for choosing Aluratek’s® WiFi / Wireless Internet Radio Home Theater Edition. Once I’m connected to your home theater system you will have access to 11,000+ live streaming internet radio stations from around the globe at your fingertips.
This includes any music genre you can think of including talk, sports and local news from over 150 countries.
That’s pretty much free music for life pumping through your home stereo system!
Just use your exisitng WiFi and internet connection. If you have internet you are all set!
In addition to making sure only quality materials are used for manufacturing, Aluratek® is also dedicated to provide the best customer satisfaction and support.
The goal of Aluratek is to embody “Simple Elegance” in every product it designs, manufactures and sells.
The product focus of Aluratek is to bring simple yet elegant connectivity solutions to the consumers to enhance their consumer electronics, communications and computing experience. Each product is carefully designed with the  consumer in mind. Each product is solution-driven to address the need of the consumers and deliberately planned to provide the ultimate user experience.
Read this guide thoroughly and follow the installation and operation procedures carefully to prevent any damage to the unit and / or any of the devices it connects to.

1.2 Features

• Choose between more than 11,000+ radio stations worldwide via built-in vTuner with no monthly cost

• Search music by genre, i.e. classic, pop, talk, news, sports etc. and geographically over 150 countries

• Compatible with universal Plug-n-Play audio servers such as:
  Microsoft Media Player 11 (WMP11), Microsoft Media Connect and MusicMatch Jukebox

• Wireless access WIFI 802.11 b/g, Ethernet and USB 2.0 (host only) connectivity

• Access music files stored on a USB 2.0 flash drive, MP3 player or Hard drive through the unit’s USB port

• 2 RCA plugs (Stereo Lineout) for external speakers

• No PC is required

• 1 Year limited warranty

1.3 Requirements

• Wired / wireless router
• Internet connection

1.4 Package Contents
Your order has been carefully packaged and inspected. The following should be included in your package. Please inspect the contents of the package to ensure that you have received all items and that nothing has been damaged. If you discover a problem, please contact us immediately for assistance.

• WiFi Internet Radio
• Remote Control
• RCA Cable (3 ft.)
• Power Adaptor
• Instructional Manual / CD
• Quick Start Guide
• Warranty / Registration Card

1.5 Product Application

CONNECT
Simply connect to your receiver or external speakers via the included RCA cables

LISTEN

A Stream Internet Radio from your WiFi / wireless 802.11 B / G router.
B Connect your local CAT5 Ethernet cable to stream Internet Radio.
C Plug in any USB Drive and listen to your music files.

Chapter 2: Getting Started

2.1 Hardware Installation
If you prefer to use Ethernet for wired network connection, please plug in your Ethernet cable to the LAN (RJ45) port.
Please plug in the DC power adapter to the outlet and the DC power jack carefully.
To operate the device, you can use the supplied remote control.
2.2 Software Installation
AIREC01F can work as a stand-alone device or as a media streamer of a media server. As a stand-alone unit, you can use it to listen to Internet radio and external USB storage/MP3 players. No computer is needed.
For digital music files that are stored in your computer, you need to install streaming server software in the computer so that AIREC01F can request the streaming service from that server.
AIREC01F is compliant to UPnP protocol. It works with media server software such as Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 (WMP11),
Microsoft Media Connect 2.0 (WMC2.0), and Musicmatch Jukebox.
Once you have the software installed on the computer, you can stream your music collection to AIREC01F.
Please find Appendix A and B for instructions on how to connect AIREC01F to your computer via WMP11, and WMC2.0.

Chapter 3: Configuration

There are three modes of network configuration for AIREC01F. It can be a wireless client, a wired client, or even a wireless access point (Wireless AP).
3.1 Configure as an Wireless Client
The factory default mode is the wireless client code. According to the availability of an Ethernet cable, the device will automatically select a suitable client mode to operate. User can also manually change the setting of network  configuration through the Setup menu “Setup/Advanced Setup/Configure Network”.
AIREC01F will connect wirelessly if it detects an 802.11b/g wireless network. With no Ethernet cable attached, you just need to power on the device and AIREC01F will automatically enter the wireless client mode.
To connect AIREC01F to the wireless network for the first time, you will need to set the encryption key for a secured network. Once the setting is finished, the device will remember the related settings and try to connect to the designated  AP when it is power on next time. However, if there is something trouble in connecting to the designated AP, the device will show the AP list screen for you to configure again.
First time using device without an Ethernet cable plugged in:

Manually configured as the Wireless Client Mode:

