Another Sena -> Sena question

Our setup:

BMW R1200RT 2015 w/GPS prep (using NAV V) & full audio system. Comm Unit is SENA 50R, Phone is Android, running latest system.
Pairing is Phone to Sena, BMW to Sena. (in that order)

BMW R1200R, 2012. Standalone Zumo 660. Comm Unit is SENA 30K. Phone is Apple, running IOS, latest version.
Pairing is phone to Sena, Zumo to Sena (in that order)

Senas are running the latest firmware.

I'm on the RT, my riding partner (Jim) is on the R.

I listen to XM via the RT's Audio system. Jim listens to music stored on his Zumo.

When riding solo, both the 30K & 50R work as expected. Phone connects. Voice prompts control the Sena(s). Music plays just fine through the Senas. No, it's not fine audio, but perfectly adequate for us.

Now, here's the situation where we're having trouble: Units connect Intercom via Bluetooth as long as the Zumo 660 is not playing music. Start the music, Sena drops the Bluetooth Intercom connection. Stop the music on the Zumo, intercom reconnects. When music is playing on the Zumo, I (on the RT using the 50R) I get the Sena message that "Intercom failed. Try again later."

Connecting via Mesh, the systems work as we want -- ie, we can each listen to our own music, and talk to each other via Mesh Intercom. Music continues to play, but at a lower sound level as long as we're talking. Stop talking, music volume returns to our "solo" volume level. My 50R works this way, also, when connected via Bluetooth to the 30K. Music continues to play, sound volume drops while we talk, increases when we're not talking.

Why not don't we just use Mesh? Simple -- the battery life on the 50R sucks when using Mesh. I get maybe 3 hours before the 50R starts giving me "Low Battery" warnings. When using bluetooth intercom, I have sufficient battery life to run all day. In fact, I turn on the 50R in the morning and rarely turn it off during the day's ride, until we're finished for the day. The 30K has better battery life on Mesh than the 50R, but don't know for sure what it's life is. We could (and may) use an aux battery to the Sena's, so we can use Mesh, but would prefer to not have to carry yet another item to recharge each night on tour We could also connect the Sena's via the DIN plugs, but that means more wires to plug in each morning, and we'd be loosely tethered to the bikes.

Your thoughts for possible solutions are invited. Thanks!

Things I'd try:

Change Jim's pairing: Phone to 660, 660 to Sena.

Or, using the "Advanced Selective Pairing" options of the 30K (see manual), connect the phone as a phone and the 660 as media.

Add a USB port to your bike(s). Both Senas can charge while in use.

lkraus said:

Things I'd try:

Change Jim's pairing: Phone to 660, 660 to Sena.

Or, using the "Advanced Selective Pairing" options of the 30K (see manual), connect the phone as a phone and the 660 as media.

Add a USB port to your bike(s). Both Senas can charge while in use.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the suggestions. We were looking (in the manual) for the "connect as media" option on the 30K, and have apparently missed it. We'll check the manual again. If that doesn't work, we'll try the phone to 660, 660 to Sena and see what happens there.

jgoertz said:

Our setup:

BMW R1200RT 2015 w/GPS prep (using NAV V) & full audio system. Comm Unit is SENA 50R, Phone is Android, running latest system.
Pairing is Phone to Sena, BMW to Sena. (in that order)

BMW R1200R, 2012. Standalone Zumo 660. Comm Unit is SENA 30K. Phone is Apple, running IOS, latest version.
Pairing is phone to Sena, Zumo to Sena (in that order)

Senas are running the latest firmware.

I'm on the RT, my riding partner (Jim) is on the R.

I listen to XM via the RT's Audio system. Jim listens to music stored on his Zumo.

When riding solo, both the 30K & 50R work as expected. Phone connects. Voice prompts control the Sena(s). Music plays just fine through the Senas. No, it's not fine audio, but perfectly adequate for us.

Now, here's the situation where we're having trouble: Units connect Intercom via Bluetooth as long as the Zumo 660 is not playing music. Start the music, Sena drops the Bluetooth Intercom connection. Stop the music on the Zumo, intercom reconnects. When music is playing on the Zumo, I (on the RT using the 50R) I get the Sena message that "Intercom failed. Try again later."

Connecting via Mesh, the systems work as we want -- ie, we can each listen to our own music, and talk to each other via Mesh Intercom. Music continues to play, but at a lower sound level as long as we're talking. Stop talking, music volume returns to our "solo" volume level. My 50R works this way, also, when connected via Bluetooth to the 30K. Music continues to play, sound volume drops while we talk, increases when we're not talking.

