SENA SMH10 upgrade

[TriumphTiger1050]

If you have a SENA bluetooth headset not purchased within the last month you can get the newest upgrade for only $49 and trade you old one back in.  You must however send your old unit back first then they will ship out the new upgradable unit.

I spoke with a rep for the company and they stated this offer will expire soon.  They also have a deposit option of $100 and they send the unit first then you send the old unit back.

Just thought I would pass this along.
 

[Cablebandit]

Just to clarify this is for any of the original models regardless of when you bought it.

Apparently the B version will soon have a firmware upgrade that will allow you to talk to multiple headsets at the same time.

[TriumphTiger1050]

Sent my module back for upgrade.  Should be there by Tuesday then hopefully SENA will do some quick turn around shipping back!

[RBEmerson]

I received my B unit today - the A(?) unit goes back tomorrow.  

Pairing up the new unit with my HTC Incredible 2 (running Froyo - DINC2) was not fun.  The BT app on the phone saw the new SMH-10 (too bad they didn't give the device another name), giving me two SMH-10's in my list of BT devices the DINC2 knows about.  I'd see attempts to connect but never saw a connection until I did a "factory reset" on the new SMH-10.  End of problem.  The old SMH-10, BTW, consistently connected even when the new unit didn't connect.  

The jog dial feels a little different, but otherwise the only difference between the two units is the power connector (round pin for the old main unit, mini-USB for the new unit) and the flap covering the plug (there's a USB symbol on the flap on the B unit).  

Stereo music over the phones was excellent (I use WinAmp as my music player app) and the phone was crisp and clear.  Plugging an MP3 player into the base plate, the music played cleanly, too.  This time, however, there were no clicks and pops from having the audio cable plugged in, just good sound.  

Sena seems to have made big strides with the new B main unit.  

[TriumphTiger1050]

Sena seems to have made big strides with the new B main unit.  

That is great!

[radon222]

I received my B unit today - the A(?) unit goes back tomorrow.  

Pairing up the new unit with my HTC Incredible 2 (running Froyo - DINC2) was not fun.  The BT app on the phone saw the new SMH-10 (too bad they didn't give the device another name), giving me two SMH-10's in my list of BT devices the DINC2 knows about.  I'd see attempts to connect but never saw a connection until I did a "factory reset" on the new SMH-10.  End of problem.  The old SMH-10, BTW, consistently connected even when the new unit didn't connect.  

The jog dial feels a little different, but otherwise the only difference between the two units is the power connector (round pin for the old main unit, mini-USB for the new unit) and the flap covering the plug (there's a USB symbol on the flap on the B unit).  

Stereo music over the phones was excellent (I use WinAmp as my music player app) and the phone was crisp and clear.  Plugging an MP3 player into the base plate, the music played cleanly, too.  This time, however, there were no clicks and pops from having the audio cable plugged in, just good sound.  

Sena seems to have made big strides with the new B main unit.  

Hmmm.... I've got a DINC2 as well.  Wonder if I'll experience the same pairing issues.

[vfroger]

I upgraded and received my new units this week. We have experienced problems we did not have with the old units' firmware. I use a Zumo 665 and anytime we initiated the intercom, the unit lost bluetooth connectivity with the gps. When it came back, it was in mono and nothing except turning off all devices and restarting would restore normal activity. This happens every time.

I have contacted tech support and they have changed priority of devices and say that the Zumo does not follow industry standards with bluetooth profiles. Their solution is for me to use a separate audio device (i.e. smartphone, MP3 player, etc). For me, this is not a solution because I have a paid subscription to XM and that is what I prefer to use for audio. Hopefully, they will come up with a solution, but as is these units are not useable as intercom AND audio (if ones audio is a Zumo).

If I had it to do over again, I would keep the old units as they worked great.

And, as always your results may vary, BUT Zumo users beware.

[Scratch33]

I upgraded and received my new units this week. We have experienced problems we did not have with the old units' firmware. I use a Zumo 665 and anytime we initiated the intercom, the unit lost bluetooth connectivity with the gps. When it came back, it was in mono and nothing except turning off all devices and restarting would restore normal activity. This happens every time.

I have contacted tech support and they have changed priority of devices and say that the Zumo does not follow industry standards with bluetooth profiles. Their solution is for me to use a separate audio device (i.e. smartphone, MP3 player, etc). For me, this is not a solution because I have a paid subscription to XM and that is what I prefer to use for audio. Hopefully, they will come up with a solution, but as is these units are not useable as intercom AND audio (if ones audio is a Zumo).

If I had it to do over again, I would keep the old units as they worked great.

And, as always your results may vary, BUT Zumo users beware.

Interesting.  Thanks for the heads up.

[TriumphTiger1050]

Damn..........I hate that because I have a Zumo 660!

