{"id":47781,"date":"2021-03-03T13:46:35","date_gmt":"2021-03-03T17:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=47781"},"modified":"2021-03-03T13:46:35","modified_gmt":"2021-03-03T17:46:35","slug":"reviewing-a-pilot-c-crane-cc-wifi-3-and-taking-a-closer-look-at-radio-station-aggregators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/03\/reviewing-a-pilot-c-crane-cc-wifi-3-and-taking-a-closer-look-at-radio-station-aggregators\/","title":{"rendered":"Reviewing a pilot C.Crane CC Wifi 3 and taking a closer look at radio station aggregators"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/C.Crane-CC-Wifi-3-e1614781315102.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-48017\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/C.Crane-CC-Wifi-3-e1614781315102.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In January 2021, C.Crane announced the latest addition to their radio line-up: the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ccrane.com\/cc-wifi-3-internet-radio-with-Skytune\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">C.Crane CC WiFi-3<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>C.Crane was one of the first radio manufacturers that embraced the world of Internet radio with their CC WiFi product line.<\/p>\n<p>The WiFi-3 is the latest iteration and offers the following upgrades over previous models:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>This radio uses the Skytune radio station aggregator<\/li>\n<li>Faster boot-up, connection, and response times<\/li>\n<li>Can be powered from a common USB source or the supplied AC adapter<\/li>\n<li>Enhanced audio EQ settings<\/li>\n<li>Bluetooth connectivity<\/li>\n<li>Ability to add station streams manually<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before we dig into the CC WiFi-3, however, let&#8217;s first take a step back and talk about the current state of WiFi radios in general. This is an important consideration with <em>any<\/em> WiFi radio purchase these days.<\/p>\n<h1>WiFi radios: the pros and cons<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/WiFi-Radio-Lineup.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20612\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/WiFi-Radio-Lineup.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"514\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/WiFi-Radio-Lineup.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/WiFi-Radio-Lineup-300x129.jpg 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/WiFi-Radio-Lineup-768x329.jpg 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/WiFi-Radio-Lineup-1024x439.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/WiFi-Radio-Lineup-624x267.jpg 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/a>Those of us who like WiFi radios appreciate a dedicated device that gives us the tactile experience of turning the knobs of a radio. We appreciate the simplicity of a dedicated listening device that doesn&#8217;t rely on a connected computer, tablet, or phone. In addition, most WiFi radios like the CC WiFi-3 don&#8217;t track your listening activity\/habits like many internet radio listening apps and digital assistants do. They also don&#8217;t force feed you click-through ads.<\/p>\n<p><strong>But let&#8217;s face it: any of us who own Internet or WiFi Radios have had a rough couple of years. <\/strong>While <span style=\"font-size: 1rem;\">WiFi radios can open the door to tens of thousands of radio stations across the globe, they do have an Achilles&#8217; heel.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>\u00a0Internet radio station aggregators<\/h3>\n<p>WiFi radios are Internet appliances with the ability to stream Internet content, but they\u2019re not endowed with the ability to seek out stations in the wild and import their audio streams. WiFi radios rely on \u201caggregators,\u201d or online databases of curated links to radio stations.<\/p>\n<p>In the early days of WiFi radio, there were several models of radios on the market that linked to proprietary\/niche aggregators, many of which eventually closed down without warning. When a WiFi radio loses its ability to link to an aggregator, it becomes no more than a pricey paperweight, especially if the WiFi radio doesn\u2019t have traditional AM\/FM reception as a backup or a back-end means to program radio station stream URLs directly.<\/p>\n<p>Over the past two years, some of the major radio station aggregators have experienced issues that have truly frustrated their users. Most notably:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/05\/frontier-silicon-and-vtuner-aggregation-aggravation-continues\/\">In 2019, vTuner and Frontier Silicon&#8217;s relationship dissolved<\/a> which lead to Internet radio outages for Como Audio and Sangean WiFi radios. Fortunately, Frontier Silicon was able to restore service, but not without a few hiccups and outages.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/09\/tunein-ruling-may-lead-to-a-more-restrictive-future-for-uk-smart-speaker-and-internet-radio-users\/\">In 2020, a TuneIn ruling lead to station restrictions for UK smart speaker and Internet radio users<\/a>. Many readers of the <em>SWLing Post<\/em> noticed this change on their Sonos devices and radio applications.