3.2 Configure as a Wired Client
If there is no 802.11b/g wireless network, AIREC01F can also connect to the wired network through an Ethernet cable.
For this case, prior to power on the device, you have to plug in the Ethernet cable into the LAN (RJ45) connector on the back of the unit.
After you power on the device, it will automatically go into the wired client mode when it detects a link status through the Ethernet connection.
First time using device with an Ethernet cable plugged in:

Manually configured as the Wired Client Mode:

3.3 Configure as a Wireless Access Point (AP Mode)
AIREC01F can also be configured as a wireless AP. With such feature, you can easily extend the wireless coverage without purchasing another AP.
To configure the AIREC01F as an wireless AP, you have to manually setup the device through selecting the setup menu “Setup/Advanced Setup/Configure Network/AP mode”. And then further setup the IP address scheme, SSID, channel number and the encryption key of the AP. Once the setting is finished, the device will reboot automatically and function as an AP.
Manually configured as a Wireless Access Point (AP Mode):

Chapter 4: Listen to Various Music

4.1 Listen to Internet Radio
To listen to music or broadcast programs from Internet radio stations, please select the “Internet Radio” function from the main menu and then press the OK button to enter the Internet Radio function.

The first screen of Internet Radio function shows 2 items for you to select:

“Station List”: Retrieve the Internet radio station lists from the Internet portal server.
“Favorite Stations”: Retrieve the favorite station lists that stored in the device.
Press “OK” button or “ ” button to retrieve the Station List. The device will try to connect to the Internet radio server to retrieve the Internet radio stations for further playback, you will see the following screen:

It takes few seconds to get the latest list from Internet. And you will see the next screen.

This means the AIREC01F is connected to the Internet server and received the information from the server.
If you see the following screen instead, it means that the device has encountered problem in retrieving the list from the internet server, please try again.

The following screen shots illustrate the sequence to browse to a specific ratio station such as “4U Classic Rock” in France and start to playback the music from it.

4.2 Listen to Music in Your Computer

To listen to music from your own computers, you have to install and activate the media server utility. Please refer to Appendix A or B for example on how to install a media server software.
After you installed and activated the media server, you can enjoy listening to the streaming music from AIREC01F. Please select the “Media Server” function from the main menu and then press the OK button to enter the Media Server function.

Then, the following message will be displayed during discovering all the available media servers in your network. It takes few seconds to finish.

Finally, the screen will list all available media servers for you to select.

If there is no server found, you will see the below message.

Please check if you had already started the media server on your computer.
If the media server not found problem still exists, please refer to the trouble shooting chapter to identify the problem and resolve it step by step.
The following screen shots illustrate the sequence to connect to a media server “JAMES-NB: James:” and browsing to the Music album “Best of Roxette”.

Once the music starts, you can freely control the song playback through the playback buttons, just like you are controlling a traditional stereo or CD player.

4.3 Listen to the Music in Your USB Drive
To listen to music on your USB drive or portable MP3 player, please plug in the USB drive into the USB connector of AIREC01F. Then select the “MP3 Player” function from the main menu and then press the OK button to enter the MP3 player function.

The first screen of MP3 Player function shows the root folder content of the attached USB drive.

If you see the screen “NO DEVICE”, there was a problem accessing the USB device. Please remove the USB device and connect again.

For music playback from the USB drive, you just need to browse to the music file and click OK.
The following screen shots are an example of how to play a music file.

4.4 The Playback Screen
When the music starts, you can see the playback information saved with the file on the screen. It may include the title of the song/station, the album & artist information.

4.5 How to Add Stations Thru the Web Portal

1. Please make sure you have the latest firmware. Please refer to section 5.6 and 5.7 for steps on how to determine the current firmware version on your device. Firmware can be found on http://www.aluratek.com/download_drivers_manuals.php

2. Please go to http://aluratek.vtuner.com

3. Use vTuner ID (you can find the id either from menu Setting > vTunerID or the MAC address on the label that is on the bottom of the unit)

4. Please use your vTuner ID to login to the website

5. Create account login by providing your email address and password

6. Please login to your account after the above step

7. Click Add station

8. Please fill in info for the station that you wish to add

9. Power Off/On the unit

10. You should able to access the newly added station under Stations List>Added Stations Folder on your internet radio

Chapter 5: Advanced Tools

There are some useful setup functions that can help you to operate the device properly.

5.1 Network Setting
Check current network information.

5.2 Configure Network
Please refer to chapter 3 for network configuration.

5.3 Reset to Default
When you reset the device to its factory default, your “favorites” Internet radio and FM radio will not be erased.