[RBEmerson]

Hmmm.... I've got a DINC2 as well.  Wonder if I'll experience the same pairing issues.

My DINC2 paired up but it took a bit of fiddling to get there.  I think the best bet is to attempt to pair (you'll see SMH-10 appear twice in the list of known BT devices) and the power down both the SMH-10 and DINC2, then try reconnecting.  Once I got the first connection, it's worked fine ever since.  Also, the trick of pushing in the jog control and turning it will control at least WinAmp running on my DINC2.  

[Cablebandit]

The new version won't connect to my ancient LG VX8300.  It pairs fine but won't connect.  The original Sena's worked fine. Progress...

Maybe this will push me to upgrade my phone.  Probably not.

[vfroger]

The new version won't connect to my ancient LG VX8300.  It pairs fine but won't connect.  The original Sena's worked fine. Progress...

Maybe this will push me to upgrade my phone.  Probably not.

I didn't mention this in my post, but my Motorola Barrage did the same thing. It paired but wouldn't connect. I am far more irritated with the disconnecting from my Zumo everytime we use the intercom.

We leave for Alaska next week and these are likely to be a nuisance instead of a great resource.




Roger
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[radon222]

Our upgrade units came in yesterday while were out.  I'll being playing around with them this morning.  Fortunately I still have the Zumo 550 and use a hardwire for XM music.   Maybe there will be a firmware update available to fix the Zumo 665 BT issue by the time I upgrade  

[RBEmerson]

Try doing a factory reset on the SMH-10B and then it powering down.  Power down the phone, too.  If you want to get really thorough about it, pull the battery and let the phone sit for five minutes without the battery.  Put the battery back in and power up the phone, then make sure bluetooth is enabled.  Try connecting with the SMH-10B after that.  

One thing my DINC2 won't let me do is remove devices from the "devices I've connected to" list - something I would have done when thinks got hinky with two SMH-10's in that list.  If it's possible to do it with other phones (IIRC, the Razr did it, for example), go for it.  

I sent a note to Sena about the issue of conflicting duplicate names.  I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for changes in the SMH-10 firmware any time soon, though.  I'd bet more on the factory reset cleaning things up.  

[billo]

If I had it to do over again, I would keep the old units as they worked great.

And, as always your results may vary, BUT Zumo users beware.

+10 ⬆

That was $100 well spent.  NOT!
Similar problem plus a little reverb on the intercom we didn't have before. 

Zumo 660

Bill

[radon222]

Try doing a factory reset on the SMH-10B and then it powering down.  Power down the phone, too.  If you want to get really thorough about it, pull the battery and let the phone sit for five minutes without the battery.  Put the battery back in and power up the phone, then make sure bluetooth is enabled.  Try connecting with the SMH-10B after that.  

One thing my DINC2 won't let me do is remove devices from the "devices I've connected to" list - something I would have done when thinks got hinky with two SMH-10's in that list.  If it's possible to do it with other phones (IIRC, the Razr did it, for example), go for it.  

I sent a note to Sena about the issue of conflicting duplicate names.  I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for changes in the SMH-10 firmware any time soon, though.  I'd bet more on the factory reset cleaning things up.  

RB,

   Yes you can remove devices from your BT list.  Make sure that BT is enabled,  then Press and Hold then entry you want to get rid of.  A dialog will pop up with the option to "unpair" the device.

I did the above hoping to avoid some of the troubles you initially had on your first pairing.   It sort of worked.  The new Sena paired right away..BUT on the Phone profile would connect.  I couldn't get both Phone and Media profiles to connect until I did a factory reset on the new Sena.

I went ahead and did a factory reset on my wife's new unit as well before we tried pairing to her Iphone.  That one worked first try.   We're riding tomorrow and that will be our first field test.  Having gone for option B,  I still have the old units in hand if worse comes to worse.  But I'm really hoping the new ones work out better.

[tigertom1965]

When I first got my Zumo 550 and my new Cardo Q2 I had issues with my phone (I have tried several and all do this) and my Zumo interfering with each other. What I found is I had to turn on my Zumo, then turn on my headset. Connect my headset to my Zumo by bluetooth then connect my phone by bluetooth to my Zumo. If I connected my phone before I connected my headset I had problems. When I went to use my phone or answer it I would lose my headset connection to the Zumo. It would lose its connection then reconnect then lose it again then reconnect.
Maybe you need to try to connect the zumo to the headset first then connect the phone to the Zumo like I had to? Or maybe you need to connect the phone first then the headset? Just something to check out.

[RBEmerson]

RB,

   Yes you can remove devices from your BT list.  Make sure that BT is enabled,  then Press and Hold then entry you want to get rid of.  A dialog will pop up with the option to "unpair" the device.

