Ocean Digital WR-23F Portable FM Internet Radio 2.4” Color LCD Built-in Battery Wi-Fi Bluetooth (Black)

I have a smartphone with the TuneIn app, I have had for years. I have a smart speaker, have had for years. Despite that, I wish I had bought an internet radio years ago! I guess that, as an internet radio itself, I’d rate this 4 stars but the concept of an internet radio 5 stars. I haven’t tested the UPnP support, but I’ve tested the Bluetooth, Internet Radio, and FM radio system. As an FM radio, its reception isn’t as good as some of my other FM radios, but it’s still great that it includes FM. The sound quality isn’t great (of course, it’s mono only), but the quality of most internet streams isn’t that great, either. I also wish it had more direct presets, maybe 5. And the navigation controls are a little squishy. On the plus side, the price makes this an excellent radio to evaluate if an Internet radio is right for you. Additionally, the small size, while impacting the sound quality, increases the portability, which means I’m more likely to use it. The sleep timer feature has also been brilliant. Also brilliant is the fact that the screen dimmer feature will go down to 0%, great when listening at bedtime. Now for a review of the concept of an Internet radio itself. I’ve got the TuneIn app on my phone, so I’m no stranger to internet radio. I’ve been wanting to reduce screen time, and a significant amount of screen time for me is watching YouTube videos for background audio. The TuneIn app is still an app on my phone, and to change a station requires opening my phone with all the distractions that entails. And, while the TuneIn app probably has a sleep timer function, I charge my phone outside of my bedroom so I’m not distracted to open it first thing (or into late night browsing). And, unlike a smart speaker, it’s much easier to navigate and find a stream to play. I’ve had a blast on a technical level, going into the web inspector for a stream’s website to find the stream URL, configuring all the bits on the radio. And having a dedicated device for internet radio has made it easier to listen to streams. As a result, I’ve now got a radio that can tune in local stuff, stuff that’s internet only, stuff that’s local to places far away. I’ve got spoken word streams saved, music (including genres I’d never hear around here), combinations. While I’ve always been able to pull up an app and hear these streams, it just feels better and more accessible in the form factor of a portable radio. If you think you might like Internet Radio, this is the radio to get if you want the smallest, simplest one. If you want more presets or better sound quality, maybe a higher end model is the way to go. But I’m convinced that Internet Radio is one of those concepts where having a dedicated device makes a lot of sense.

I was looking for a travel internet radio and this fills a nice niche for me. It's lightweight but has a strong, well-made case. The case doesn't give when you press on it and the buttons are secure so I won't worry about it being damaged in packed luggage. Once you've connected it to 2G wifi, it boots up very quickly to play your favourite station within just a few seconds. I like that there are 3 dedicated favourite station buttons on top and a dedicated sleep timer button in front. This makes it very easy to manipulate in the dark. The input wheel is a bit stiff and small for big stubby hands unless you use your fingernails, but I got used to it. The display is easy to read which is a big plus for such a small radio. One of the best things about the radio is that you can manually add stations using your computer's browser. This is a great feature to have because if Skytunes ever goes down, it won't brick your radio. The favourites webpage even allows you to format/alias your favourite stations' names and sort them as you wish. I've read that it can take up to 150 favourites, but I stopped at around 75. The sound quality is about what you expect for a radio of its size. It's not going to fill a large room nor will it make audiophiles happy, but it's fine for a nightstand or desk. You can connect headphones or a speaker to the headphone jack for better quality sound. I find that the Pop EQ preset gives a nice balanced sound but you can try the other presets or set up your own EQ to work for you. It's also very easy to pair your radio to your phone/iPad and use it as a Bluetooth speaker, but you're not going to be able to connect Bluetooth headphones to it. The Bluetooth only goes one way. Some have complained that the radio's Wifi receiver isn't as sensitive as it could be, but I travel with a small portable router so that has never been an issue for me. However, I would highly recommend going into the radio's Configuration menu and setting the Buffer Time to 5 seconds to reduce drop outs. They should have defaulted the radio to that setting in the first place. I have received about 9-10 hours of battery life per charge cycle. Going into Configuration and setting the display to Dim and then setting the Dim setting to 0% greatly improves battery life. You can wake up the display by pressing any button or turning the volume wheel. The FM reception is a bit of a disappointment. I live in Brooklyn, NY so ordinarily have an easy time finding FM stations, but even after going into the Configuration menu and setting the FM area to Americas, after using the radio's scanner, most of what was picked was static. Another quibble for me is that with e-waste in mind, I wish the battery was replaceable. So far, I haven't seen anything that leads me to think the battery will wear out quickly but it would be better if this radio took rechargeable AAA, AA or 9V batteries. I would rather recycle batteries than a whole radio. I also wish this radio had a stand on the back so it can be laid back at an angle on a table for extra stability. The protruding antenna somewhat allows for this but the angle isn't ideal. My workaround was to buy a cellphone kickstand that I superglued to the radio, but it would be nice if it was included. But for US$65, it more than meets its brief. Now that international shortwave broadcasting has faded away, my small portable shortwave radio hasn't gotten much use when I go on the road. I've long wished for a dedicated small portable internet radio to take its place. Sure, you can use your phone with a Bluetooth speaker to stream internet radio, but then it's more difficult to use your phone for other functions and often you don't want to drain your phone's battery by streaming radio. I give it 4 stars and recommend it if you're in the market.