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/the-reciva-internet-radio-station-aggregator-closing-down\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">In November 2020, the popular aggregator Reciva gave a 90 day notice that they were closing down their service <em>permanently<\/em><\/a>. This came as a complete surprise to radio manufacturers like Grace Audio and C.Crane who were able to pressure Reciva into <a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/01\/reciva-pushes-out-closing-date-to-april-30-2021\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">extending the closure date to April 30, 2021<\/a>. Once Reciva is shut down, many WiFi radios will no longer function properly, although some have found ways <a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/11\/the-reciva-internet-radio-station-aggregator-closing-down\/#comment-662118\">to essentially create their own streaming server<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>With this aggravating aggregator history, why would anyone want to invest their money in another WiFi radio? Let&#8217;s take a closer look at this new device from C.Crane so you can decide.<\/p>\n<h1>The new C.Crane CC WiFi-3<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/C.Crane-CC-Wifi-3-2-e1614781426412.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-48018\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/C.Crane-CC-Wifi-3-2-e1614781426412.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"733\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>When C.Crane introduced the CC Wifi 3, <a href=\"https:\/\/ccrane.com\/reciva\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">they acknowledged the inherent issues with WiFi radios and how the Reciva closure affected their customers up-front.<\/a> Here&#8217;s a statement they released:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>We were happy to be one of first companies to offer ad-free Internet radio because it allowed anyone to listen to the world without a fee. Fifteen years ago, Ben, the founder of Reciva, had a small staff to create the software and volunteers around the world to help manage the station streams. We are sorry, but Reciva&#8217;s software will soon not work anymore. The software would need to be recreated from scratch. Even If this was done, it would not be possible for the existing radios to be compatible with this new type of software. This is the same way Apple and Microsoft might release a new operating system that is not compatible with older hardware.<\/p>\n<p>We are working on a new radio called the CC WiFi-3.<strong>\u00a0We will be testing the first pilot run of the new CC WiFi-3 in January with the first delivery by April<\/strong>\u00a0if all goes reasonably well.<strong>\u00a0There are still no ads or graphics to annoy you and nobody tracks your habits for advertising offers.<\/strong>\u00a0It looks almost the same as the previous CC WiFi but has been upgraded in several ways:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>It uses a new 3rd party stream provider called\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.skytune.net\/newweb\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Skytune<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>You can add your own streams (URLs) yourself so you are somewhat protected if the service fails for any reason.<\/li>\n<li>It is a little easier to use and it has a good built-in equalizer available.<\/li>\n<li>This radio comes with a 2 year limited warranty.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>[&#8230;]The CC WiFi-3 comes with the risk of losing connection to Skytune&#8217;s server if they were to shut down in the future. As we have previously documented in our catalog and on the web: C. Crane has no control over content or the stream provider for Internet radios and cannot be responsible for Internet radio programs or availability.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>I love this about C.Crane: <strong>they&#8217;re honest and<em> transparent<\/em><\/strong> with their customers even during a new product release.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/C.Crane-CC-Wifi-3-5-e1614782355414.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-48021\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/C.Crane-CC-Wifi-3-5-e1614782355414.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"830\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In January (2021), C.Crane sent me a pilot run, pre-production CC WiFi-3 for review and a thorough evaluation at no cost to me. Of course, I don&#8217;t typically share reviews of pre-production radios, but in this case, I believe the production model should function identically&#8211;or perhaps better&#8211;than my pilot model. I&#8217;m not concerned with variations in receiver sensitivity, selectivity, filtering, AGC, and noise floors as I would with a legacy receiver.<\/p>\n<p>At first blush, the CC Wifi-3 could be mistaken for the CC WiFi-2. Other than the prominent model number, it has an identical form-factor and interface. Inside, though, there have been a number of updates we&#8217;ve already mentioned.<\/p>\n<h1>Getting started<\/h1>\n<p>First thing I did, of course, was connect the CC WiFi-3 to the internet. It was a pretty simple process to go into the settings, have the radio find my WiFi service, and input the network password. If you have a long or complicated password, allow a few minutes to do this as the input method is character-by-character using the main front panel knob.