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SoundMate M1

Purchased a couple of SoundMate M1’s for a great price to add wireless audio to area’s of our home. After a short time messing with it, I could only get iTunes to detect it as an audio source. While this is ok, I need it to work with DLNA sources from other devices. Also the web interface looked different from other images I had seen on the web. So I did a little poking around:

Downloaded an older version of the firmware and did a string and hex dump to see if there was anything interesting in them. While the string dump was boring, the hex dump revealed:

00000000  01 00 00 00 4f 70 65 6e  57 72 74 00 00 00 00 00  |….OpenWrt…..|

“OpenWrt” – Awesome start.

Extracted the Root-FS using Firmware Modification Kit. Checked out /etc/passwd and found:

root:KgWQIjYw4jNh.:0:0:root:/root:/bin/ash
SoundMate:l2xpPLw75h.6.:111:111:SoundMate:/tmp/mnt:/bin/flase

After a few hours trying to brute force the hashes and internet searches, I found this post: https://forum.openwrt.org/viewtopic.php?id=50512.

Change the username and the passwords are the same; SoundMate/123456, root/ifconfig.

With the root password you can login to the telnet port and check it out. The dmesg info shows some other interesting info: SoundMate_dmesg.

 root@SoundMate:~# dmesg
Linux version 2.6.39.4 (jh@srv64) (gcc version 4.5.4 20110808 (prerelease) (Linaro GCC 4.5-2011.08) ) #2 Mon Oct 27 19:51:58 CST 2014

SoC: Atheros AR9330 rev 1
Clocks: CPU:400.000MHz, DDR:400.000MHz, AHB:200.000MHz, Ref:25.000MHz

MIPS: machine is TP-LINK TL-WR703N v1

Atheros AR71xx hardware watchdog driver version 0.1.0

So there is another bonus, TP-Link TL-WR703N. There is a great community with many mods available for that router. While the SoC is the same, it comes with an audio card (analog and digital outputs), so the firmware I have created needs to be compiled with the additional driver/s in it.

Cheers.

UPDATE – Added firmware downloaded (15-1-2015). Use with caution, and comes with no warrentees:  upgrade-1.1.01-A21(A.01).bin

38 thoughts on “SoundMate M1”

  1. I would like to fool around a bit with my SoundMate, but I fear the evil (brick).
    That’s why I want to prepare myself:
    Do you know how to connect to the SoundMate via a wire (serial, ethernet, …)?

    Thank you. 🙂

    1. I have also been hoping for extra features, I’m pretty sure the WR703N source should install, you may lose other options like audio. If I ever get around to it, I’ll let you know.

      Cheers

  2. Someone tell me if it is possible to listen to a streaming radio with SoundMate M1, what software should I use.
    Windows media player succeeds??
    Sorry for my bad English.
    Thanks
    Pilo

  3. Hi. I just bought SoundMate M1. So I want to know if is possible to stream music using a TP-LINK router. I have a PC connected to router via UTP cable and laptop via WIFI, I want to stream music using my wifi router to SoundMate M1. So manual tell that i have to connect directly to M1 via WIFI. If is possible to connect to M1 using a router, how can I configure this? Thanks.

    1. Hi Edson, When you get it, it comes with a default wifi SSID, which you connect to. From there, you can login to it’s webpage and configure the way it connects to the rest of your internet via wireless. When complete, it can connect to your TP-Link router, and be controlled via your PC or laptop, it also creates another SSID that you can use to connect directly to it. I just change the SSID that it transmits to something that has a really long password and not use it.
      Example: Laptop —-> TP-Link Router —-> SoundMate M1 —-X
      Hope that helps.
      Cheers

      1. I’m on the current latest firmware: FW 1.0.0.5-A39 (A.01) and only have 4 options on the homepage of the M1
        – Music Service to configure my streaming name
        – Basic Settings to configure the M1 SSID and security
        – Internet connection to configure to connect to an existing WIFI (internet enabled) network
        – Upgrade FW

        It is configured to connect to my existig WIFI network, however other devices connected to the same WIFI network can not find the M1.

        Is there any specific additional config to be done ?

        Tim.

        1. Hi Tim, I also had issue connecting to it with anything other than iTunes, as iTunes was my main reason for buying them, I didn’t investigate further. If iTunes also fails make sure your WIFI router doesn’t have option of wireless isolation selected.

          1. I also am looking to use this device, but not with itunes. I was planning on streaming Spotify from my android device. I have not been able to connect to anything other than my wifes laptop using itunes. Are there any other options?

  4. Hi. I just bought an M1. I powered it up and I can see it transmitting its own SSID: SoundMate_8A67. When I try to connect to that SSID, the phone says it needs a WPA/WPA2 password. There’s no password anywhere in the manual nor on any marking on the device. Anyone know?

    1. Hi It’s been awhile since I’ve used it, but I’m pretty sure it’s usually blank, if not maybe try a hard reset? (By using the reset button in the rear).

  5. I came here searching for a way to reduce the latency, this is how I got it down:

    Telnet to your soundmate and login as root.

    open the shairport restart script:
    vi /usr/bin/airrestart

    and search for this line
    /bin/newshair -a “$name” -m external-avahi -d &

    now change it into this
    /bin/newshair -b 0 -a “$name” -m external-avahi -d &

    Now save and exit vit
    press esc and type :wq!

    run the restart script
    sh /usr/bin/airrestart

    This noticeably reduces your lag. I think the only way to get the lag lower is by getting the latest apple tv. (atleast according to tuneblade: http://tuneblade.com/support/documentation/3.html )

    Though these changes probably won’t persist if your device loses power. I think you need to make this change in the firmware and upload it, haven’t gotten around to that though.

    1. Hi Chris, Yes it would be possible, but you’d have to either be very lucky and find a precompiled binary or have to compile the lot from scratch – this maybe a direction I’m going with it.
      Cheers

  6. It appears that some people are having a few of the same issues. I’m using my soundmate in my vehicle with my iPhone being my music source. If I use the iPhone music app or Amazon music, it occasionally looses connection and I have to go back to the source setting and turn “AirPlay” back on. It also makes a popping noise on those 2 apps when I skip tracks. However my pandora and Spotify apps, work great. I tried the uyesee updates, and they currently don’t work. Im not super familiar with the lines of code or exactly where to find them. Any specific “how to’s” would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

  7. My M1 that i just had delivered has the 1.0.06-A39(A.01) firmware, does anyone have experience with this firmware?

  8. I’m running a Soundmate M1 as a DLNA using J Rivers media Centre as the source of music. The Soundmate is very unreliable in that communication issues can be frequent, though just a quick ok in J Rivers re connects quickly. J Rivers is very much dependent on what the Soundmate is doing, as it’s easy for J Rivers to crash as the Soundmate shuts down.
    When it works it’s fine though track changes can be slow at times.
    The firmware version is 1.0.8 -A32 (A.01) and I wonder if a later version would fix these problems

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