Whether they’re for a barbecue in the back garden with some friends or for your patrons as they eat or drink on the restaurant’s terrace, outdoor wireless speakers are an ideal way to provide musical accompaniment and atmosphere.

If you’re considering buying wireless speakers for outdoor use, there are several important choices to make: the range at which they work, whether they are compatible with your sound system, how they are powered, how loud they are and whether they can be used in all weathers.

Operating Range. The majority of wireless systems will operate at a range of 50-100 meters when used outside, in a space with no obstructions. As a practical guideline, the same speakers often operate at around 10-25 meters inside a building, where walls, other objects and electrical wiring interfere with the signal. For most purposes, the outdoor range is easily sufficient, though if you have a particularly large or oddly-shaped garden, you may need to be careful where you position the transmitter.

Central Transmitter Location. The central transmitter is, of course, the other major concern: this is the device that has to be attached to something in order to transmit the music! If you’re using a small, portable device as the source – an MP3 player or an iPod, for example – it’s much easier to position the transmitter centrally and ensure that the distance to the speakers is kept to a minimum.

However, if you’re connecting to a large, mains-operated hi-fi system or a TV, it’s likely to be much more difficult to find an ideal location. There is, as always, a workaround: purchasing an extra-long connection cable, so that the transmitter can be significantly further from the source system. It’s not perfect, but it works.

Bose 151 SE Outdoor Speaker Bundle (about $360 on Amazon)

Compatibility. Whether the speakers will work with your system is less of a worry than at first glance. Virtually all the commercially available designs incorporate a standard headphone-sized jack, allowing connection to an MP3 player, an iPod or even a portable CD player. They also often include an adapter to the bigger headphone jack, for compatibility with home hi-fi systems. However, if you’re buying specifically for an iPod, it’s worth checking whether the transmitter has a docking slot – it’s a better, simpler system than messing around with wires.

Power Supply.  Supplying power to the speakers is the next job. Given that they’re wireless, they run on battery power – either rechargeable or standard. This means that the length of time they will operate varies enormously: four hours appears to be fairly standard for normal battery-operated models, whereas the more expensive systems with built-in rechargeable packs aim for the ten hour mark.

Thankfully, eco-awareness has also reached the wireless speaker market and there are now models available which have built-in solar panels to recharge their batteries. It’s not only greener, it saves money in the long run.

Volume. As far as volume goes, the available systems vary enormously. As one would expect, increased output requires more power, so the life of the system’s batteries is reduced. The smaller, cheaper systems generally operate at around the 15W mark, ensuring they continue working for a decent amount of time on a few AAA batteries. The bigger, more expensive sets with internal power packs go up to around 100W.

Weather Resistance. Finally, the question of weather must come into the equation, especially if the speakers are to be a permanent external feature. Surprisingly, it’s entirely possible to buy wireless speakers that can be left outside in the rain – though this is never advisable for extended periods of time. Remember, when looking at this option, that the expression “weather resistant” does not mean that the speakers are immune to the effects, but that they are more resistant.

Design. Slick and modern design are suitable for use both indoor and outdoor; more rugged design – such as those from Audio Unlimited that look like a rock – may be more appropriate for outoor use.

Audio Unlimited 900MHz Wireless Rock Speaker System ($77 on Amazon)

Pricing. The price of wireless outdoor speakers can range from under $100 to over $1,000 and is generally based on three criteria: whether they have internal rechargeable battery packs, their power output and whether they are resistant to moisture and other weather issues. This is one product where more money normally means far better quality and durability.

On the Best Wireless Outdoor Speaker site we will strive to provide you with the reviews of some of the best outdoor and/or indoor speaker systems available today.

Weather-resistant wireless outdoor speakers are perfect for pool parties and garden parties. You can simply attach the transmitter to your stereo system and start enjoying music anywhere. You can also use it with portable MP3 players. And because all the controls are conveniently located on the speaker, you won’t have to run back and forth inside and out to adjust volume.

Wireless Outdoor Speakers from Brookstone

Blue lighting illuminates the wireless outdoor speaker for extra ambiance at night. 5″ woofer and 1″ tweeter.AC adapters included. Also runs on eight (8) D batteries (not included). Rich sounding bass, crisp treble, affordable price, and no wires! What else could you want? 

The setup is easy – just unpack and plug one of the three cables into the MP3 player, boombox, radio, or TV. It takes less than 5 minutes. The antenna comes with 3 channels for fail proof connection. The quality of the sound is excellent for an outdoor speaker. The bass can be turned on and off. Instead of plugging the speaker into the wall it can be powered by batteries.

On the Best Wireless Outdoor Speaker site we will strive to provide you with the reviews of some of the best outdoor and/or indoor speaker systems available today. Also read the Wireless Outdoor/Indoor Speakers Buing Guide.

When having a party or relaxing with your friends outdoors in your backyard or swimming pool, you cannot use iPods, and speakers of iPods do not give such good quality sound. Therefore for any occasion or party at home, wireless speakers are the ideal solution to get high quality music to all your guests. They can transmit through walls, and you don’t really need to worry too much about disruptions. Most wireless speakers are battery charged.

When shopping for wireless outdoor speakers, you should look for quality of sound, maximum distance between the transmitter and speakers and battery life.

Popular high quality brands are Bose, Hammacher Schlemmer, Accoustic Research, and Element. More affordable models are available too from ZipConnect, Brookstone (read my review of weather-resistant wireless speakers from Brookstone), and other.

The distance between the transmitter and speakers should be optimal, according to your need. This is the distance to which the speakers can be moved while still giving out high sound quality. It varies from 25 to 200 feet, which is a very wide range. With an increase in this distance of operation, the cost increases, so make sure you have an optimal distance that covers the area you want to use them in.

There are outdoor speakers that come with long lasting rechargeable batteries. On the other hand, there are those speakers that operate on smaller shelf batteries with low life, but can easily be replaced.

Price of course is the next thing you want to factor into. Wireless speakers have been going down in price while going up in quality and there are more and more models available on the market today. You should be able to find affordable good quality systems for under 200 dollars, so you can get as many as you want to fully equip your house, your backyard, or your office with the type of music you want. High end, high quality speakers can cost over 1,000 dollars.

Outdoor speakers are specially made to withstand harsh weather conditions, such as rain and snow, so make sure your wireless speakers are outdoor rated before you buy them.

On the Best Wireless Outdoor Speaker site we will strive to provide you with the reviews of some of the best outdoor and/or indoor speaker systems available today. Also read the Wireless Outdoor/Indoor Speakers Buing Guide.