UPDATE: There is a new version of this product: Whole House FM Transmitter 3.0 with new and improved features compared to the old one
I live in a sunny country in Europe and my house has a big backyard where I, my wife and two kids spend a lot of time outside almost any season of the year. We are also music lovers and we have tons of CDs and MP3s stored on my computer. I was looking for a solution to somehow broadcast music to the backyard of my house from my music library. We all know the difficulties to stream audio and music from an electronic source (PC with MP3s for example) to an analog receiver (FM Radio for example). This is not a problem at all if you look at the Whole House FM Transmitter which can receive audio from almost any audio source and transmit it to any FM receiver.
At the beginning I was a little skeptical about getting an FM Transmitter for broadcasting music in my house and backyard. The reason was that most FM Transmitters are relatively weak in terms of coverage and they are mainly for use in your car. After testing the Whole House FM Transmitter 2.0 I was relieved to find out that their claims of 150 feet (50 meters) radius coverage are actually true.
Some Specifications
Before continuing with my review for the Whole House FM Transmitter 2.0, let us see some of the specs of this device below:
- Receives as input any audio source (MP3 players, iPod, Home Stereo, TV, DVD, DVR, Satellite Radio, Computers PC or MAC, Microphone etc).
- Transmits to any FM Receiver.
- Covers the entire FM Band Range from 88.1 to 107.9 MHz in steps of 0.1 MHz. This means that you can easily find any unoccupied frequency to transmit your signal.
- Use it anywhere you want (Home, Back Yard, Car, Office, Garage, Boat, exercise room, pool side etc).
- The new Whole House FM Transmitter version 2.0 is built from the ground up with better features, versatility and reliability.
- Compact Size and light weight (a little bit larger than the size of a deck of playing cards).
- Covers 150 feet distance but still satisfies the FCC part 15 regulations.
- Four ways to power the device (AC Outlet, 3 “AA” Batteries, Computer USB Port and 12V Car Adapter).
- It includes all necessary cables and adaptors to start using it immediately (AC adapter, 1/8” (3.5mm) stereo audio cable, USB power cable, 12V DC car power adapter, stereo Y cable, RCA Jack Stereo audio cable).
- If you purchase, you will get also 4 Free Bonuses such as Lavalier Microphone, Free USPS Shipping within USA, 1 Year Warranty and Lifetime customer support.
- 30-Day Money Back Guarantee.
- More Features from the official site HERE.
FM Transmitter Pictures
This is everything that comes in the Box: | |||
Whole House FM Transmitter 2.0* |
1/8″ (3.5mm) Stereo Audio Cable |
RCA Jack Stereo Audio Adapter |
Stereo Audio “Y” Cable |
110/220V AC Wall Outlet |
12V DC Car Adapter |
Computer USB Power Adapter |
|
*Whole House FM Transmitter® 2.0 also includes an internal battery compartment |
Testing done on Coverage
My first test on how long the unit can transmit was pretty simple. I just connected a CD player with the FM transmitter using the 1/8” stereo audio cable and selected an unused FM frequency in my area. Power for the transmitter was from the AC outlet. Now, because I live in Europe, we use the even numbered frequencies so I selected 104.6 MHz on my FM radio receiver. After setting up the same frequency on the FM Transmitter, I was able to receive the audio strong and clear on my radio from the living room of my house to the far side of my backyard (around 120 feet away).
My second testing was a little more demanding. I went down to my basement with my laptop computer and connected the FM Transmitter to my laptop using the audio 1/8” jack (one cable end on the headphone jack of the laptop and the other end on the FM Transmitter). I used also the USB cable to power up the transmitter from a free USB port of the laptop. Then, I fired up a playlist with MP3 songs so that to be broadcasted by the transmitter. I went out again to the far side of my back yard to test out the reception. That was more than 120 feet away. I still could hear the music with a lot of noise however, but if you consider that the signal had to pass through the walls of the basement and over to the backyard, the bad quality was expected.
Other Testing Performed
I wanted also to test the audio quality transmitted with different types of audio sources and with different types of power to the unit. Keep in mind that the way you power the device and the quality of the audio source play important role in the output quality of the signal transmitted.