I did the above hoping to avoid some of the troubles you initially had on your first pairing.   It sort of worked.  The new Sena paired right away..BUT on the Phone profile would connect.  I couldn't get both Phone and Media profiles to connect until I did a factory reset on the new Sena.

I went ahead and did a factory reset on my wife's new unit as well before we tried pairing to her Iphone.  That one worked first try.   We're riding tomorrow and that will be our first field test.  Having gone for option B,  I still have the old units in hand if worse comes to worse.  But I'm really hoping the new ones work out better.

Great thanks for the how-to!   I tossed an old BlueAnt headset and one of the SMH-10 entries.  FWIW, both of my entries show Phone and Media checked.  Unless you tinkered with the SMH-10B's settings a lot, a factory reset shouldn't pose any real heartburn. Once I had things up and running, both phone and media audio worked like a champ.  I have both an ear buds mounting plate and two speaker plates and all three work fine with the DINC2 acting as a phone and as an audio source (WinAmp).  One real gain is losing the clicks and pops heard on the audio side with an MP3 player plugged in.  Just having a cable in the jack was enough to cause problems which weren't just the hum and noise one might expect from an open audio cable.  With the SMH-10B, the open cable doesn't do anything.  Plug in the Zen player and all is well.  

The one thing I haven't tested is the intercom functionality.  I suppose I should have tried that before shipping the old main unit back.  Doh...

Enjoy your trip and ride safe!  

[vfroger]

I did factory resets on both units with no improvements. As to firmware coming, the Sena folks on Facebook say it is due this week to deal with BT compatibility issues. If not, then I may as well leave them behind for our big adventure. If I could do it over, I would not have upgraded. I even asked tech support for a firmware download of the old version that worked for us. I have not heard back from them.

Fingers crossed for new firmware.

Roger
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[cougar8000]

Rogers,

Who did you talked to at Sena? On the FB looks like they have responded to you stating that fix is coming in a week. Please keep us updated. I will be calling my Sena Rep on Tue to get more info.

[cognosticator]

The new version won't connect to my ancient LG VX8300.  It pairs fine but won't connect.  The original Sena's worked fine. Progress...

Maybe this will push me to upgrade my phone.  Probably not.

Here is what I had to do to make the B version connect to my Sprint EVO.  After pressing the phone button on the Sena and my Evo finding the Sena it would not connect, so on the Sena I pressed the phone button in again for it to search and it did connect with the EVO.  Now it reconnects each time I turn off the Sena.  I got this tip from another forum.  Try that and see if it connects

[vfroger]

Rogers,

Who did you talked to at Sena? On the FB looks like they have responded to you stating that fix is coming in a week. Please keep us updated. I will be calling my Sena Rep on Tue to get more info.

I don't know the person's name as it is signed as tech support. This was a response to an email not facebook. The facebook  info gives me hope. I never got a followup to my request for old firmware version, nor a response that using a separate audio device was unacceptable.

We have also found that our dongles drop out and don't come back when using the intercom. Di uses a dongle and a Garmin 478 and i turned off the bluetooth on my zumo and used the dongle. Sena states it is a problem with zumos only which is not true.

I still hope for the upgrade to the firmware before we head to Alaska on Friday.






Roger
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[three west]

anybody else got the new units & having trouble?  I was considering the upgrade, but if its not compatible with my zumo then there's no point...

[TriumphTiger1050]

Got mine in yesterday and it sync'd right up with my Zumo 660.  The phone on the other hand was another issue.  Samsung Intensity II had issues.  That is okay..............sync'd perfectly with my work phone a Convoy!  I just need a new phone is what that amounts to.

So I am happy with the new upgrade!  I don't use the com side of it so no complaints.

[RBEmerson]

FYI - here's the new manual link.

[three west]

had some funny issues yesterday with the wife where for the first 5 minutes or so it wouldn't connect for intercom but maybe every 3rd button push.  After on the road for a while they worked fine.

so still watching this to see if you guys have any more zumo issues.

[billo]

had some funny issues yesterday with the wife where for the first 5 minutes or so it wouldn't connect for intercom but maybe every 3rd button push.  

We had the same problem.  The new ones sometimes take a few seconds to synch so just wait instead of pushing the button again.  

Rant on;
Our bugless units were bought new in December, hooked up in a half second, sounded better and actually worked with the Zumo.   Still waiting on the new software to fix the problems we didn't have before.  
Rant off.

Bill

[RBEmerson]

Did you rant at Sena?  They do reply to e-mail sent from their Contact Us page.  I half expect to see a clean-up update show up soon (no inside gouge, just a feeling).

[billo]

Did you rant at Sena?  They do reply to e-mail sent from their Contact Us page.  I half expect to see a clean-up update show up soon (no inside gouge, just a feeling).