5.4 Clear Favorites
Clear all “favorites” Internet radio station and FM radio station stored.

5.5 Device MAC Address
Check MAC address of the device.

5.6 Firmware Version
Check current firmware version.

5.7 Firmware Upgrade
If there is any new firmware released, please download and follow the upgrade procedure below.

Steps to upgrade new firmware in the device via a USB drive
Step 1.
Copy the new firmware to the ROOT directory of a USB drive or a USB MP3 player. (Note. Please DON’T modify the file name, otherwise the AIREC01F can’t find the new F/W)
Step 2.
Power on the AIREC01F and then plug-in the USB drive into the front USB port of the AIREC01F.
Step 3.
Operate the AIREC01F to get into the F/W upgrade menu (“Setup\Advanced Setup\F/W Upgrade(thru. USB)”), then press the OK button to activate the F/W Upgrade function.
You should see the following messages “F/W
Upgrading”, and “Don’t Power OFF!!”.
After a few seconds, the device will reboot automatically when the upgrade operation is completed.
Step 4.
You can verify the firmware upgrade is successful by checking the firmware version from the menu “Setup\Advanced Setup\Firmware Version”.

Chapter 6: Misc.

6.1 Clock Setting
Prior to setting the alarm, you need to set the clock of AIREC01F. First, select the Setup function from the Main Menu.

The first item “Clock” is for the date and time setting. Press OK or “▶ ” button to set the clock value.

There are 3 items in the clock menu, the first one will display the current date and time; the second item is for you to set the date and time manually or via auto-Sync (automatically synchronize with network time server). If you select the  “Auto-sync” function, the device will periodically synchronize with the server.
The third option lets you change time display format between 12-Hours or 24-Hours.
There is a built-in battery in the device, so if you power off the device, the clock will continue to run.

6.1.1 Time Setup – Manually

If you decide to set the clock manually, press the OK or “ ▶” button to go into the date and clock screen. You can use the four directional buttons and the OK button to set the current date/time.

Use “◀ ” , “ ▶” buttons to switch between the items to be adjusted.
The selected item will be flashing.
Use “▲ ” , “ ▼” buttons to adjust (increase or decrease) the value of the specific item.
Press the OK button to confirm and finish the time setup.

6.1.2 Time Setup – Auto-Sync (NTP)

If you choose to set the clock automatically, please go into the “AutoSync (NTP)” menu, and select the correct time zone for your location.
After that, the device will set the date and time automatically.

6.1.3 Time Display Format

Choose time display format bewteen 12-Hour or 24-Hours.

6.2 Backlight Setting

You can adjust the backlight ON / OFF settings as you wish.

The default setting is Always ON. You can set the backlight to be turned OFF once the device is idle (no key press) after a specific time elapsed.
The backlight can be switched off automatically in 1/3/10/30 minutes.

6.3 Equalizer Setting

In the Setup menu, you can change the setting of the equalizer. The options available are Normal, Classic, Rock, Jazz, and PoP.

Appendix A: Listen to Music via WMP 11

Install & Connect to Windows Media Player 11
Please follow the steps below:
Step 0. Download WMP11.

• Please download Windows Media Player 11 (WMP11) installation file, e.g., wmp11-windowsxp-x86-enu.exe, from Microsoft’s web site.

• Install wmp11-windowsxp-x86-enu.exe without any changes needed.

• Just click on ‘next’ to finish the installation.
  Step 1. Activate the Media Player.

• Find the “Windows Media Player” icon from the Program list,

and click on this program to activate it.

Step 2. Change the view

• Change the view from “Now Playing” to “Library” view by clicking on the Library Tab to manage the content and share your media. You will see the following view:

Step 3. Add your Media content to WMP11 media library.

• Click on the “Library” tab again, you can see a pull-down menu.

• To add your media files to the WMP11 media library, please click on the item “Add to Library…”
  

• You will see the following view:

• Click on the add button and select the media folder in your computer, and then click the OK button. For example, you can put all the music files in the directory D:\Music, so you just need to add the folder to the share list.
  

• You will see the specified folder included in the WMP11 monitor folder lists.

• Then press the OK button. A pop-up window will appear and show you the WMP11 is searching for the media files.

• When it finished, click on the “Close” button.
  

• Now, you can browse and manage your media content with the WMP11 Library manager.

Step 4. Share the WMP11 media library.

• Similar to Step 3, click on the “Media Sharing” item to activate the media sharing function.

• The following dialog windows will appear.

• Check the “Share my media” checkbox and click on “OK” button.
  

• The WMP11 will try to discover the available network devices in your LAN.

• The following display showed that no device is found at this moment.

If AIREC01F is already connected to your home network, you will see the following display that WMP11 found a network device named “Aluratek AIREC01F”.

Step 5. Manage the setting of sharing media.

• Click on the “Settings” button, and specify the name of the WMP11 server to be displayed on your AIREC01F.
  