Update: on the 2nd one, it’s charging like a champ! Setup is easy peezy and it’s worth noting that this model vs the WR-18, this has easily twice the audio volume than the WR-18. Sound is excellent. I recently had a WR-18 and within about 7-8 months the battery would no longer charge. Fortunately, I had purchased an extended warranty. Sent it back and purchased this model. It arrived yesterday with very little battery charge according to the indicator. It would not charge regardless of what charger I used (5 hours & nothing). It’s going back and a replacement is coming today. Manufacturer would never admit it, however I’m convinced that these Ocean Digital portable sets just sit in a supplier’s warehouse perhaps up to and more than a year. These lithium ion batteries by design cannot always be revived by charging and this is the cause of battery failures. The sets arrive to the consumer with somewhere around a 20-40% charge and by the time the person who bought it gets it set up, they realize it needs a charge, try to charge it, but it won’t take a charge. It gets sent back and they either get a refund or have it replaced. If you order this internet radio, don’t waste your time setting it up Until you see if it’ll take a charge! Then if it does, charge it up fully and Then set it up. Bad news is if it does take a charge, if your set sat around in the supplier’s warehouse way to long, that set’s batteries may likely fail 6 or so months after you purchase it. So much of this could be avoided If the manufacturer made the batteries accessible And replaceable. Above all else, do not buy this radio without also buying the available extended warranty!!!

This is my second Ocean Digital, being my first portable Internet radio. Being my second Ocean Digital, the interface was already familiar, so searching for and loading stations in memory was a simple task. I would add that this interface isn't the most intuitive interface, but it is consistent. Once you get the hang of it, it isn't that bad. Audio quality is surprisingly good. The addition of an actual equalizer really makes the music come alive with a good set of headphones. This radio was delivered last night and I immediately topped it off with a charge. The radio is now on the last bar of battery life after approximately 6 hours of play. Range is surprisingly good. I have many IP devices, but this is the only one that has enough range to function properly in my garage. No drop-outs, and that's quite a feat. Being a long time short wave and medium wave DXer, having the ability to listen to distant stations without the long deep fades and lightning strikes is a revelation. Not to mention, no interference due to the sheer number of RF polluters in every home in the nation. In summary, I'm very pleased with this radio. I'm listening to my favorite NBA team play right now, not possible over the air. I can recommend this radio.

Like all internet radios this suffers from the same 1998 flip phone style interface that they all have. It's like using a Nokia cell phone from the 90's, super ugly and outdated by literally more than decades. The nostalgia for your vintage Nokia cell phone will kick in more because you're probably literally using the same exact screen that Nokia phones had in the 90's. Not only is the interface decades old, but it's also that slow to navigate too. Good luck navigating to exactly what you want in a search with 100 + results (or more), fun time! You'll also be limited to only using the provided internet radio server that this radio works with. I think you can add some stations manually, but that process sounds a lot better on paper than it works in reality. You better have a college degree in searching for the proper internet streaming URL if you add them manually. I've done tech support for nearly 20 years and can't find them 99.9% of the time. The other part of this radio that is a joke is it weighs about as much as my morning coffee because there is nothing to it but plastic, cheap plastic. The build quality feels like a toy. But to remove my personal distaste for the cheap quality from my review I think this radio does have its place for people who can appreciate a cheap radio that works good enough. If you just want to experience an internet radio at an ok price (I guess, not really) it will perform fine for listening to your program of choice and it's lightweight for moving it around the house.

Battery stopped working after 2 months of use. A HUGE IMPROVEMENT would be if the BATTERIES WERE REPLACEABLE. It would be a 5 star radio, instead of 0 star, if the batteries could be replaced. I've owned several and each had battery failures.

I live in a radio "dead zone." Even with a very sensitive C. Crane Radio, there are times when I can't receive strong signals from 50 miles away. In frustration, I ended up buying this portable Ocean Digital radio. The clarity of sound is excellent and my reception problems are over. Navigating through the menus is easy. Some people have complained about short battery life. This problem is solved by going into the settings and dimming the LED screen so it turns off after 20 seconds. The screen will still light up when changing stations or volume but goes back out shortly thereafter. After changing the settings, I now get between 4-5 hours on a charge. A charge takes about 3 hours (5 watts x 3 hours = 15 watt-hours of electricity, which at 25 cents per kilowatt hour means each charge costs less than a penny)! I ended up buying a second radio to keep a "hot spare" fully charged at all times. While the radio may get 30,000 stations only a fraction of them are in English. Still, the variety of programming is extensive enough to satisfy almost anyone's needs and you can select programming by geographic area or genre. I put about 20 stations in my favorites preset, but it holds up to 99 - far more than I'll ever use. Bottom line, if you have radio reception problems or are tired of paying for satellite radio, this little gem will give you lots of program options at a very affordable price.

