Wireless?

[Shugarra 10+ year member]

I'm wondering what the boundaries are from making wireless RCAs and wireless speakers? I know this idea isn't new and it seems like people spending thousands of dollars on their stereo wouldn't mind chipping in a hundred or two more to avoid wiring.

I originally thought maybe quality could deteriorate but you figure there are wireless network cards that can transfer throughout a house (much further than you would see in a car) at 10 megabits per second. I've read that cds are either sampled (not sure if that is the right word) at 192kbps or 320kbps, either way, both are significantly less than 10 megabits.

The only other thing I could think of is there isn't enough of a market. Otherwise, are there any engineers out there that can help me understand this?

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[nosaj070 10+ year member]

well i know they make wireless speakers, for home use, and if im not mistaken wireless rca's do exist, they've been around in microphones for a while. I think there is a market for them, but i have a feeling the quality will not be up to par. 802.11 wireless networking stuff runs at 2.8ghz, the same as most cordles phones, so everytime you use it it causes intereference, same wiht microwaves, I think it would be impossible in car use just do to all the interference possible in there, and the whole fact that its moving.

 

[neonak 10+ year member]

i´ll stick with the good old wires of xtreme thickness for the next 10 years

 

[awalbert88 10+ year member]

You can do wireless, but the quality of signal is less (consider listening to a radio station in your car while parked right in front of the tower vs. a CD.. cd is still a bit clearer). While a sufficiently strong signal could possibly provide the clarity needed, you have to consider that the signal would need a range of around 10ft, perhaps a little bit more. This would present the possibility of interference with other vehicles. Also, I don't think an automobile is an ideal location for wireless transmission, as you can definately pick up considerable interference.

Of course, a lot of add-on CD changers use low-power FM transmitters to run the music to the HU. However, I don't think that's really the ideal solution here.

And then you have to consider the cost aspect. Wireless is great when you need to be mobile, but since the whole vehicle is mobile (and within the confines of it, you don't really have to move the speakers/amps very much), there's no real need for wireless. I'd rather use a $10 RCA than a $50 wireless hookup.