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Q I recently built a pool house next to my backyard pool.  I used to listen to music poolside by spooling Ethernet cable to a wireless access point located in the bushes outside, streaming tracks from my iPad to a portable Bluetooth speaker. With the new construction, however, I plan to connect outdoor speakers to an AV receiver located inside the pool house.

For a receiver, I’m looking at Onkyo’s TX-NR545, which has built-in Airplay and Wi-Fi along with Bluetooth. Here’s my problem: I don’t think the Bluetooth range from my iPad will be sufficient to reach the AV receiver inside the pool house. Can I tap the Onkyo AVR’s other wireless capabilities to stream music using the iPad? —John Reebel

A My advice is to buy a Wi-Fi extender. By connecting one of these midway between your home’s Wi-Fi access point and your backyard, you should be able to push Wi-Fi into the great outdoors. (Read two recent Sound & Vision reviews of Wi-Fi extenders here and here.)

If the extender doesn’t deliver the results you want, you should look into a dedicated outdoor Wi-Fi access point with weatherproof housing, which are available from companies like TP-Link and Amped Wireless. Keep in mind that these are enterprise-grade units; they may be more difficult to set up and configure than consumer-grade Wi-Fi gear.

Once you get your outdoor Wi-Fi world happening, your best bet will be to use Airplay to stream music from the iPad to the Onkyo AVR. Another option would be to use Spotify Connect to route audio via Wi-Fi to the Onkyo, controlling playback using the Spotify iPad app.

One last suggestion: In place of the TX-NR545, consider Onkyo’s TX-8160 Network Stereo Receiver instead. The TX-NR545 is a 7.2-channel model—complete overkill for your purposes. Both models have built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Airplay—the main features you’re looking for—and the TX-8160 costs $100 less.