This Wi-Fi router has Spotify. Wi-Fi crowdsourcing company Fon is branching out with the Gramofon, a network router that leverages Spotify support to stream music from the cloud to your sound system. Fon is known for hosting a network of free Wi-Fi hotspots around the world that you can gain access to by sharing your own broadband connection. The company claims to have the world’s largest Wi-Fi network with seven million hotspots worldwide.
The same system of sharing is built into the Gramofon router. Multiple users — as long as they’re logged on to the same Wi-Fi network — can control the Gramofon together. Your friends can log on to the router using their accounts on Facebook and Google. There’s no way to block people from playing music on the Gramofon so if your friends want to listen to Nickelback you’ll probably just have to wear earplugs, or find new friends.
If you’ve been using the Fon router, you’ll see that the Gramofon is basically the same thing, but with a functionality upgrade. According to PC World, the router can be connected to an existing Wi-Fi network or through a modem and an Ethernet cable. It will also ship with an RCA adapter and an 3.5 millimeter audio cable for connecting to a sound system.
The Gramofon won’t be locked into Spotify for too long. The company is looking to add support for Grooveshark, Rdio, Soundcloud, Pandora, Google Play, Deezer, Amazon, Rhapsody, Songza, Wah Wah and Slacker. For now, the Gramofon only works in the United States, Spain, and Brazil.
If you’re wondering when to get the router, now would be a really good time. Fon has just launched a 30-day crowdfunding campaign for the device on Kickstarter, and the price is only $30. “This is the most valuable and least expensive it will ever be,” the company’s Kickstarter page read. If you put in an advanced order, expect the Gramofon on your doorstep around July.