Why not don't we just use Mesh? Simple -- the battery life on the 50R sucks when using Mesh. I get maybe 3 hours before the 50R starts giving me "Low Battery" warnings. When using bluetooth intercom, I have sufficient battery life to run all day. In fact, I turn on the 50R in the morning and rarely turn it off during the day's ride, until we're finished for the day. The 30K has better battery life on Mesh than the 50R, but don't know for sure what it's life is. We could (and may) use an aux battery to the Sena's, so we can use Mesh, but would prefer to not have to carry yet another item to recharge each night on tour We could also connect the Sena's via the DIN plugs, but that means more wires to plug in each morning, and we'd be loosely tethered to the bikes.

Your thoughts for possible solutions are invited. Thanks!

Click to expand...

Cardo PTBolds in mesh usually last 7-9 hours depending on how much we're talking to each other. 3 hours before low batt warning on the 50R?

Glad I've got the cardos for coms. My 20S sena has been flawless for music, lasting 10-11 hours with no coms. But 3 hours or so for the 50R in mesh? That seems to quick to be needing to charge the device.

With the cardo's, when we stop for lunch after 3-4 hours riding together, I plug my PTB into power from the sae coming from the batt for 30-45 minutes. It brings the unit back up to 85-90%, sometimes 100% in the time it takes to stop for lunch. Then we can ride another 5-6 hours and still have 1/2 batt life left at the end of the day.

Update to this thread --

After trying every suggestion from Sena, and from this thread, I finally went back to Sena Customer Service and started a different approach. The Sena App on my 'phone began tell me that there was a new update to the firmware. A new set of problems popped up -- I wasn't able to update the firmware! The Sena App on my PC wouldn't recognize my 50R. Sena CS was great in being responsive. Unfortunately, nothing they suggested helped. I took the unit by my local Cycle Gear, who assured me they had the latest version of the Sena App installed on their system. Still no luck -- their (Cycle Gear's) App wouldn't recognize my unit, either. (BTW, i purchased my 50R from Revzilla, a sister company of Cycle Gear). With this bit of info, I went back to Sena and they through in the towel. Even tho' my unit was over a year old by now, they said "Send us the unit -- just the unit, nothing else is needed" Right after Labor Day, I pulled the main unit and shipped it off (Sena sent me a prepaid shipping label to cover the postage). A week later, I received an e-mail from Sena, essentially apologizing for producing a lemon of a 50R. They said the USB port wasn't working properly, hence it wouldn't connect to the App, it wouldn't connect via the wireless charger/updater (it would charge, but the data lines apparently were hosed). They said they were sending me a new unit, properly checked out at Sena. To my surprise, I received a full unit, sealed, complete with microphone, speakers, everything, not just the new main unit. I installed the main unit, setting aside the parts I didn't remove from my helmet, re-paired the unit to my 'phone and to my RT, and did a full charge. Firmware on the unit was now 1.09! The unit I returned was @ 1.04. The new wireless dongle was also upgraded, and easily connected to my home wireless network and immediately upgraded itself. The Sena app easily connected to the new 50R and reported that I had the latest firmware, and that all was well. A ride showed that all connections were working -- my NAV 5 was sending voice directions, the phone was working -- I could answer or ignore and return to music or whatever. Then it was time to do the true test -- meeting up with my riding buddy Jim and connecting the helmets. We did a mesh connection, and it was easy, no problems. We rode for over 4 hours. At the end of the ride, I used the Sena App to check remaining battery life -- it showed over 12 hours (a little over 50%) left! That night in my hotel room I did a standard charge (without the wireless dongle as I wasn't near my home network) and it came up to a full charge while we were at dinner that night (about an hour). Day 2 of our short road trip -- Mesh connected again w/o issues. We rode 3 more hours. Another battery check at the end of the ride -- about 14 hours were remaining. Voice communications were clear. Music wasn't interupted (it quieted down while talking).

I'm very satisfied with this version of the Sena 50R! And I couldn't be happier with Sena's customer service. They had asked me to send in my unit very early in our conversation, probably when the unit was only 2 mos old, and if I had done it then, I may have been able to save myself months of frustration.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.....

Good to hear of the positive outcome! I've no problems with various Senas for the last ~10 years. In fact, my 10 year old 10S (now on my wife's helmet) will still get 7-8 hours of battery life when pair via standard intercom.