I am looking to play music off of one of my NAS units (RN424 or RN104-I tried to add in model field multiple times but would not save). It can be wired or wireless, I just need analog or digital out to feed a receiver and other legacy devices. I would like to control via Alexa and browse the library on a phone or tablet. Note I am not trying to play the audio on a phone or tablet....just control it.
After much research I think these are my options but looking for confirmation or other options. None work perfectly.
- Install plex on my NAS, setup plex via the Web or android interface. Add plex as an alexa skill and use an echo dot to feed audio to my devices via analog audio out. An Echo Dot can give Alexa control of plex and play the files on an Echo Dot.The downside of this? I do not think I can browse my library on phone or tablet and choose music to play from the NAS on the echo dot.
-Use a Sonus connect device to browse my library on NAS and connect to receiver, etc. Sonus gives great tablet or phone browsing of a local library. Downside of this is no Alexa control with Sonus connect for local libraries.
- Access the music on the NAS and play it on a phone or tablet, then bluetooth to an echo dot. No Alexa control. And might as well just play the music of a phone memory card.
I have not used many readynas addins. Are there any addins, either by netgear or third party that would give me mobile library browsing AND alexa/echo dot control? I have seen other NAS providers provide addins for their units and alexa skills for this purpose .
- Install plex on my NAS, setup plex via the Web or android interface. Add plex as an alexa skill and use an echo dot to feed audio to my devices via analog audio out. An Echo Dot can give Alexa control of plex and play the files on an Echo Dot.
-Use a Sonus connect device to browse my library on NAS and connect to receiver, etc. Sonus gives great tablet or phone browsing of a local library.
You can of course do both of these things simultaneously
- Access the music on the NAS and play it on a phone or tablet, then bluetooth to an echo dot. No Alexa control. And might as well just play the music of a phone memory card.
Well, you can access music on the phone or tablet with Plex (or several DLNA players). Again, you can do this in addition to the the plesx skill, so you'd have alexa control - so I don't think that's a downside. I don't see the value of the bluetooth connection to the dot in this use case (as it's already covered by the earlier one). But you want to listen with headphones it would be useful.
- Install plex on my NAS, setup plex via the Web or android interface. Add plex as an alexa skill and use an echo dot to feed audio to my devices via analog audio out. An Echo Dot can give Alexa control of plex and play the files on an Echo Dot.
-Use a Sonus connect device to browse my library on NAS and connect to receiver, etc. Sonus gives great tablet or phone browsing of a local library.
You can of course do both of these things simultaneously
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Stephen,
Hope all is well. I was kind of hoping to use only one DAC? When you say I could do both simultaneously ......in thinking through that I would have to have one audio line out of the echo dot into my reciver/house distribution for when I use voice command (the echo dot), and one out of the Sonus connect for when I browse my phone or tablet to choose music. Is that right?
I had read that although I could access my NAS music with Android via plex, I cannot choose music on the NAS and tell it to play through the Echo dot? I know I can play on my phone but not what I want.
A custom Alexa skill and android app allows users to use alexa voice commamd to choose music on NAS or their android device via cover art.
What I was hoping for was to access my readynas music on one DAC device that would feed analog rca or toslink audio out and could be controlled via Alexa voice or via phone/tablet device via cover art library song or album selection. I am probably missing something.....
The last phone/tablet bluetooth solution just gives me tablet/phone cover art selection control of what is sent to echo dot. But no readynas access or alexa control.
When you say I could do both simultaneously ......in thinking through that I would have to have one audio line out of the echo dot into my reciver/house distribution for when I use voice command (the echo dot), and one out of the Sonus connect for when I browse my phone or tablet to choose music. Is that right?
Well, with those scenarios you'd need one DAC in the dot, and a second DAC in the sonus connect.
FWIW, I have played a bit with the Plex skill in Alexa, and found it difficult to get it to play what I wanted. You might want to try using that skill yourself, and see if it works better for you.
Stephen, Thanks. Sonus does support Alexa but for locally stored music (pc or NAS), it doesn't support song selection via Alexa from what I've read.....just play,pause,etc. But of course a very nice sonus app library for your NAS music song selection.
You are right, alexa support is secondary to a good library gui. I dont know the name of every album or artist I have.😀
And with plex, the best I can figure out is use a plex android app on a phone or tablet play the music there and bluetooth it to an echo dot. Or else you are plugging your phone into a cable.
This is a fun use of the NAS but not exactly plug and play.