Sena knows about it and have promised an upgrade the first week of July, backpeddaled to this month (who knows when really) that may address it.  See the Facebook link on their website.  After having waited for software "coming soon" from both GoPro and Zumo (each took a year and more) I'm not holding my breath.  Software can be a pain to debug.  I'm hoping for a download of the old software if they can't get it together soon.  The big difference is GoPro and Zumo didn't charge $100 to destroy the functionality of my gadget and then admit they knew it would be a problem before hand.  What a way to run a company.  

Bill

[RBEmerson]

Sigh... upgrading my Incredible 2 (AKA DINC2) to Gingerbread ('Droid 2.3.3) broke BT for the SMH10.  I talked to Dan Kim at Sena.  A firmware fix is due in a week or two; they know about the problem of not being able to connect with a number of devices.  How long "a week or two" really is, is anyone's guess.  

[three west]

Sigh... upgrading my Incredible 2 (AKA DINC2) to Gingerbread ('Droid 2.3.3) broke BT for the SMH10.  I talked to Dan Kim at Sena.  A firmware fix is due in a week or two; they know about the problem of not being able to connect with a number of devices.  How long "a week or two" really is, is anyone's guess.  

Tnx for the update RB, I'm hoping GB gets released for my X2 soon

[expatbrit]

OK.

Got my SMH10Bs in today. Appears to pair fine with my iPhone. Skimming over the manual, I'm trying to figure out if I can pair it as both a headset and for stereo music. (i.e. can I pair it wiyh my iPhone for music and MAYBE phone calls and with my GPS for directions)

(I'd test this, but I want it to be a headset for a Zumo, and with all the reported Zumo problems I'd probably never figure it out...

[GooseMan]

what are the main differences between the old and new versions?

my original model is working perfectly fine, so I might stick with the "if it aint broke, dont fix it" mentality here. I'm having TONS of issues with the BT on my Samsung Galaxy S and my new Volvo, so I dont want to risk losing BT with my SENA

[Cablebandit]

The biggest difference is a a USB port for charging and the ability to upgrade to new firmware down the road.  Rumor has is the new firmware will allow you to talk to more than one unit simultaneously.

[RBEmerson]

OK.

Got my SMH10Bs in today. Appears to pair fine with my iPhone. Skimming over the manual, I'm trying to figure out if I can pair it as both a headset and for stereo music. (i.e. can I pair it wiyh my iPhone for music and MAYBE phone calls and with my GPS for directions)

(I'd test this, but I want it to be a headset for a Zumo, and with all the reported Zumo problems I'd probably never figure it out...

Yes, you can pair both as a headset and for media audio.  

[expatbrit]

Yes, you can pair both as a headset and for media audio.  

Excellent. That's what I thought. I'll have to try that soon on the Zumo.

It might block my ability to have my phone ring, but /that/ isn't a loss.

I got to ride with the thing this morning; just 100 miles or so, but it seems there's a HUGE improvement in audio quality on the intercom for me, and the frequent interference I'd get on the music (and have to power cycle the unit for) is gone.

Paired fine with an iPhone 4.

[radon222]

Sigh... upgrading my Incredible 2 (AKA DINC2) to Gingerbread ('Droid 2.3.3) broke BT for the SMH10.  I talked to Dan Kim at Sena.  A firmware fix is due in a week or two; they know about the problem of not being able to connect with a number of devices.  How long "a week or two" really is, is anyone's guess.  

Wow,  for once I'm thankful I've been to busy with work to have had time to grab the the GingerBread OTA update.  

[RBEmerson]

It gets stranger... I did a full reset on the SMH-10B.  I stuffed a paperclip in the reset hole and did a factory reset on the main unit, too.  The SMH-10B now will handle phone calls.  It still won't do media (A2DP).  This has a minor consequence with calls as it seems that the "Goodbye" message from the Voice Dialer app may be on the media channel and not on the phone channel.  MP3 (wired) input works but seems to have problems in that pushing the phone button causes the MP3 audio to drop out (that's expected behavior); when it comes back, though, the sound level is lower than before and won't come back up, even with the jog knob.  Not good.  Additionally, I found that the jog knob would stop adjusting the volume after a while.  The fix is simple: cycle the power (off -> on).  

Bottom line, do the GB upgrade (better battery life without going to apps like Juice Defender), and hammer away at the SMH-10B  until it pairs up.  The problems are with the SMH-10B, not the GB upgrade.  

BTW, if at all possible, use the Internet Pass-through mode for the upgrade - it's much faster than doing it via WiFi or (ugh!!!) 3G.  You'll wind up moving at least 116Mb (and more for any app updates).  116 Mb via 3G is... slow.  Boring.  Enough to make you nod off.  A lot.  

[rocketbunny]

Just sent my 2 Senas off for the upgrade exchange. I'm glad I saw this thread!

