You can read internet radio reviews and news articles where you see this icon in our products list, or by clicking on the large images of receivers, below.

Internet radio player

You can find stations streaming online in the UK and Ireland in our extensive list, to find favourites & discover new stations.

Why should I buy a wi-fi internet radio?

Internet radios make listening to online radio stations convenient and simple, without waiting for your PC to boot up. With an amplifier and speaker(s) built-in and the option of a battery-operated radio, they offer a quick way of tuning in to your favourite shows from the UK and overseas. They consume little power compared to a computer.

With stations organised by country (locality) and genre, a radio opens up a world of music, sport and talk programmes and expands on the UK's relatively narrow selection of stations. For example, you'll be able to tune in to a wide choice of jazz, soul, dance and country music stations from around the globe.

What does a wi-fi internet radio do?

Internet radio opens up a whole world of radio listening. Using an internet radio receiver, player or radio, you can listen to thousands of stations broadcasting from countries around the world.

Internet radios and wireless wi-fi radios use your broadband connection to enable you to stream live radio, "listen again" content & podcasts without switching on your computer.

Many internet radios also have a built-in DAB digital radio tuner to receive digital stations through a built-in aerial. Most radios of these type also pick up FM stations, allowing you to tune in to existing stations on analogue, such as BBC Radio 4 and Classic FM, which makes them a popular choice.

Internet receivers and radios allow you you to save favourite stations to memory presets on the radio. These radio gadgets use a portal (website) to retrieve up-to-date stream links and store more of your favourite lists of radio stations for easy recall. When you log-in to these websites using a PC or Mac, you can quickly modify your favourites lists and suggest new stations to add to the list.

More sophisticated wifi internet radios allow you to stream music from your PC or MAC.

What other equipment do I need?

Wifi-only radios require a wireless router and broadband internet connection; these radios do not have an ethernet (RJ45) socket to connect the radio via a cable to the router.

However, most radios offer an ethernet socket on the rear of the radio to allow you to connect to your router with a cable. This is useful only if you plan to sit your radio near to your router, or don't mind trailing cables across the room.

If you have a wi-fi Pure Contour, Oasis Flow, ONE Flow, Sensia, or Sirocco 550 receiver, you can buy a mini USB ethernet adaptor to give you a way of connecting a cable into the back of your router, turning it into a wired set.

Wi-fi radios are generally more convenient as they allow you to move the radio around the house without being physically connected to the router by a cable. Most tabletop wi-fi radios require mains power to work, so you'll still need to locate the radio next to a power socket, however there is a small but growing number of battery-operated internet radio receivers, from Roberts and Pure.

How easy is it to set up an internet radio?

Setting up an wi-fi radio is easy and you should only need to do it once at home. The radio will scan for and display your network SSID (name). It's then easy to enter your network's case-sensitive security key (upper and/or lowercase password) using the controls on the receiver. The receiver will then connect to your network and you can begin streaming radio stations. If you run into problems (for example, if there are a lot of signals from wireless networks from your neighbours' houses), you can manually enter the SSID (and then the password).

Those radios that have an ethernet socket and can connect directly via a cable to the router are noted as such under the "key features" summary. As this is a secure connection by cable, you don't need to know the SSID or password.

How does the internet radio access streaming links?

Most Revo and Roberts radios use the reliable UK-based Frontier Silicon portal (website) to grab stream links and firmware (radio software) updates from the web. Pure radios use their own The Lounge portal - again a reliable portal. Other brands, such as Sony and Oxx, use USA and Europe-based vTuner, which is yet another portal that is kept up-to-date.

Older radios use Cambridge-based Reciva. Although streams through the portal are well maintained, the firmware in some legacy models is no longer supported or updated, which can lead to problems.

Can I play my iPod or iPhone through my internet receiver?
Can I get DAB stations through my internet radio?

You can also buy internet radios with built-in iPod/iPhone docks and DAB digital tuners for a complete music system capable of playing a wide variety of digital media. You'll find these types of radio on this page under different headings.

DAB stations (those that broadcast over the airwaves and that can be received through an aerial with a dedicated DAB digital radio) also stream online, so they can be heard via your internet receiver.

Don't miss these

» Here are some new models that you can find out more info on and where to buy


new » Pure Sensia 200D Connect
with USB stick recording & screen


new » Pure Contour 200i Air
with music streaming and net radio


brand new » Pure Contour 100Di
DAB/FM dock & internet radio app for Apple devices


brand new » Revo K2 internet
radio dock with DAB, DAB+ & FM


news » Kitsound PULSE
internet DAB & DAB+ tabletop
with FM and music streaming