Sena 20S EVO Bluetooth Question

[Mellow]

I think, as already been discussed, you'd have to move the dongle along with the headset to the bike you're riding.

 

[Uncle Phil]

UP,

Have you tried pairing the dongles as "A2DP only" devices as suggested? I would try this before heading to more complicated solutions.

From what I can read in the manual, that requires a smartphone and it is for pairing a music playing smartphone if I read it right.
I did try the other dongle that was previously paired and the Sena never saw it.
So probably each dongle does have it's own MAC address.

 

[Uncle Phil]

I've also got a request into Sena to see if they have any suggestions. I may be chasing the elusive 'Unobtanium' on this but I do appreciate all the suggestions. I also have a request into the dongle manufacturer to see about their MAC addresses. So far the solutions are -

1. Move the BT dongle from bike to bike.
2. Have a Sena for each bike paired to the respective BT dongle (I just happen to have 4 dongles and 4 Sena 20S EVOs sort of expecting this )
3. Clone the dongles if possible to the same MAC address.
4. Use the Sena mp3 port with a cable to the Ampliriders directly.

 

[tonythecarguy]

From what I can read in the manual, that requires a smartphone and it is for pairing a music playing smartphone if I read it right.

re-read it myself and now agree with your interpretation.

I did try the other dongle that was previously paired and the Sena never saw it.
So probably each dongle does have it's own MAC address.

Bummer.

 

[ST Gui]

So probably each dongle does have it's own MAC address.

Yes any device that has a MAC address is supposed to have a unique MAC address. There may be some exception to this but it would be news to me. Certainly cloning the dongles to one MAC would be the best solution if it can be done. I'd imagine some ne'er do well somewhere has spoofed a MAC address or two. Maybe you and your dongles need to attend a Black Hat conference.

And has probably already been noted any bit o' kit that plugs into a computer to add some functionality or adapt another bit of kit to the computer is a dongle. Lots of theories as to the origin of the word but the truth will be one of life's many secrets. I always assumed it had something to do with a corruption of or conflation with "dangle" as most I saw (until the proliferation of wireless and BT devices) had a cord/cable connecting a plug and box of some nature.

 

[Uncle Phil]

I tried the 'wired' option on the SENA at FerrySToc and I was very pleased with the audio quality. And thanks to John and Fali I tested the communications piece and it worked great. The nice thing about the 'wired' option is I do not have to BT to anything or move a dongle - I just plug in and go. Since I am already in 'wired' mode, this is not a problem for me at all. It does appear that the connection to the SENA itself takes one of their 'special' cables (a regular 2.5 MM does not work) but the rest is off the shelf. Anybody know where there are 'dust covers' for the female end of a 3.5 mm audio cable? I can find 'plugs' but I would like a dust cover that I could attach to the cord and slip over the jack when needed.

 

[Mellow]

I tried the 'wired' option on the SENA at FerrySToc and I was very pleased with the audio quality. And thanks to John and Fali I tested the communications piece and it worked great. The nice thing about the 'wired' option is I do not have to BT to anything or move a dongle - I just plug in and go. Since I am already in 'wired' mode, this is not a problem for me at all. It does appear that the connection to the SENA itself takes one of their 'special' cables (a regular 2.5 MM does not work) but the rest is off the shelf. Anybody know where there are 'dust covers' for the female end of a 3.5 mm audio cable? I can find 'plugs' but I would like a dust cover that I could attach to the cord and slip over the jack when needed.

Yup... early on when I moved from the CB to Sena I was trying to figure out how to get the radar detector signals via bluetooth.

The options included generic dongles, detectors w/apps via smart phone connections, Sena SM10 and Sena SR10. The SR10 was the closest I could come to some type of wireless setup.... however, because the bluetooth connection would go to sleep when not getting a signal, there would be at least a 1 second delay in the radar detector sending the signal and the headset getting it.. sometimes 2 seconds. Doesn't sound like a lot but your brain has to then interpret the signal and physically take some action.. might be another second or two... all that adds up quickly and not optimal for the purpose of having the detector - quick response.

The wired approach is still the best option I've found and it works well. Some detectors have 3 pole and 4 pole 3.5 mm connections so it can be tricky to find the right one to use as a pigtail so you aren't connecting/disconnecting from the detector itself.

 

[Uncle Phil]

Right now I have a 3.5 mm cord plugged directly into my Amplirider, but I plan on running a 'permanent' 3.5 mm cord from the Amplirider up through the ST1100 handlebar cover like the 5 pin headset cord I have now. I just wish there was a more 'robust' cord to replace the SENA cord directly into the headset. It just looks a little 'fragile' to me. I'm using a coiled 3.5 MM cord from the SENA cord to the Amplirider now and they are plentiful and cheap. My radar detector runs into the Amplirider along with my GPS and MP3 player, so I've got that taken care of nicely. And it's the same on all 4 ST1100s so now it's just plug in the cord and off I go - no BT pairing or any of that stuff!

 

[Uncle Phil]

I finally got an answer back from Sena -

Thank you for contacting Sena Tech Support.

We appreciate your patience with us. I have checked your scenario with the team and they have confirmed that the 20sEvo can only store 2x Freewire pairings via the "1st phone and second mobile phone" option. So for the remaining two Freewires, you will have to go through the pairing procedure to link them with the headset.

 

[Uncle Phil]

Well, here's one for the group - I've got all 4 ST1100s with a 3.5 MM extension plugged into the Ampliriders and run out through the handlebars to plug the Sena MP3 cord into. All 4 have been working great with incredible sound quality and I am very pleased. Today I don't know if there was an eclipse, a full moon or what, but on one of the bikes (Frost) I am now getting strange background noises over the headset. I can go to either 3 of the other bikes with the same headset cords, helmet and Sena and it works just fine and clear. (I do have an 'extension' on the Sena cord to keep from stressing it.) If there is an 'extension' between the Sena and the Amplirider I get the noise (more like attenuation) - the same extension that I can use on the other 3 ST1100s without a problem. I have swapped the Amplirider and the extensions and the Sena (not the base) with no joy. Any ideas?

 

[Uncle Phil]

Just to add a little more info - It appears the background noises were an audio cable in the 'mix' (as there are a few).
I've also got Sena 30ks now for when I ride with groups that have mesh.
So I run the 20EVOs when I'm by myself (all day battery life) and the 30ks when in group that's running mesh (about 4-5 hour battery life).
But mesh really works great - just push the 'mesh' button and you are on the air!