I don't really use intercom at all (I have two so that I can always be charging one unit from the bike on long day rides), but am hoping for even a slight boost in volume.

[Cablebandit]

That's odd.  The battery seems to last longer than a day as it is.  Plus you can charge it while it's on as well.

[rocketbunny]

That's odd.  The battery seems to last longer than a day as it is.  Plus you can charge it while it's on as well.

Nope, the battery lasts until about an hour or two after lunch on a long day ride (my typical day ride is 300-500 miles). Maybe my use is heavier than some? I run a BT connection to my DroidX (on charger in the top case) and play mp3s off the phone the entire time riding.

 I am aware that I can charge it while riding, but it defeats the point of bluetooth to be tethered to the bike again! So I keep a spare charged unit in the top case and swap them as needed. On multi-day rides, I just keep the spare on the charger in the my topcase. Works great!

[Cablebandit]

Curious,  I get more than a day with it connected 100% of the time on daylong rides.  Dark to dark.

[RBEmerson]

I haven't tried BT tunes much, past brief trials with the "old" SMH10 and Froyo on the DINC2.  MP3 tunes, plugged in, however, has always worked like a charm, with no gripes about the battery.  

I pinged Sena yesterday about the non-support for A2DP.  No reply to date.  No posting about a firmware update on the web site.  Up
'til now I thought Sena pretty much had it all in one sock.  I'm beginning to lose faith, though...  

[radon222]

Sena B units not supporting A2DP??  One of the first things I did when I got the upgrade units was streaming Pandora and Slacker on my commute to and from work.  I worked great and was definitely stereo sound.  PS thanks for the feed back on the DINC2 Gingerbread.   I'm probably going to go the Root route and load up a ROM based on the OTA.

RocketBunny... You definitely had a problem with your A units.   I got my original pair right before a weeklong trip with my wife.  One of the two started acting fluking and would twice as long to charge.  Then on one long 500 mile day, my unit pooped out with about 1 hour left in our riding day, while my wife's unit was still cranking away.   I was able to RMA the faulty unit.    You may be surprised when your B units arrive.

[Cablebandit]

The B units do A2DP just fine....assuming you're connected to a compatible device.  That device list seems to have gotten a lot shorter with the B units though.

[RBEmerson]

Whoa... let me clear this up.  "Non-support of A2DP" is misleading and apologize for any confusion due to that phrase.  Make it "poor support of A2DP".  Sena tech support, last week, told me that they received many complaints about unreliable A2DP connections and that they're working on correcting the problem.  My complaints are a) that it happened at all (they had it working with the old SMH10 and now they don't?) and b) that the fix is taking too long to show up.  

[kmacarth]

I contacted SENA today.  Problems with my incredible 2 pairing as noted here.  No audio support.  They report another 2 weeks for the firmware we are all waiting for.  They confirm conference chat support.  

[radon222]

I contacted SENA today.  Problems with my incredible 2 pairing as noted here.  No audio support.  They report another 2 weeks for the firmware we are all waiting for.  They confirm conference chat support.  

Did you do the Gingerbread update too??   I'm still holding out with Froyo until you suckers...errr ummm poor guys confirm that whenever to be released Sena firmware update fixes the problem.  

[RBEmerson]

 
Well... short answer: GB is working well with one notable (and now fixed) exception: the HTC Hero clock app mysteriously stopped working.  There's an extended thread on this in AndroidForums Incredible 2 area - pls see same.  Strictly speaking, I'm now running OTA patched GB.  VZW released a patch / update to DINC2's with GB.  Supposedly this addresses some [undefined] connectivity issues.  Would I install GB knowing what I know now?  Yew betcha!!  
Back to the topic at hand.  

On 25 July I sent a note to Sena:

Further to my (as yet unanswered) inquiry of 19 July.  Verizon Wireless issued a follow-on OTA update for the HTC Incredible 2 smartphone.  This update is subsequent to the update from Android ''Froyo'' to ''Gingerbread'' and is supposed to address some connectivity issues.  It has zero effect on the lack of A2DP connectivity between the SMH10 and Incredible 2.  As before, I have a full A2DP connection between my BlueAnt Q2 headset and the Incredible 2, as well as, of course, the expected phone audio.  

As I asked before, ''Please advise 1) of any workarounds for this problem (attempts to pair the SMH10B twice do not work - I cannot form a second pairing), and 2) of the expected release for the SMH10B firmware update.''

Their answer:  

 

I have three helmets, two with speakers and one with external phones (I use ER-6i's).  I prefer that helmet (Schuberth S1 full face) for long rides.  Today I put on the Caberg Gara, connected to the phone as usual.  For laughs and grins, I tried playing tunes and... mirable dictu!  I got tunes!  

