The 9 Best Shower Radios
Updated by · How we research
If you want a real radio in the shower, start with the AM/FM Sangean H201, first of nine radios and speakers compared by water rating, power and mounting. When users buy our independently chosen editorial choices, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
Steam is harder on electronics than a splash, so even a shower radio rated to sit under a meter of water for 30 minutes should dry out between showers. These sealed, battery-powered radios and speakers hang from a showerhead, hook or tile and bring news, weather or music into a wet room, with or without a phone.
Editor's Notes
October 18, 2026, by Ezvid Wiki Admin:
Because most people who search for a shower radio want a real radio, the Sangean H201 takes first place. The old list had drifted toward generic Bluetooth speakers. The Sbode M400, Hott HD Sound and HB Illumination are no longer available, and we couldn't find the Elegiant, the VicTsing SoundHot or the Sony ICF-S80 for sale. The Hromen's own listing calls it fully waterproof in one place and splash-resistant in another, so it's out too.
The Sangean H205 and Sangean H202 stay. The BassPal F013 Pro stays as a cheap FM option, and the AGPTEK S2 joins it. For music from a phone, we added the Soundcore Select 4 Go, the INSMY C12, the Bose SoundLink Flex (2nd Gen) and the Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 4.
We stopped at nine because the next candidates were near copies of speakers already here. One tip for every pick: let it dry out between showers. Steam is harder on electronics than a splash.
March 23, 2021:
Most of our existing choices for this category still made sense, so we left our list relatively untouched, although we did decide on doing away with the Treblab HD55 and Shower-Mate Wireless, with neither appearing to be available at the time of this writing.
We added the Hott HD Sound to our list, as we were impressed by its two-year warranty, 10-hour battery life and accommodations for SD Cards. In spite of all these features, it remains a reasonably priced option, and sports quite an attractive design. Its integrated microphone means you can take that call while you let your conditioner marinate during the last half of your shower.
We also added the HB Illumination, even though it offers 40% less battery life than the HD Sound. We liked that this one was built with a durable housing and an IPX7 rating that means it can be safely submerged beneath a meter of water for up to half an hour without any difficulties. It’s also available in a few fun colorways, and even if you want to stick with the black style, you can still choose between 10 accent colors by adjusting its LED settings.
With traditional media limping its way through palliative care these days, we realize that there’s less and less room in people’s lives for radios, but believing that many users still have a special relationship with their local morning show, we went out of our way to make sure that all the options on this list are equipped with an FM radio (many can tune into AM stations, as well). However, if radio isn’t really your thing, but you’d still like to add some more music into your morning routine, then you might be better off browsing through our list of outdoor Bluetooth speakers.
March 09, 2020:
For this update, we removed the Lerdy IPX5, but made sure to replace it with another model capable of hands-free phone calls, the VicTsing SoundHot. This powerful little device is small enough to cut down on bathroom clutter, but also durable enough to be clipped onto a backpack and taken out of the house.
We also replaced the Hydro-Beat Illumination with the BassPal Portable, a similar-looking radio but with an additional 2 hours of battery runtime and a lower price tag.
We also added another model from the Sangean company, the Sanjean H205. This radio might look a little basic, and it doesn’t have Bluetooth capabilities, but it’s packed with all the radio features you could want. An interesting aspect of this model is its backlit LCD screen, which - unlike a lot of fancier screenless options - allows you to keep an eye on the time while you shower.
Though all these radios are designed to handle the low-pressure water output from a standard shower, some are able to withstand much more. An International Protection (IP) code will indicate precisely how much water each product can withstand. Full descriptions of these codes are simple to find online, but essentially, the higher the IP code, the higher the water intensity the radio can handle.
For example, the Treblab HD55 is rated IPX4, which means it is “protected against splashing water at any angle.” The Hydro-Beat Illumination, on the other hand, is rated IPX7, indicating that it is “protected against immersion in water up to one meter at normal pressure for 30 minutes.”
Once you know what you’ll be doing with your radio, these codes will come in very handy. Keep in mind though, some products may have variations in the type of code, (Japanese products may use JIS codes instead), so be sure to research exactly what each one means.
Special Honors
NOAA Weather Radio NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards is the National Weather Service broadcast that the weather band on a shower radio picks up. It runs around the clock on more than 1,000 transmitters across all 50 states, coastal waters and U.S. territories, with forecasts and warnings for storms and other emergencies. The site lists stations and coverage by county, so you can check for a nearby transmitter before buying a weather-alert radio. It is free to receive. weather.gov
Radio Or Bluetooth Speaker
Several cheap shower radios are really Bluetooth speakers with an FM tuner added.