<\/p>\n<p>Once connected, the radio has access to the new Skytune aggregator to search for radio station streams. I&#8217;m familiar with Skytune because they are the aggregator also used by my recently reviewed <a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/08\/a-review-of-the-ocean-digital-wr-26-fm-dab-internet-and-bluetooth-radio\/\">Ocean Digital radio<\/a>. I like how Skytune organizes their database allowing users to search by by location\/region, popularity, genre, etc. I found most of the stations I enjoy in short order.<\/p>\n<p>If Skytune doesn&#8217;t have the station you&#8217;re looking for, they make it easy to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.skytune.net\/newweb\/index.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">suggest an addition via their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h1>Adding presets<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/C.Crane-CC-Wifi-3-3-e1614782177410.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-48020\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/C.Crane-CC-Wifi-3-3-e1614782177410.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" \/><\/a>Adding Presets couldn&#8217;t be any easier. I&#8217;ve been using the most simple method: finding a station, then pressing and holding the PRESET button. This will save the radio station to the next available preset with more than 100 slots available.<\/p>\n<h1>Directly adding stream URLs<\/h1>\n<p>As C.Crane mentioned in their statement, even if the Skytune aggregator were to shut down in the future, the CC WiFi-3 makes it relatively easy to directly add your own streams by logging into the radio from a web browser.<\/p>\n<p>First, make sure you&#8217;re using a computing device that is connected to the same WiFi network as the CC WiFi-3.<\/p>\n<p>Secondly, find the IP address of your CC Wifi-3 by pressing the HOME button, then selecting SETTINGS -&gt; INFORMATION -&gt; NETWORK INFORMATION -&gt; IP: (immediately below the signal strength information).<\/p>\n<p>Note the IP address. Mine is currently 172.20.10.5 but yours will likely be a different number.<\/p>\n<p>Next, open a web browser and in the URL bar, type in the IP address of your CC WiFi-3 radio and press Enter:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Radio-IP-Address.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-48024\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Radio-IP-Address.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"426\" height=\"98\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Radio-IP-Address.jpg 426w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Radio-IP-Address-300x69.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 426px) 100vw, 426px\" \/><\/a>Your web browser will then load a page served up by your radio&#8217;s CPU (allow time for it to load):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/My-Favorites-Page-e1614785549693.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-48025\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/My-Favorites-Page-e1614785549693.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" \/><\/a>From this page you can add, organize, and label your station presets manually.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/CCWifi3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-47782\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/CCWifi3.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1332\" height=\"655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/CCWifi3.png 1332w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/CCWifi3-300x148.png 300w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/CCWifi3-1024x504.png 1024w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/CCWifi3-768x378.png 768w, https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/CCWifi3-624x307.png 624w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1332px) 100vw, 1332px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The CC WiFi-3 owner&#8217;s manual actually gives you hints about how to find URLs for radio stations. There&#8217;s certainly an art to it.<\/p>\n<p>First thing I did, in fact, was add one of my favorite AM radio stations (WAIZ) to the WiFi-3 directly by finding their main and backup stream URLs and adding them manually via the presets page. This instantaneously added them to the WiFi-3 presets:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/WAIZ-e1614785985324.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-48026\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/WAIZ-e1614785985324.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"480\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This pleases me to no end because I&#8217;ve never been able to play WAIZ from one of my WiFi radios.<\/p>\n<p>From the presets web page you can also control some basic radio functionality like volume up\/down, mute on\/off, and channel selection.<\/p>\n<p>While this isn&#8217;t quite as handy as a dedicated app, I like the fact that I can load this presets page from my phone, tablet, PC, Mac, or Linux box. It&#8217;s universal and simple.<\/p>\n<h1>Bluetooth<\/h1>\n<p>I&#8217;m happy C.Crane added Bluetooth to the CC WiFi-3 because it makes this already capable radio even more useful.