Cisco Linksys Wireless N Home Audio Music Player Extender

I purchased the entire product line of Cisco Linksys Audio products. Purchased 2 Directors (DMC250), 1 Conductor (DMC350), 2 Players (DMP100), and 1 Wireless Remote. The ONLY reason I bought the Cisco system (as opposed to the many others out there), was because I trusted the brand and name, "Cisco." I am so disgusted by this system. a couple of grand down the drain. It borders on unusable. Very unstable, constant error messages, will not play from my iPods the majority of the time (even when it does, it will disconnect randomly), Rhapsody is totally unreliable, USB device connection makes the Conductor and Director freeze up. I have spent several hours on the phone with Linksys Tech Support... a joke in itself. I cannot believe that Cisco would put their name on such low quality garbage!!

DO NOT BUY this, or any other piece in the product line. When I purchased, there were virtually no reviews available. Now, go ahead and research before you buy. You'll find that I am being kind.

Fairly easy setup. Follow Linksys/Cisco advise of using a dual band wireless router for less headaches and smoother operation. Still addresssing some Music Player software isssues with Cisco support team.

In May 09, I purchased the Wireless-N Music Extender (DMP100) and the Wireless-N Touchscreen Remote (DMRW1000). They have been running perfect since being installed.

I attached the DMP100 to my Onkyo TX-SR805 receiver. I use this receiver in my home theater and to drive my zone 2 speakers which cover my patio outside. I used a hardwire LAN connection for connectivity to my home network. I do have a wireless network in my home as well, but have extensive wired infrastructure in the house and went ahead and used it for connecting the DMP100.

All of my Rhapsody music is stored on a Cisco Media Hub (NMH410). I have been using Rhapsody for the last 2+ years and love the service.

Setup for both the DMP100 and the DMRW1000 were incredibly easy. They have a software app that comes with them to help ease the setup of the products into your wired and/or wireless network. Both products were configured and running in under 10mins. It took me longer to download the latest version of the software app than it did to get both products configured and fully operational! If going with a hardwire config for the DMP100, you only need to connect it to the LAN. I did not have to directly connect it to the router.

Another VERY cool feature is once you purchase more than one Wireless-N Music Extender (DMP100), these show up on the remote (DMRW1000). Therefore, you can choose to play Michael Jackson on one DMP100 in the kitchen while you have your favorite playlist running on the other DMP100 that provides music to the patio. This gives you complete command of your whole home audio!

Complaints - really none.

Overall, two thumbs up for both products.

I'll break this into a couple pieces -- setup of the unit, and functions of the Cisco Media Player. I had a Roku prior to this, so forgive the comparisons.
Setup -- I just received my DMP100 today. It took more setup than I expected, including a call to tech support. The good news is that tech support was quickly available (less than 2 minutes to connect, 24-hour service), very knowledgeable and helpful, polite, and provided clear directions. The unit was up and running after the call. I was surprised that the DMP had to be hard-connected to my router for the initial configuration. I setup my Roku using the GUI and had it running in 20 minutes, wirelessly.
Cisco Media Player (CMP) -- I must say that I am disappointed in the player functions. The Roku player that I had before connected to Rhapsody, but did not try to replace it. CMP requires that you enter your username/password and it connects to Rhapsody directly. The Roku used the Rhapsody connection on my computer; a minor inconvenience if it wasn't running and had to be started. Despite the fact that CMP connects directly to Rhapsody, I can't select a playlist and play it! I have to select all of the songs in the playlist and drop them into the queue. Also, the shuffle on the Roku would pick a starting point in the playlist and shuffle songs from there -- just like Rhapsody. CMP "shuffles" the playlist once and plays from there. If you want a different sorting of the list, you are required to shuffle again the next time. Drag and drop do not seem to be valid functions through most of the player (e.g. drag a playlist to the queue). Lastly, you have to have a computer available to control the DMP, their is not GUI, unless you spring another $150 for the next model up.
Summary -- overall, I suspect that this will be satisfactory for my purpose -- to connect my Rhapsody to my stereo. Although I really liked my Roku, it suffered a fatal problem after about 18 months. Repeated emails to support, no phone available, were ignored for almost 3 weeks until I sent a flaming email (telling them how bad their support SUCKS) and received back the offer to repair my unit for $129. I only paid $199 for it new, hence the choice to put my money into a more reputable company like Linksys.