How Does a Wireless Home Theater System Work?

The System

The only difference between a wireless home theater system and a regular one is the inclusion of two added components. There is a transmitter built into the back of your stereo receiver, and there is a receiver built into the wireless speakers. This simple setup allows for excellent range. The vast majority of wireless home theater systems have a range up to 300 feet away from the transmitter. This is about 275 feet longer than the average person could ever possibly need. The wireless speakers are usually powered by batteries or an AC adapter.

Transmitting the Signal

During the viewing of a DVD, Blu-Ray disc or CD, the audio signal from the appropriate component in the system is sent to the stereo receiver for decoding. This is typical to all home theater systems. This is the part of the process where the receiver is realizing exactly what bits of sound go where. At this point, the transmitter built into the receiver transfers the signal into an FM radio signal. It then broadcasts to each of the speakers in the setup. Once the sound information is instantly received by the speakers, they work the exact same way a wired home theater setup would, including discrete audio of 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1 channels. That depends on the audio quality of the original source material.

Upgrading Older Home Theater Systems

Should the desire arise to upgrade an wired home theater system to wireless, both an FM transmitter and wireless speakers will have to be purchased. The FM transmitter connects to an output on the back of the receiver. When the wireless speakers are arranged and turned on, it will recognize how many are available to receive information. Settings can be configured according to preference as usual in the menu on the stereo. The FM transmitter and wireless speakers can be purchased at any major electronics retailer, and they often come packaged together.