So I did the following tests:
Power Used for FM Transmitter | Audio Source | Audio Quality Received on FM Receiver (100 feet away with no obstacles) |
AC Outlet | CD Player | Good quality |
USB port on laptop | From headphone jack on laptop | Average (with some static noise) |
USB port on laptop | CD Player | Good quality |
“AA” Batteries | CD Player | Excellent quality |
“AA” Batteries | From headphone jack on laptop | Average quality (but without static noise) |
Basically the combination of laptop USB Port as power together with the laptop headphone jack as audio source was the worst because of the electrical issues from getting power and audio from the same source.
Conclusion
The reviewed Whole House FM Transmitter really stands up to its name as a “Whole House” coverage system. If you are in the same situation as me, that is you like to listen to streaming music from a CD player or from your laptop without being bound by distance from the music source, then the Whole House FM system is a great device to broadcast your music on any FM receiver within your home vicinity. Its price tag has also dropped considerably, so why don’t you take a look at the official website of the product to see if it fits your needs. And don’t forget the free shipping within USA and the 30-Day money back guarantee.
Tom Amitai says
I am considering this transmitter, but the display in the picture looks fake to me. I have never seen any lcd display of that type with white characters. It looks like a printed transparency, stuck to an lcd display. I have seen such transparencies stuck to devices in stores, like clocks, to let people get an idea of what it will look like, but it disturbs me that the pictures of the Whole House FM Transmitter aren’t labeled to say that the display is simulated. Also, the web page about it is very wordy, and makes it sound to good to be true.
BlogAdmin says
Thanks for stopping by. The actual display on the Whole House FM Transmitter 2.0 is like the one you see on the very first picture on the top of this page (white numbers within blue backlight). The other picture you see above (the second one) is just a labelled display just to simulate the actual one.
Regarding the device, personally I was very satisfied with it (just like many others), but this is subjective though.
Pablo Malverde says
mmm, I’am considering this transmitter for broadcasting my voice to a rather huge audience. Have you had the opportunity to test it with 50 or more FM receivers? would it be suitable for broadcasting your voice to such an audience within a big room (let’s say, a 300 square meter room)?
BlogAdmin says
Hi Pablo,
The number of FM receivers is not a problem. Like an FM Radio Station that can transmit its signal to unlimited number of FM receivers, this is the same thing with an FM Transmitter. The only limitation is the distance of the FM receivers from the FM transmitter. The maximum distance that can be covered by Whole House FM Transmitter 2.0 is 50m (150 ft) radius. So, if the room is lets say 30×10 meters (i.e 300 square meter room) then it will work fine. From my experience I’m very satisfied with this transmitter. Please let me know if you need more information.
Glauws says
Hi guys.
I know that I’m posting this a bit late, but seriously, whole house FM transmitters are just as described on the manufacturer website. Nothing fake. I’ve got the old version (gold edition) that look a bit “home made”. I was first desapointed, thinking it would break after a few weeks. It still brosadcasting for 4 years, plugged on my computer. It works in my whole house and I can even receive the signal in my car when I leave home. It really broadcast on 50m through 2 walls ! With an exeption: in my kitchen, close to the microwave and the frige @ 3 meters from the transmitter throught 2 walls. I had to move my kitchen radio 2 meters away (i.e. putiing it @ 5 metters from the transmitter) to recover good signal). I guess that my appliances where disturbing the FM reciver.
Far better from any device you could find in sotres.
BlogAdmin says
Glauws
Yeap, my experience with whole house FM transmitter has also been very satisfying and I like the device a lot.
Thanks for stopping by and giving us your feedback.
cheers
Jan Lindgren says
Where to buy Whole House FM Transmitter® 2.0 when living in Europe?
BlogAdmin says
Jan,
You can buy whole house FM transmitter from the official website here https://www.tech21century.com/go/whole-house-FM-transmitter/
They can ship to Europe as well.
Gary says
I have the 2.0 and 3.0. Both are very good but the newer 3.0 gets out a little further. I think it’s down to a better aerial.