Home > Consumer Reviews > Sanyo R227 WiFi Internet Radio (Black)

Had to return the first unit when, upon restarting from "upgrade software" mode, the unit froze. A reboot was not possible. The second unit works fine, for the most part. One reviewer wrote, "The backlight is also preset to a rather bright setting, so if you're using it as an alarm clock . . . you can tone down the brightness within the control panel." On my unit this dimming function does not work, as the unit goes back to bright after setting it for dim. This is a very big drawback if you are using it bedside as an alarm clock --you will have to put a towel over the unit it is so bright. If anyone can explain how to do this please tell me.

Lastly, the media interface does not work with Macs --it says so in the instruction manual --but it says you can access your "itunes" over the wireless network using a Windows PC. What kind of modern media device, particularly one like this internet radio, would not be compatible with a Mac? I mean, after all, Macs are designed for music media and Mac users are heavy users of the media functionality of Macs, including iTunes. This is a rather absurd non-functionality.

This is a great new technology. I'll rate it up there
with the modem and the personal computer. That said,
I was nearly so frustrated in getting this set up that
I was close to returning it a couple of times. But once
it actually worked I was very pleased. I elected to use
a wired rather than wireless router, so I could run a 75 ft.
cat5 cable to my bedroom for the [...]

I'll give two gripes first.

FIRST GRIPE:

This radio won't work if my PC is running. Through trial and
error I learned I needed a router to run the radio and PC at the
same time. Or I could disconnect my PC from my cable modem, plug
in the radio, and reboot the modem every time I wanted to use the
radio.

I initially bought a 5 port switch to connect my PC, laptop and radio
to my cable modem. It saved me from disconnecting cables, but it still
only let me have one device connected to the internet at a time.

With the router connected to the cable modem, the switch connected
to the router; and the pc, laptop and radio connected to the switch
everything works at the same time. (I have the switch, so I may as
well use it to move the signal along - but it's not actually required).

I realize some will say that only getting a single dhcp internet
connection at a time out of my cable modem is the fault of my provider,
not the radio. However, since Optimum is my provider, I think my
experience is typical, and it would have been very helpful if the
Sanyo advertising and documention highlighted this fact prominently
as in.... NOTICE: YOU PROBABLY NEED A ROUTER TO HAVE THIS RADIO WORK
WHILE YOU ARE ACESSING THE INTERNET ON YOUR PC!

SECOND GRIPE:

This radio's navigation appears to be managed and updated by the
[...] website. The site provides categorization and lookup
of the thousands of stations you can get. Once it's working
properly, the radio accesses the same data as shown on the website
and loads it for you. You want stations from Uruguay, the radio
uploads all of them. You want US stations starting with W, the radio
uploads all of them. You then can quickly scroll alphabetically with
the radio dial to the one you want, and can save up to 8 stations
as instant access buttons.

The Sanyo R227 manual and the Sanyo website (which is a mirror of the
[...] website) refers you to the Reciva website for FAQ's, tips,
station and category listings, and for adding undocumented radio
stations to their database. The Sanyo R227 manual troubleshooting
section tells you to go to the Reciva website for additional tips.
And remember, the actual uploading of all the stations to the radio
is from the Reciva database.

When I first got the radio I went to the Reciva site to register.
The only problem was their website kept sending me an invalid URL
to complete my registration. I couldn't register. I sent several
days of emails to Reciva and even used their online contact form.
I tried registering with a different user name and email. The result
... no reply ... no info ... no phone number ... an email dead end.

When I requested help from Sanyo, they told me they couldn't help
with Reciva website registration problems, and I could use the radio
without the Reciva website. This was in total contradiction of all the
Reciva references in the Sanyo documentation and on the Sanyo website.
A real catch 22. Hence the 1 star for customer support.

The Sanyo R227 manual was no help with my problem. With the radio
plugged straight into the cable modem, I still couldn't get a connection.
After looking at error messages on the radio lcd and trying different
configurations (the default DHCP auto detect worked), I was about to pack
the radio up and send it back to Amazon, when out of the blue I saw a message
on the lcd that the Reciva database was uploading station info. How or why
it started working is a complete mystery.

THE PRAISE:

I love this radio. My Reciva website login finally just worked a week later
- no notification, I just tried it on a whim. The radio sound is great,
no static or interference, the navigation is very straightforward. If you know
your radio station call letters, there's minimal browsing required. The
stations load in less than a minute when you turn the radio on. It returns
to the last station you visited and the presets stay in place or are easily
changed. There are a few minor nits to pick like the volume not staying where
you left it. But I'm very happy with it, and so far I'm glad it started working
before I sent it back.

I had always enjoyed short wave radio as a kid, and the onset of internet radio was a wonderful improvment in technology as there are no longer issues of signal strength or time zones. I did not foresee that family members would be facebooking and ebaying all day long, and box me out of non essential computer use. Without access to my computer, the internet radio resolved all of my issues. I just plug it in, and it found my wireless network. Then enter your WEP code, and it derives its menus from [...]. Check out reciva on your big computer monitor and you get a heads up as to what to search for on the small radio screen. I happen to have previously purchased a hawkins wifi extender, so I can now place my Sanyo ANYWHERE without signal loss. Sound quality is moderate to good, but plug in any IPOD FM transmitter and play sound thru any stereo source in your home. Really rocks in my den with surround sound speakers, while my family occupies the computer. The radio is small and has a high tech attractive look. The price point on Amazon was excellent. Like the fact that it was manufactured by a big electronics name I had heard of before. Only ctiricism might be that it could probably use more station presets. BUY THIS RADIO!

http://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-R227-Internet-Radio-Black/dp/B001O84M3I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1255960781&sr=8-1
I've been using the Sany R227 Internet radio for three weeks now. It's turned out to
be one of those now and then purchases one make that fills a need ideally. It's sound in
every way. Good sound quality. Ease of use. A wealth of stations that are updated
automatically. And a very sensitive receiver. I use the radio all over the house, and
have never had any problem with reception. It could be used when travelling for any
hotel or motel that offers WiFi. The bottom line is that it simply works. I
highly recommend it, and plan to buy at least two more, as gifts.

This is a great little internet radio. I am no computer expert but had it up and running in no time. The sound quality is ok for a table top radio but if you are expecting high end audio you will be disapointed. The audio quality can only be as good as the source. The sound quality is probably as good as you can expect for this kind of device. Bass responce is improved by use of a bass reflex port in the back of the unit. The 8 presets are redundant as you can store as many stations as you want by logging into the website as described in the user manual. Once you have created your list of radio stations on the website they appear on your radio's display and you can scroll throgh them using the rotary dial. To do this you have to register your device but the instructions are clear and easy to follow. I am an expat living in the USA and bought the radio to listen to my beloved BBC Radio 4. My criticism would be that I would prefer a volume knob rather than the up / down buttons for volume. The display screen could be a little bigger, and the other buttons could be layed out better. My critisism for most devices these days is that they could be designed to be much more simple and user friendly. On the whole I would recommend this radio for kitchen or office use, or as a radio alarm.