Once you’ve connected one central speaker or hub device to your home router, the additional speakers will be synced up via this mesh, which won’t tax your main home WiFi network. This term describes how several connected devices (or ‘nodes’) can be chained together via their own unique communication network, separate – though related – to your home WiFi. What are mesh networks and why are they ideal for a multi-room speaker system?Ī new norm in multi-room speaker manufacturing enables several products within a single range to be linked together via a mesh network. Voice/App control: Get your smart assistant in sync with your speakers.Streaming platform compatibility: You’ll want to make sure your speakers play nice with Tidal, Spotify, Apple Play, et al.Speaker selection: Are you after pristine quality, or just something that delivers the most impact?.Speaker positioning: Concealed or on-display?.Home networking: Are you going to use your home WiFi, or a mesh network?.

Let’s first break things down to these five major considerations:

Image: Victoriya Popova / Alamy Stock Photo What to look out for when setting up a multi-room audio system If it’s not up to scratch, consider a speed upgrade or purchase speakers from a brand that can form a smart mesh network, such as Sonos, Samsung and Bluesound. If you’re lucky enough to live in a multi-floored, multi-roomed house, you’ll first need to consider the strength of your connection. Amazon’s Echo Plus speakers are voice-controlled smart home hubsĭepending on your home size, a super-fast WiFi connection is pivotal to maintaining that connectivity with your central hub. With smart speakers such as Apple’s HomePod, Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home having established themselves as everyday appliances, it’s not a leap to bolster these hubs with additional speakers, chained together by WiFi. While connecting up a multi-room audio system was once the sole province of audio aficionados, the advent of high-speed wireless technology has made it a very realistic option.

READ MORE: Best speakers to buy in 2021: 10 best portable Bluetooth speakers.

So if you dream of flitting room to room as your favourite tunes follow you around, then a smart multi-room audio system may be for you. With the home becoming the primary venue for music listening over the last 12 months, it’s no surprise if you’re dissatisfied with the basic functionality of a sole Bluetooth speaker.

Whole home audio systems