I've never owned an internet radio before so thought I'd give this a try since it isn't too expensive and also is portable. The first thing that I noticed when using this radio is the sound is amazing. I noticed that when listening to songs with this radio, I can hear the words to some songs where I couldn't make out the words on other radios. The audio is crystal clear and for such a small radio, it can put out good volume. My primary use of this radio is for playing oldies stations. With that it gives a feeling of nostalgia using an old portable radio for old songs. On the top is an on/off button that is controlled by a long press. There are also 3 buttons for your most favorite saved stations. Entering the stations can be done by navigating the small LCD screen . Stations can also be entered and saved using the skytune website. The radio is run by a non-replaceable lithium Ion battery that gets recharged by a USB-C connection. My main dislike of this radio is the "OK" button for navigation is a bit large in that sometimes my finger slides off and I end up pressing the arrow toggles in stead. Which the toggle arrows were larger and the OK button a bit smaller. Here is what I like and dislike about this internet radio: Likes: ------ - fabulous sound quality - option to save favorites - good volume Dislikes: --------- - "OK" button can lead to pressing the arrow toggles instead - a bit top heavy to play upright and can get bumped and fall sometimes - (personal preference) would have preferred replaceable AA batteries instead of non-replaceable USB-C charged radio If you are looking for a small internet radio that isn't too much as has superior sound with the ability to save favorite stations, this radio may be for you. I give the Ocean Digital WR-23F Portable FM Internet Radio 4 out of 5 stars

Practico. A mejorar el tiempo de batería. Relación costo material muy bien. Promoción exagerada en relación a la cantidad de estaciones de radio.

I really love this radio! It took me no more than 10 minutes to set up and configure. It works just as I thought it might and better. I really like the controls on the top, the volume button is very handy and I can reach over and just turn it with one finger. There are three buttons on the top for presets, but there is also room for more presets accessible through the menu on the screen . The sound is very good, the size is nice. I have it on the table beside my recliner chair, with the cord plugged in, handy to charge it when needed it’s good to know with lithium batteries, to not totally drain the batteries often. I have included a screenshot of lithium battery charging info to extend the life of the battery. Having said that, it does keep a charge for a fairly good period of time, and that likely depends on the volume used, and the brightness of the screen which can be adjusted to dim. The option for FM radio stations is also a big bonus, and with living in an area that can be a bit hard to pick up FM signals, I have no problem picking up a couple stations that I couldn’t get before on other radios. There is a very robust antenna on the back. I could’ve just used my phone to listen to FM and satellite radio stations, but I didn’t like the idea of having to listen to programming through my phone when I was using my phone for other tasks. All in all, I am very glad I purchased this radio.

Hoy en día prácticamente la totalidad de aparatos se conectan a WI-FI de 5 GHz. Este aún lo hace al antiguo WI-FI de 2,5 GHz. Por ello, las conexiones son el doble de lentas de lo que debieran ser. Por favor, actualicen ya este producto a WI-FI de 5 GHz.

To begin with, kudos to Ocean Digital for really getting behind the concept of internet radios and continuing to bring product to market for we radio enthusiasts. This particular model embraces ‘portability’ with a built in rechargeable battery in a light body. Like the WR26, another great portable unit, the WR23 features the SkyTune aggregator to browse and add stations, an easy to use interface. The WR23 features a large, easy to read screen with more intuitive controls including a nice volume knob for easy adjustments with your thumb or fingertips. I like the matte finish with rounded contours. The plastic is light but quite sturdy. One concern is that it might be prone to tipping given its thin base. I use the FM antennae tilted towards the base to help stabilize the unit. Keep up the good work Ocean Digital and thank you for offering small, functional, portable options for an internet radio. AM stations are on the wane and fade in and out. FM reception is limited to a smaller area and so it is great to have the world wide broadcasts on tap via the internet and a home wifi setup.

I bought this Ocean Digital WR-23 Internet radio to replace a Logitech Squeezebox and I was not disappointed - the quality and operation was much better than I expected for receiving talk radio channels from Europe and the USA, here in Canada. You need a bit of patience and perseverance to work out how to set it up, but once mastered then it's easy to set up new channels in the future. As others have noted, FM radio reception is quite poor, though I have less need for it myself. The internal rechargeable battery runs down fairly quickly after a few days of moderate use. I have used the radio every day for the past 2 months and am still very pleased with it.