“The missing link to complete streaming experience”

Streaming audio has come a long way since last 10 years. We can play music from fingertips on mobile phone and stream highres quality to streamers now. There’re so many audiophile products to improve streaming experience but Wi-Fi quality is still overlooked.

Imagine streamer working as a DJ in radio station. You call streamer through WiFi to tell streamer to show you what song is playing and ask streamer to play your favorite song. Simple, right? But streamer has always been looking for Wi-Fi in network in case you call.

There’s Inter-process communication (IPC) that keeps sending interrupts to switch task across processes in streamer including network communication to Wi-Fi. Jitter and delay on Wi-Fi can affect IPC and OS jitter in system enough for Tidal Connect devices to sound better with StreamPoint.

Why access point?

As the words “Wi-Fi” and “router” are often used together, some people treat replacing wireless router as a requirement to improving Wi-Fi quality. This creates confusion to uninformed audiophiles about Wi-Fi routers.

The original goal of past wireless products from Fidelizer is to install new router as an access point for better Wi-Fi quality to use. While it’s possible to replace existing routers in some cases, our main focus is to have audiophile grade Wi-Fi network.

With StreamPoint as audiophile access point, you can install Wi-Fi 7 or even 8 routers when it comes out and still use StreamPoint in your listening room without any conflict. The goal is to have audiophile grade Wi-Fi for listening room, not the whole house.

Successor of AirStream / StreamHub

It took us over a year to research and develop a product to reach the same level as how we created our very own streamers like Nimitra. When we built StreamPoint, we took steps further from tinkering configuration down to ground up dedicated Wi-Fi solution.

1. Discover configuring router configuration can improve audio performance
2. Choose optimal wifi routers for audiophile purposes
3. Modifying router board with high precision clock and low impedance capacitors <— This is where StreamHub is
4. Choosing more sophisticated design for better performance such as quad core or dedicated power supply circuit
5. Apply deeper level of modification to reduce noise and interference inside circuit <— This is where AirStream is
6. Revise a new router board design specifically for receiving ethernet to create access point
7. Build a new firmware dedicated for audiophile access point project
8. Configure and optimize firmware creation and configuration through deep knowledge research and listening test
9. Assembling access point module into aluminum chassis with improved resonance and vibration control <— This is where StreamPoint is

Because StreamPoint is built from ground up at the same depth as building streamer, we can finally make a major breakthrough on streaming improvement that can finally reach potential to surpass CD for the first time in real listening test.

Breaking all streaming boundaries

There’re a lot of times when AirStream helped streaming reaching highend audio performance level. However, StreamPoint can make us feel that streaming can finally reach full potentials for the first time with the following breakthroughs as below.

Hardware redesigned for audiophiles

Rather than using conventional wireless router configuration, we pursue the lowest jitter/noise design using single 100Mbps ethernet port as a dedicated access point. This will force fast ethernet connection to reduce noise and can accept 5V from USB port of streaming device directly.

And since AirStream and StreamHub can further reduce noise and interference with 5GHz network disabled, we chose dedicated non-AC wireless solution to without the need to disable 5GHz network, with high precision clock and improved power regulation and RF filtering network.

Build as barebone firmware for access point

Most routers often come with different modules and applications for different needs. They took up resources and add latency spike on processor and network. For StreamPoint, we stripped down DHCP, Firewall, IPv6, Logging, WAN, etc. down to most basic forms.

As a result, StreamPoint is very lightweight with almost zero CPU utilization running straight to access points operation with least complexity design. This allows StreamPoint to handle more extreme optimizations in further levels.

Intensive research on router configuration and firmware optimizations

We ventured beyond the surface level of wireless configuration into infrastructure level like lower transmit queue length on interface to perfect buffer queue, reducing transmit power from 100mW to 6mW to reduce noise but enough to keep WiFi stable in listening room.

There’s a lot of firmware optimizations behind the scene such as optimizations on kernel, virtual machine, shared memory, message queues, semaphores, etc. Thanks to research data on Purist ROM projects, we can finish this sooner without taking years to master it.

Build quality of audiophile standards

Most wireless products are built with plastic body with low quality rubber as footer causing vibration and resonance issues on Wi-Fi transmission. Some audiophile routers have aluminum chassis but also cost a fortune to acquire one.

Fidelizer’s focus is to make highend audio affordable for more audiophiles so we worked hard to find a common ground where we can make StreamPoint affordable under $500 USD with aluminum chassis protecting circuit from RFI with great reliability.

All of these are further breakthroughs from AirStream project breaking the last frontier of streaming boundaries. With StreamPoint in your system, you can explore new possibilities of streaming and enjoy music for years to come.

Best Wi-Fi Isolation in pair with AP / Client support

Since TP-Link nano router’s client mode hack has become infamous through audiophile communities, we took steps further to investigate on how client mode can work in our reference system. We understand some people just want a single Wi-Fi to streamer over a dedicated network.

You can connect StreamPoint AP unit with main router or network switch to create audiophile access point first. Then, connect StreamPoint Client unit to streaming device and enjoy native bridging that can work flawlessly as true plug and play solution.

Because StreamPoint AP and Client use true layer-2 bridge design, StreamPoint Client doesn’t use masquerading or IP translation at all. TP-Link’s Client mode uses mac masquerading that adds latency so performance and compatibility of StreamPoint Client will work better with StreamPoint AP.

You can purchase StreamPoint AP only if you want to create audiophile access point from network switch for your mobile phone to use. StreamPoint Client will need StreamPoint AP to work with configuration under the same SSID.

Setup and applications

Setting up StreamPoint is very simple. You can plug ethernet cable from network switch or main router to StreamPoint and plug USB cable from streaming device with USB port nearby  or bundled adapter to StreamPoint. Then, you can join “StreamPoint” Wi-Fi with password “fidelizer”.

If you don’t have network infrastructure around your system and want to connect “StreamPoint Client” to “StreamPoint AP” unit nearby, you can plug ethernet cable from StreamPoint Client to streaming device and USB cable from stream point to streaming device with USB port nearby  or bundled adapter.

After few minutes, both devices should recognize each other and bridge streaming device to main network through StreamPoint bridged network. This method will reduce I/O latency on streamer by using ethernet instead of Wi-Fi which has higher CPU and I/O utilization.

We recommend USB from streaming device as power source because a lot of streamers with good power supply also come with USB port for cost effective solution. Connecting StreamPoint to audiophile network switch is still the most effective way to use StreamPoint in our reference system.

Specifications

Network Standard: WiFi 4 (IEEE 802.11n/b/g 2.4 GHz), IPv4
Product Segment: 100 Mbps (802.11n)
Antenna: External antenna x 2
Operation: Access Point mode
WiFi Encryption: WPA/WPA2
WiFi Transmission Power: 8dBm (Can be configured up to 20dBm on request)
Ports: RJ45 for 10/100 Mbps x 1, USB Type micro B x 1
Power Supply: 5V / 1A
Dimension: 88 x 70 x 38 mm (W x D x H)
Product Weight (g): 300g
Package Content: StreamPoint, Power Adapter, USB Cable, CAT8 Ethernet Cable

Ordering StreamPoint

Only US $429

The MSRP price for StreamPoint is US $429 with 30-day money back guarantee and one year product’s warranty. You can order StreamPoint with the following options below for most suitable uses with your products.

Purchasing StreamPoint as Client unit can work with any StreamPoint AP unit with matching SSID. Order should arrive in 2-4 weeks after date of purchase with FedEx/DHL Express for delivery in 2-7 days worldwide to make sure product will arrive safely and fast.