Cutting to the chase, the problem is tied to the speakers v. external phones.  I can link up to my DINC2, get tunes going, hot swap the SMH10 from the Gara and the tunes last for maybe a second and then die.  At the same time, the DINC2 reports the BT link has gone from "phone and media" to "phone".  I have full phone control with either helmet but no tunes with the S1, with the earphones.  Needless to say, I'll share this with Sena.  Maybe they'll respond.  Maybe they won't.  I'm losin' my religion on this one...  

[RBEmerson]

A reply from Sena at last...

Hello Richard,

Sorry for the delayed response.
I have relayed your suggestion over to development.

We are still working on the issue and we are close to the end. It seems like
patch will likely be available in couple of weeks.

Temporary work around that seems to work with majority of the phone is as
below.
1. Reset SMH10 following factory settings reset on page 16 of user manual.
Delete or unpair SMH10 from your phone.

2. Pair SMH10 and your phone.

3. After they have paired, repeat pairing procedure again without resetting
or deleting device.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

I tried their workaround again - after two phone updates...  No change from before.  

[radon222]

RB I got lost trying to follow your bouncing helmets.

Am I following you right?

Built-in Speakers = work

 Earbuds = no work?

[RBEmerson]

That's it

Speakers  

Earbuds  

[radon222]

ooohhhh....

  Well I only have bases for Speakers.... so guess I'll just let the update rip with no worries lol.

[RBEmerson]

For laughs and grins, I just activated the main unit with no base plate (just did the power up button push with the thing in my hand) and the DINC2 confirmed I had phone and media connections.  In short, the earbuds base plate seems to be toxic to media connections.  Now why the base plate type even matters I leave for others to explain.  

[Scratch33]

 Now why the base plate type even matters I leave for others to explain.  

That deserves a double headscratch.  

 

I'm holding off sending mine in until this gets settled.

[radon222]

So far we've been pretty happy with the B units.   But yea if I had one of the newer Zumo's,  I'd probably hold off too until a known working fix has been posted.

[JReazor]

I apologize if this has already been covered but is anyone using the upgraded unit with an iPhone 4?

[radon222]

Not an I4... but my wife has been using it with a 3GS with no problems.

[RBEmerson]

For laughs and grins, I just activated the main unit with no base plate (just did the power up button push with the thing in my hand) and the DINC2 confirmed I had phone and media connections.  In short, the earbuds base plate seems to be toxic to media connections.  Now why the base plate type even matters I leave for others to explain.  

For more laughs and grins, I started Player Pro (the media player on my DINC2) and used the jog dial to change tracks, even though the SMH10 was not on a base plate.  The player followed the commands as expected.  But put the main unit on an earbud base plate and... party over.  Weird...  

I received a note from Sena yesterday (28 July) - a patch is still at least two weeks out.  Say whut?  

[Cablebandit]

I have a feeling it will be "two weeks out" for months.  

[RBEmerson]

   No!  Do ya think...?    

[Cablebandit]

and since they've pisseed off so many people that sang their praises early on, leading to their sucesss, why not charge $19.95 per unit to upgrade the firmware?  

 

[RBEmerson]

Sigh... I wish I could claim I was wearing beer goggles when I got into this.  Worse, when the stuff works, it's darn good, and the price is right.  Sigh...

[radon222]

Hey RB!!!  Check it!!

http://www.sport-touring.net/forums/index.php/topic,65482.0.html

[three west]

Cool, wonder if the zumo  issues are corrected.

RB must not run a zumo? Or else you stream audio?

[RBEmerson]

Thanks for catching the firmware is out.  Now to see how well they did... and, of course, there's no way to back out the upgrade if it breaks things.  

FWIW, right now I'm getting my (media) audio off the DINC2, using Player Pro app.  It and the SMH-10 get along very well, when the SMH-10 is playing media audio into the two helmets with speakers.  

[radon222]

Actually before it installs the new firmware it makes a copy of the original firmware on your harddrive and their software includes a "Restore" utility to go backwards.  

I just did the upgrade on both of our units.  They kept thier pairing to each other and even with my newly installed OTA GB on the Dinc2 I'm sitting here typing this message with Slacker blowing my ear drums out....(helmet speakers not earbuds).

[RBEmerson]

Agreed - a backup image is made of V3.0 firmware (new firmware is 3.1).  My apologies to Sena for doubting them.  

My S-1 with the earphones base plate now plays music from my DINC2 as well as handling calls.  We'll see how it does on the road tomorrow ('scuse me if I pass on riding in the middle of the severe thunderstorm we're ...ah... enjoying at the moment).  

[RBEmerson]

At least in my case, the backup restore doesn't take.  I get to 94% and nothing else happens.  The one minute hold at 92% comes and goes as expected, but at 94% it's all over.  I waited for 15 minutes and... nada.  Ah, well, at least the V3.1 firmware seems to be holding up.  