Then, press OK to exit.

Step 6. Authorize the access from your AIREC01F.
The WMP11 provides simple access control setting. When WMP11 detects new network device (as the final screen in Step 4), you have to decide whether you want to allow or deny the requests from that device.

• Please select the device icon and then click on the “Allow” button to grant further streaming requests from that device. Then you will see that the device icon state changed consequently.

• Then, press the OK button to apply the setting.
  There is another approach to manage the access for your network devices. There will be a small icon appeared on the Windows XP status bar to alert you WMP11 found network devices.

• Double click on it to manage the access for the devices.

• Then press “Allow”.

Step 7. Establish the connection between AIREC01F and WMP11 server.
– From AIREC01F, select “Media Server” function from the main menu (or press the hot key “Media Player” on the remote control), and then AIREC01F will start the server discovery process. After a few seconds, it will find server like  “PC_Hostname: Server Name”.

This is the WPM11 server that you installed.

• Press the ‘OK’ button to try to connect to the server.
  You will see the AIREC01F screen shows “ Connecting….” and finally shows the following list:

You can now browse the “Music” list and playback the music you want.

Appendix B: Listen to Music via WMC 2.0

Install & Connect to Windows Media Connect V2.0
Please follow the steps below:
Step 0. Download WMC server.

• Please download the Windows Media Connect (WMC) installation file, wmcsetup.exe, from Microsoft web site.
• Install the wmcsetup.exe without any changes needed.
• Just click on ‘next’ to finish the installation.
  Step 1. Activate WMC.
  You can find a new installed file icon “Windows Media Connect” from the Windows XP Program list.

Click on this program to activate WMC.
Step 2.
You will see a pop-up window, asking for “select the device you want to allow access to your computer”. Just skip it by pressing the ‘next’ button.
Step 3.
Then, you will be asked to select the folders you want to share with your devices.

Select the desired folder for your computer. For example, you can put all the music files in the directory D:\Music, so you select “Let me choose which folders” and add the folder to the share list.

Finally, press ‘Finish’ to finish the setup of the Windows Media Connect.
Then you can see a small icon on the lower right corner of the startup bar.

Step 4. Establish the connection between AIREC01F and WMC server.

• From AIREC01F, select “Media Server” function from the main menu (or press the hot key “Media Player” on the remote controller), and then AIREC01F will start the server discovery process. After a few seconds, it will find server  like “PC_Hostname: 1: Windows Media Connect”.
• Then press the ‘OK’ button to try to connect to the server.
  You will see the AIREC01F screen shows “ Connecting…”.
  As the same time, you will see the following prompt in your PC:

It means that WMC detected an un-authorized device trying to access the content of the WMC server. You just double click on the WMC icon to allow the access from the device.

Select the device and then click on the ‘Allow’ button.

Then, press the ‘close’ button to finish the authorization process. At this moment, AIREC01F can get the contents or service from the WMC server. You can browse the list and playback the music you want.

Technical Support

If you need further assistance, please contact Aluratek support department prior to returning this device.
E-mail: support@aluratek.com
Web: www.aluratek.com/support
Local (Irvine, CA): 949-419-6504
Toll free: 1-866-580-1978

Radio and TV Interference Statement

WARNING!!! This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits of a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference  in a residential installation
This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by whatever measures may be  required to correct the interference.

Warranty

Aluratek warrants this product against defect in material or workmanship for 1 Year from the date of purchase.
This warranty becomes invalid if the factory-supplied serial number or “warranty void” sticker has been removed or altered on the product.
This warranty does not cover:
A) Cosmetic damage or damage due to acts of God
B) Accident, misuse, abuse, negligence or modification of any part of the product.
C) Damage due to improper operation or maintenance, connection to improper equipment, or attempted repair by anyone other than Aluratek.
D) Products sold AS IS or WITH FAULTS.
IN NO EVENT SHALL ALURATEK’S LIABILITY EXCEED THE PRICE PAID FOR THE PRODUCT FROM DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE  PRODUCT, IT’S ACCOMPANYING SOFTWARE, OR IT’S DOCUMENTATION.
Aluratek makes no warranty or representation, expressed, implied, or statutory, with respect to it’s products, contents or use of this documentation and all accompanying software, and specifically disclaims it’s quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose.
Aluratek reserves the right to revise or update it’s product, software or documentation without obligation to notify any individual or entity.

aluratek.com
Aluratek, Inc. 12A Mauchly Irvine, CA 92618
sales@aluratek.com 949.419.6504
office 949.419.6477
fax

References

• Aluratek | Leading the Digital Revolution
• Radio Setup
• Aluratek
• Manual-Hub.com – Free PDF manuals!

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