\u00a0 As I write this portion of the review, in fact, I&#8217;m listening to music from YouTube via my MacBook Air streaming to the CC WiFi-3 via Bluetooth. Handy!<\/p>\n<h1>Audio<\/h1>\n<p>I prefer the audio from the CC WiFi-3 over previous models. It&#8217;s balanced and has hints of bass and treble. It is robust enough to fill a sizeable room with audio.<\/p>\n<p>It isn&#8217;t anything that would impress my audiophile brother-in-law because, in the end, the speaker and enclosure are not very large. It does reproduce voice and music with ample fidelity for casual listening, however.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Jazz-e1614790552508.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-48033\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Jazz-e1614790552508.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>You can tailor the audio with 12 EQ settings included in the WiFi-3 settings menu. I like the Jazz preset.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/C.Crane-CC-WiFi-3-back-e1614787974885.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-48028\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/C.Crane-CC-WiFi-3-back-e1614787974885.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"750\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In addition, the CC WiFi-3 has a line-out and headphone jack that makes it easy to export audio to a component stereo system or amplified speaker system. (Note above the &#8220;Not For Resale&#8221; label on the back of this pilot\/pre-production unit.)<\/p>\n<h1>Remote control<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/CC-Wifi-3-Remote-e1614789530773.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-48032\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/CC-Wifi-3-Remote-e1614789530773.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"625\" height=\"469\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The CC WiFi-3 also ships with an excellent full-size remote control. I love how much functionality this remote offers, making it much easier to navigate and control the radio from across the room. I also much prefer the form factor of this remote compared with the small credit card-sized remotes with membrane buttons.<\/p>\n<h1>Summary<\/h1>\n<p>Every radio has its pros and cons. When I begin a review, I take notes from the very beginning so that I don\u2019t forget some of my initial impressions. Here are the notes I made for the CC WiFi-3 pre-production\/pilot model:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pros:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ability to input streaming stations manually via a simple web browser interface<\/li>\n<li>Best in class WiFi reception via a dedicated antenna<\/li>\n<li>Input power is 5VDC meaning, you can use the supplied USB cable to plug into any USB power source, or you can use the supplied dedicated wall wart power supply. C.Crane includes both.<\/li>\n<li>Audio EQ can be tailored<\/li>\n<li>Included remote control (full size!)<\/li>\n<li>Backed by C.Crane 2 year warranty and 30 day satisfaction guarantee<\/li>\n<li>Line out and headphone ports<\/li>\n<li>Bluetooth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Cons:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>No battery power option (Pro: can use a 5VDC USB power bank)<\/li>\n<li>Backlit screen is small and can be difficult to read at a distance<\/li>\n<li>No dedicated iOS or Android control application (Pro: remote control)<\/li>\n<li>As with any WiFi radio, dependent on a station aggregator for easy radio station searches<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h1>Should you purchase the CC WiFi-3?<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/CC-Wifi-3-front-antenna-e1614788003821.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-48029\" src=\"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/CC-Wifi-3-front-antenna-e1614788003821.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"839\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re not intimidated by the &#8220;aggregator aggravation&#8221; we mentioned early in this article, I would suggest you give the CC WiFi-3 a try. Since the WiFi-3 offers easy, open access to add your station streams manually, you always have a backup if, for instance, the Skytune service\u00a0 were to unexpectedly close down in the distant future.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ccrane.com\/cc-wifi-3-internet-radio-with-skytunes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">For $119.99 US<\/a>, you&#8217;ll be purchasing a radio from a company that takes care of their customers.<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, C.Crane was so upset by the unexpected closure of Reciva, <a href=\"https:\/\/ccrane.com\/reciva\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">they have offered their existing CC WiFi customers<\/a> the following options:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>This is a one-time offer from C. Crane. This offer will end June 1, 2021.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ol>\n<li><strong>If you have purchased a CC WiFi and it is under the 1 year limited warranty,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ccrane.com\/contact-us\/\">contact us<\/a>\u00a0for the available options.