[billo]

    Now I'm required to buy a PC because there is no software to upgrade the Sena with a Mac.  Sena I   you.  $100 to screw my units, not upgradable with a Mac.  Is there anything else you're not telling us?     me  

Bill

[RBEmerson]

Or maybe you could just chill long enough to ask someone with a PC to help.  

[RBEmerson]

[...]Ah, well, at least the V3.1 firmware seems to be holding up.  

I played a couple of albums, and more Angry Birds than I care to admit to, through the V3.1 firmware and it held up very well indeed.  

[radon222]

Umm RB,

  I don't think playing Angry Birds while riding a motorcycle is a recommended activity  

[RBEmerson]

Oh.  

I wondered why people looked at me strangely as I rode by.  I thought it was my blind-me yellow jacket.  Guess not, huh.  

 

[billo]

Or maybe you could just chill long enough to ask someone with a PC to help.  

 ?    Well I asked for it when I said " me " after all.    

If the fix works for Zumo I'll do exactly as you suggest.  But I'm a Guinea pig in a perfect storm for now.  

[RBEmerson]

Firmware V3.1, I'm happy to say, passed the road test very nicely.  Lots of stopping and starting as I did a bunch of go-ferring today, and the unit kept up, the DINC2 did its part, and the music came out of the ER-6i's just as it should.  I have a Garmin 2460 on order - now to see how well that pairs up and plays with the SMH-10B...

[RBEmerson]

Sigh...      

Dear Rick,

Thank you for the update.
We are aware that Firmware restore is not fully functional, but it actually
does not have any use at the moment. The problem will be resolved with any
required firmware restore in the future.

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

Thank you.

Dan Kim
Technical Support Engineer
Sena Technologies, Inc.

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard B. Emerson [mailto:pavilion@pinefields.com]
Sent: Monday, August 01, 2011 6:27 PM
To: Dan Kim
Subject: Re: [Case#00017465] Device ID suggestion [
ref:00D0hYrh.500DF0qBC:ref ]

Dan, thanks for your note.  I've installed the SMH-10 manager and V3.1
firmware update and, as I write, am listening to music coming from my
HTC Incredible 2 phone, via the updated SMH10B.  The firmware change
seems to have resolved the problems I encountered.

I should point out, however, that attempts to return to firmware V3.0
failed.  I wanted to verify the change firmware really did clear up the
problems I had been seeing.  The problem with restoring the V3.0
firmware occurs after the approximately one minute pause at the 92%
point in the process.  The firmware installation process resumes, counts
to 93% and then 94%.  At that point everything comes to a stop.  I
waited 15 minutes for the process to complete and nothing happened.  I
tried this twice without success.

Rick Emerson

[billo]

Sigh...      

Is there anything else you're not telling us?


"We are aware that Firmware restore is not fully functional"

  really?

 

Bill


P.S. - Chill

[Cablebandit]

I wonder if Sena's software guys came over from Garmin.  They're using the same approach.  Release decent hardware with software that's not ready for prime time.  Then when it's "updated" it breaks stuff that used to work.

[radon222]

Well I guess it's a good thing they didn't hose up this version of the Firmware lololo  

[three west]

Firmware V3.1, I'm happy to say, passed the road test very nicely.  Lots of stopping and starting as I did a bunch of go-ferring today, and the unit kept up, the DINC2 did its part, and the music came out of the ER-6i's just as it should.  I have a Garmin 2460 on order - now to see how well that pairs up and plays with the SMH-10B...

well once you've got a GPS you'll probably want to pair your phone and your sena to that instead

[duoderf]

Slightly different question, but how long dis it take for sena to return the new GPS with the send old one back first option selected. I sent mine out on  1 Aug, and their website still says pending.

[RBEmerson]

My snap reaction is "any day now".  If you don't see it by the weekend, I'd start griping to Sena.

[duoderf]

My snap reaction is "any day now".  If you don't see it by the weekend, I'd start griping to Sena.

I called sena today and they said that the B units were on backorder, they should be shipping them later this week. I wish I would have known that when I ordered it, I wound up going on some longish rides that the sena would have come in very handy on.

[RBEmerson]

Interesting news.  Once the problems with the firmware were sorted out, the SMH10 went back to being a pretty good deal.  I guess the backorder situation is the cost of being popular.  

[atadaskew]

Sorta threadjack....I'm thinking of buying the Sena SM 10.  I only intend to use it for bike to bike intercom.  Seriously.  I'm sick of how crappy my Cardo Q2 units are..

How do I know if I'm getting the lastest model?  Does it matter for intercom?
Best prices I'm seeing is $299.25 from Amazon.

