Want to stream music to a wireless speaker? There’s no shortage of options. But if you want to stream to multiple speakers at the same time, there are fewer options… and they tend to either be rather expensive, or require a Chromecast Audio-like dongle.
French startup Tempow wants to change that. The company has developed a custom Bluetooth stack that lets you stream audio from a smartphone or other device to as many as 7 Bluetooth speakers or headphones at once.
Since the technology requires a tweaked Bluetooth stack, you probably won’t be able to download and install a Tempow app anytime soon. But the company is hoping to work with device makers to include its technology on upcoming devices.
If that happens, here are a few things you’d be able to do:
- Stream audio from movies or music to multiple sets of headphones, allowing you and a companion to watch a movie together on a bus or airplane while using a single phone or tablet.
- Stream to multiple Bluetooth speakers at once, without needing to spend a lot of money on a Sonos-style system. Some cheap Bluetooth speakers go for $20 or less (although you probably won’t get Sonos-quality sound without paying more than that).
On the down side, since the system relies on Bluetooth rather than WiFi, it might be less than ideal as a whole-home audio solution. If you have a small house then sure, you can probably stream to a speaker in the living room and a second one in the kitchen. But don’t expect the Bluetooth signal to be able to sync speakers in the attic and basement (where I’m sure you often listen to music, right?)
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Bluetooth has limited range and limited bandwidth. Wifi is much preferred. I have audio chromecasts all around my house and while they once in a rare while have a weird hiccup, they do not tie up my phone as an audio source. I feed two audio chromecasts into real stereos. The sound quality is quite good.