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>If you have purchased a CC WiFi\u00a0<em>and it is no longer under warranty<\/em>, the CC WiFi-3 is available for half price &#8211; $60.00 USD plus shipping. You must fill out the form\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ccrane.com\/reciva-form\/\">(click here)<\/a>\u00a0and include a picture of your serial number(s). Instructions are included on the form for how to locate your serial number. If you need help with this, please contact us. You will be contacted once we receive our shipment to get payment information and to confirm your address.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>To my knowledge, no other radio manufacturer or retailer has made an offer like this to compensate for the loss of the Reciva service. Kudos to C.Crane for giving their customers options and discounts.<\/p>\n<p>C.Crane expects to have the CC WiFi-3 in stock and shipping in June 2021. We&#8217;ll post updates on the <em>SWLing Post<\/em> when they become available.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ccrane.com\/cc-wifi-3-internet-radio-with-skytunes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click here to check out the CC WiFi-3 at the C.Crane website.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In January 2021, C.Crane announced the latest addition to their radio line-up: the C.Crane CC WiFi-3. C.Crane was one of the first radio manufacturers that embraced the world of Internet radio with their CC WiFi product line. The WiFi-3 is the latest iteration and offers the following upgrades over previous models: This radio uses the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[836,3,4652],"tags":[190,9097,9096,7759,7758],"class_list":["post-47781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-products","category-news","category-wifi-radio","tag-ccrane","tag-c-crane-cc-wifi-3","tag-cc-wifi-3","tag-station-aggregators","tag-wifi-radio-aggregators"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-cqF","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20419,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/wi-fi-radio-primer-part-2-review-of-the-cc-wifi-and-sangean-wfr-28\/","url_meta":{"origin":47781,"position":0},"title":"Wi-Fi Radio Primer Part 2: Review of the CC WiFi and Sangean WFR-28","author":"Thomas","date":"August 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I originally wrote this three-part WiFi radio primer and review series\u00a0for the April, May and June issues of\u00a0The Spectrum Monitor magazine.\u00a0\u00a0Each part of this series will be posted with the tag: WiFi Radio Primer. 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Fifteen years ago, Ben, the founder of Reciva, had\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;New Products&quot;","block_context":{"text":"New Products","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/new-products\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/CC-Wifi-3-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15041,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/10\/radio-kiribati-now-streaming-on-the-web\/","url_meta":{"origin":47781,"position":2},"title":"Radio Kiribati and WiFi Radios","author":"Thomas","date":"October 5, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post reader, Paul Walker, who writes: Thomas.. I know this isn't quite SW news anymore, but Radio Kiribati usedto be on SW a while ago and is now on AM. I just found out something to those of us interested in Pacific radio signals. Radio Kiribati\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AM&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kiribati","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Kiribati.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Kiribati.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Kiribati.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":20592,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/08\/wi-fi-radio-primer-part-3-review-of-the-grace-digital-mondo-and-amazon-echo\/","url_meta":{"origin":47781,"position":3},"title":"Wi-Fi Radio Primer Part 3: Review of the Grace Digital Mondo and Amazon Echo","author":"Thomas","date":"August 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I originally wrote this three-part WiFi radio primer and review series\u00a0for the April, May and June issues of\u00a0The Spectrum Monitor magazine.\u00a0\u00a0Each part of this series will be posted with the tag: WiFi Radio Primer. 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I've gotten a number of messages from WiFi radio owners who note that when they try to tune to a WiFi radio station, their radio now displays\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CCWifi-Display.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CCWifi-Display.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CCWifi-Display.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/CCWifi-Display.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50961,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/11\/cc-wifi-3-firmware-upgrade-improves-stability\/","url_meta":{"origin":47781,"position":5},"title":"CC WiFi 3 firmware upgrade improves stability","author":"Thomas","date":"November 21, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Mark, who writes: Tom, I would like to think that owners of the CCWiFi3 are recipients of an early Christmas present! 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