Thanks

[RBEmerson]

Good question.  Looking at the listing on Amazon, I found "Item model number: SMH10D-01B" which is the magic model number you want.  I'd say you're good to go.  And, yes, it does matter for the intercom, too, as Sena tidied up some of the intercom features, made it easier to set options with a PC=based tool, and you can always update the firmware later.  

[atadaskew]

Good question.  Looking at the listing on Amazon, I found "Item model number: SMH10D-01B" which is the magic model number you want.  I'd say you're good to go.  And, yes, it does matter for the intercom, too, as Sena tidied up some of the intercom features, made it easier to set options with a PC=based tool, and you can always update the firmware later.  

Thank you very much.

[RBEmerson]

Da nada!  

[duoderf]

Got the unit today, but I am still being told that they are still backordered for 2 more weeks if you order now

[malbojah]

Funny, I ordered mine off Amazon yesterday (the upgraded B version) and got it today. Granted I choice next day shipping for that instant gratification

[duoderf]

Funny, I ordered mine off Amazon yesterday (the upgraded B version) and got it today. Granted I choice next day shipping for that instant gratification

Amazon isn't the same as trading it in directly with sena, unless the seller is Sena themself

[RBEmerson]

Er, I think you're mixing apples and oranges - Malbojah's talking about buying a new unit, not upgrading an old main unit.  

Agreed that Sena seems to be overwhelmed by the changeover from SMH-10's to SMH-10B's.  

[malbojah]

Amazon isn't the same as trading it in directly with sena, unless the seller is Sena themself

Actually, it was:
http://www.amazon.com/Sena-SMH10-01B-Bluetooth-Intercom-Motorcyles/dp/B0052YQMLA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313464924&sr=8-1

[duoderf]

Actually, it was:
http://www.amazon.com/Sena-SMH10-01B-Bluetooth-Intercom-Motorcyles/dp/B0052YQMLA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313464924&sr=8-1

Ahhh, someone from another forum i'm on bought the A version the week I sent mine out. I redact my earlier statement

[malbojah]

Ahhh, someone from another forum i'm on bought the A version the week I sent mine out. I redact my earlier statement

No prob, I'm still trying to figure out to to pair my crappy phone to the Sena and my Nuvi @ the same time (saying only 1 audio device at a time)

[RBEmerson]

Er, redact = "someone who puts text into appropriate form for publication".  Perhaps "retract" (to withdraw) is what you had in mind?

Pedantically yours, RBEmerson    

[RBEmerson]

No prob, I'm still trying to figure out to to pair my crappy phone to the Sena and my Nuvi @ the same time (saying only 1 audio device at a time)

Clear the pairing table in the SMH10 (do a "factory reset" - p.16 in the SMH10 manual) and then try pairing the SMH10 to the GPS as an A2DP device and the phone as a headset (pp. 8-10).  Also, it wouldn't hurt to clear the BT pairing tables in the phone and GPS, too.

[Cablebandit]

Depending on the crappyness of the phone he may not be able to clear the bluetooth pairing.  

[malbojah]

Depending on the crappyness of the phone he may not be able to clear the bluetooth pairing.  

It's going on 2+ years now since LG released an update for my LG GR500 (Xenon)

[Scratch33]

Whatever backorder problems there were have apparently cleared.  I ordered 2 upgraded units on Tuesday and just got an email saying they'd been shipped.

[atadaskew]

My order placed this week supposedly has already shipped.

All I want is a really good intercom.  Given up on my Cardo Q2 - plus it seems to be rapidly failing....

[RBEmerson]

It's going on 2+ years now since LG released an update for my LG GR500 (Xenon)

Um, er, you aren't holding your breath, waiting for an update, right?  

[Oddball]

Okay I drank the kool-aid and upgraded my dual set.  Micro-USB charge was a factor.  My blue tooth x-mitter charges by bluetooth, I will now be able to charge my second unit on the road.  Seems like a win-win.  Longer battery life is also good.

It did hurt spending the 100 bones though.  Maybe I ride too much when I spend over 12 hours on the bike every Saturday or Sunday.

[radon222]

Well crap I'm out riding in WV for the weekend and my left side speaker just gave up ghost. Guess I'll be on the horn with Sena on Monday getting a new base unit shipped.

 

[RBEmerson]

Just for laughs and grins, do a reset.  See the manual (on line as a .PDF at the Sena site) for the details.  It's possible it's a firmware issue, although a broken wire seems more likely.  

[GRMFR]

Has anyone tried returning the speaker/microphone assembly, as a warranty return, at the same time as the upgrade return?  I am hoping to be able to get everything taken care of at once.

[RBEmerson]

Funny... one of the speakers on one of my Sena back plates just went Tango Uniform.  It hasn't failed 100% but the sound quality suggests a failing speaker.  In my case, I'll suck it up and replace it with another earbud backplate.  The helmet just doesn't have enough space for speakers.