Sirius XM Portable Radio: Reviews And Alternatives

SiriusXM is so awesome that it’s hard to leave your car after completing your trip. The powers that be at SiriusXM must’ve noticed how many people just sat parked in their cars listening to their favorite channels. So they rolled out portable Sirius XM radio models. They have become quite popular over the past few years.

SiriusXM SXPL1H1 Onyx Plus

Described as a “great little radio” by one of the reviewers on Amazon, this radio comes with 20 presets and allows you to pause, rewind, and replay live satellite radio. It works in a similar manner as the Stratus 7, but it comes with a docking station for your home. If you want to use it in your car, you have to buy a car docking kit.

Pros Of Owning A Portable Sirius XM Radio

People are buying portable SiriusXM radios because of the following advantages they offer:

Portability: This is the most obvious advantage of owning one of these radios. You can move the control unit from car to home, so you only need one.
Affordability: You can buy one of these radios for as little as $99. However, remember that you get what you pay for. The quality of a typical portable radio isn’t always great, and we’ll discuss it more below (under “cons”).
Accessibility: Since portable XM and SiriusXM radios communicate directly with the satellites, they don’t require a data plan or internet access.

Cons Of Owning A Portable Sirius XM Radio

Portable SiriusXM radios sound great in theory, but there are factors that still need to be improved upon. Take the following drawbacks into consideration before deciding to buy one:

Quality: There’s a reason these radios cost very little. Portable radios tend to be fragile and often don’t last more than couple of years of daily use.
Clutter: In order to be truly portable, these SiriusXM radios need to be used along with a docking station. That means when you buy a portable radio, you need a docking station for home, for work, and for your car. Otherwise, you’re hauling around a bunch of wires and adapters with you. While some of these docking stations offer a really clean setup, a lot of people complain about wires and clutter when they add one to their vehicle.

An Alternative To Owning A Portable SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM’s Streaming Add-On

Not thrilled about the idea of carrying around an extra device or cluttering up your dashboard? You should consider SiriusXM’s streaming add-on app. The app allows you to listen to your favorite channels on your phone or tablet. You just have to download the SiriusXM app to your smartphone or tablet. If you have bluetooth in your car stereo, you can play SiriusXM through the car stereo using the bluetooth connection.(Your phone or tablet needs to be connected to a data source. You may pay more for the data you use, depending on your data plan.)

You CAN Add SiriusXM to your existing car radio!

Some people would like to add SiriusXM to their car, but aren’t enthused about either a portable unit, or replacing their entire factory stereo. There is another solution on the market. VAIS Technology offers quality satellite radio kits that integrate with your factory stereo. The kit adds the functionality that would exist if your car came with factory installed satellite radio. The benefits of this approach are:

The receiver module and wiring are hidden. There is no extra clutter on your dash.
Our fully integrated system will cause minimal driving distraction, compared to managing streaming with your phone.
Your steering wheel controls will control the SiriusXM radio.
Outstanding sound quality because the receiver module directly connects to your car stereo.
You can see stations and song titles on your factory car stereo display.
You can browse categories and stations.