Logitech Squeezebox Radio user reviews (red)

Pros Attractive.

Cons Bug-ridden; exceptionally erratic performance. Loses presets; stops playing constantly. Failures to connect with error message "Connection reset by localhost". Multiple reboots daily; inability to bookmark stations; poor wifi connectivity;

Summary Product looks nice, but if you want something that works, look elsewhere--I wish I had.

When we purchased this product, we were looking for a stand-alone wifi radio, so we could listen to podcasts and streaming internet radio. What we didn't realize at the time of purchase is that this is NOT stand-alone -- it requires connection to a server. You can either connect to Logitech's servers (which suffer from downtime) or you can run a server on your own computer.

Since buying the unit in February, the firmware has been updated 3 times, with each firmware revision being more buggy than the last. I've spent more time on the phone with Logitech tech support for the Squeezebox Radio than for any other product I've ever owned. (I should add I've done tech support for a living; I usually fix my own problems.)

One of the problems I have with this unit is the way it is marketed; it is marketed as an appliance. Appliances are supposed to just work -- they shouldn't need continual hand-holding and tweaking just to keep them working. As far as working goes, when the unit works, it works well, it's just that it doesn't work all that often. The most egregious bug is the random-stoppage bug, where the radio just stops playing by itself. Normally, when you set a radio to a station, you expect it to keep playing until you either change the station or turn it off -- a $10 clock radio purchased at a dollar store can do that -- the Logitech Squeezebox Radio cannot, apparently.

If anyone reading this is contemplating the purchase of a Squeezebox Radio, I would urge them, in the strongest possible terms, to read the forums at mysqueezebox.com.
If you do so, you will find literally dozens of complaints related to the unit's firmware.

What I found really galling is that Logitech were busy developing the Squeezebox Touch and devoting most of their efforts in that direction, while leaving the problems with the Squeezebox Radio unresolved. We've now had this unit for 3 months, and frankly, we're ready to junk it. The Squeezebox Radio is defective by design, and I don't believe Logitech is going to fix the problems with it.

I really resent having spent a few hundred dollars to purchase a product that is not anywhere near ready for prime time, and to add insult to injury Logitech appears to be using their customers as guinea pigs or beta-testers. This product was introduced in September 2009, and has now been on the market for over 6 months. If anything, the issues with the product are even more numerous than they were at the time of the Squeezebox Radio's launch.