Start with what you want to hear. A real shower radio has its own tuner, so it plays AM talk, FM music or sports with no phone in the bathroom. The Sangean models also receive NOAA Weather Radio, the National Weather Service network of more than 1,000 transmitters covering all 50 states, coastal waters and U.S. territories. Check the county coverage list before paying extra for a weather band. Don't count on the alert tone as an alarm, though: running water can drown it out.
Several cheap shower radios are really Bluetooth speakers with an FM tuner added. They skip AM and weather, but they cost a fraction as much. Plain Bluetooth speakers drop the tuner entirely and stream from a phone, including radio apps and podcasts, and they often sound better for the money. Rtings, which buys and lab-tests speakers, keeps a separate list of the best shower speakers.
Reception is the radio's weak spot. Tile, pipes and metal fixtures block signals, so extend the wire antenna and place the radio near a window or the door if stations fade. Sonoro, a German radio maker, adds two basics in its bathroom radio guide: a bathroom radio should be splash-proof and simple to operate.
What IPX4, IPX5, IPX7 And IP67 Mean
The IP code has two digits: the first is dust, the second water, and an X means that part wasn't tested. IPX4 means splashes from any direction. IPX5 adds jets of water from a 6.3-millimeter nozzle for at least three minutes, so it handles shower spray but shouldn't be dropped in the tub. IPX7 means the unit survived 30 minutes under 1 meter of water. IP67 is the same water test plus a dust-tight seal. Sangean uses JIS7, the Japanese Industrial Standards grade for immersion, which is roughly the same as IPX7.
These tests use fresh, room-temperature water for a short time. They say nothing about years of daily steam, soap or hot water; hot, high-pressure spray is a separate test, IPX9. That's why AGPTEK warns that bathroom humidity can work into its seals and cause crackling. Whatever you buy, close every rubber flap, rinse off soap and let the unit air-dry outside the shower stall between uses.
If you want to use the speaker in a bath or by a pool, pick IPX7 or IP67, and a model that floats so it doesn't sink out of reach.
Power, Mounting And Safety
Batteries and water are a safer mix than a power cord. The Sangean radios run on two D cells, and their optional AC adapters should never be used in or near a tub or shower. If you plug a radio in anywhere in a bathroom, keep it well away from water and use an outlet with ground-fault protection, the kind with test and reset buttons that building codes require in bathrooms.
The rechargeable speakers use lithium-ion packs. Charge them outside the bathroom, only after the charging port is dry, and stop using any unit that swells or gets hot. In 2024 the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled about 69,000 Soundcore speakers, models A3102 and A3302, for fire risk. The Select 4 Go on this list is a different model.
For mounting, a strap or handle hangs from a showerhead, a hook or a caddy. Suction cups hold only on smooth tile, glass or mirrors; they slip on grout lines and textured stone, so press them onto a clean, dry spot. The Sangean H201 and H202 also come with a screw-on wall plate. Keep the volume moderate: a shower is already loud, and turning a speaker up to beat it adds up over time.
How we researched this
We compared about 20 shower radios and shower speakers, read the makers' published specs and the product listings for the 9 picks, checked the shower-speaker picks of Rtings and Wirecutter, looked at owner feedback patterns, and checked every brand for recalls with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Sangean's own product pages were unreachable, so its radio specs come from retailer listings.
Frequently asked questions
Can you hear a shower radio over running water?
Yes, at a moderate to high volume. Hang it at head height and out of the direct spray, which also helps the speaker last.
Does radio reception work in a bathroom?
Often, but tile and pipes weaken signals. Extend the wire antenna and move the radio toward a window or the door. FM usually holds up better than AM.
Can I use a shower radio in the bath?
Only if it's rated IPX7 or IP67, which means it survives being submerged. An IPX5 or IPX4 model handles spray and splashes, not a dunk.
Which shower radios get weather alerts?
On this list, the three Sangean radios: the H201, H202 and H205. They receive the seven NOAA Weather Radio channels. The FM speakers don't.
Is it safe to plug a radio in near the shower?
Not in or beside the tub or shower. Use batteries there. A plug-in radio belongs well away from water, on a ground-fault-protected outlet.
How long do shower radio batteries last?
The rechargeable speakers claim 12 to 20 hours per charge. The Sangean radios run on two D cells, and their makers don't publish a run time.
