Apple Iphone Store’s Best Kept Free App Secret

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I am an App Store and iTunes junkie. I actually look forward to every Tuesday. This is the day that new media is released (books, CDs, DVDs and as it turns out, Apps).

iPhone real estate is at a premium and you want your most used apps on the main screen or just a few swipes away. Having purchased and/or downloaded hundreds of apps, it is interesting to see which ones get used, which ones stay and which ones get deleted to never to return.

In my opinion, the very best kept secret in the App Store is for an app made by Apple called Remote. I use this app literally every day.

What does Remote do?

Where do I begin?

Well, for starters, Remote allows you to control your iTunes library from your iPhone without the files being on your iPhone. So, for example, if you listen to music on your computer, if you are connected to the same Wi-Fi network, you can control the music from anywhere in your house, adjust the volume, create Playlists, use iTunes DJ, search through artists, albums, collections, music videos, Genius suggestions, Genius playlists, you name it.

But, let’s face it, you may not always want to listen to music on your computer or on the stereo in the living room. Sometimes, you want to sit outside or have music play in all of the rooms in the house. Conventional whole house audio systems aren’t cheap and once installed, they don’t offer a great deal of flexibility. After all, who wants to adjust everything on the wall in each room or have to roam the whole house trying to find the remote? Not me.

That’s why when the Sonos Mesh Network Whole House Audio Player came out, I began scheming to get one. (and, oh, by the way, in case you weren’t aware, the Sonos Player…….there’s an app for that). The Sonos Player connects to your Wi-Fi network and through a proprietary mesh network enables you to place speakers anywhere in your home and control them via a cool iPod Touch like remote control. Very cool. Not cheap and it has singular functionality (streaming music).

You can enable the same type system easily and inexpensively with a very little known feature that is enabled using the Remote app and an Apple AirPort Express Wireless Router.

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Here’s how it works:

On my network, I use an Apple Airport Extreme Wireless Router.

I also have an Apple AirPort Express Wireless Router.

Through the Apple AirPort Utility Software, I can connect the two or extend the range of my wireless network. For my setup, they are connected.

The AirPort Express has the ability to stream AirTunes which is iTunes wirelessly over the air.

There is a port on the AirPort Express that enables you to connect it to a powered speaker like the ill fated Apple Hi-Fi (which I love despite its bad reviews and discontinuance) or the Bose SoundDock with one simple cord.

Once connected, using the Remote app, you can now stream music wirelessly to the speaker(s) and control it with a visual interface. This replicates the abilities of the Sonos system for a fraction of the cost. With this setup, you can have AirPort Expresses in any location within range of your wireless network with speakers connected to it. Through the Remote app, you can select which speakers are active and have sound.

It is fast, affordable and fun. I’ve used this setup for years at home and on vacation. It enables me to place speakers anywhere in range of an electrical wall outlet and stream music to them all controlled by my trusty iPhone running the Remote app.

Want a whole house audio system?

Simply buy additional AirPort Expresses and speakers and place them where you want them. You can control all of them with your iPhone and the Remote app.