Is the 20s waterproof?
I've just purchased the dual 20s but can't see anywhere if it says it's waterproof, please confirm.
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its supposed to be rain proof. but when I look at the mounting of the rubbers then I have my doubts in heavy rain. Sena should make a dummy unit to use in heavy rain or just when you don't want to use the 20S to protect the base connectors
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The 20S is designed to be water resistant for use in inclement weather.
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inclement weather is synonym for bad weather... but what does sena define as bad weather??
i can honestly say that the sena survived my trips in the rain.... but that could be more luck .. i'm still very anxious about the rubber usb flap that has been designed wrong... it opens up downwards instead of upwards and the rubber flap does not stay on the usb port very thight so rain water could enter.
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Lol. I was thinking the same, the rubber flap doesn't close so its basically just open. However, since its on the back and you will be driving I guess the water will run off. I used it in bad weather and it still works. Would not suggest to leave it outside, there is probably moisture getting in but this will vaporize inside.
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Two days of continuous rain and about 5 hours of driving through rain. (it is summer in Belgium...) :-S
Disconnected the 20S from my helmet for recharging.
Back of the 20S and mount on the helmet are soaking wet, inner-side of the (closed) usb connector soaking wet.Have had 20S drying for an hour before starting to charge, just hope it will be working after charging.
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Let us know the outcome ;) We have the same summer in NL... Maybe they should develop some kind of rain cover.
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@Marc
Probably just worrying about nothing as this will all be tested thoroughly before releasing the 20S :-)0 -
Haha, yes. Of course ;)
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Some report rain having no effect while others have said the jog wheel went crazy riding in rain.
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It's not water-resistant. A little rain and it was endlessly trying to group intercom. If you look at other reports and reviews (some not on here), you'll find they clearly get water damaged. What a mockery of a product. Considering the claims and the price, I'm thoroughly disappointed. 0 -
One can always use a condom as a rain cover. I can't believe I've had to write that or seriously consider doing it in order to protect my 'investment'. Thanks SENA. 0 -
Ok, so I can confirm it is definitely NOT waterproof! We had a little bit of drizzle and hubby's got interference and then just kept turning itself off - waiting for a reply from Sena... Not happy :( 0 -
Has anyone gotten a response from tech support about this? We're just entering our own rainy season up here in Alaska.
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Dear Karen, I think there won't be any other answer from SENA than the politically correct and totally ambiguous answer given as the second answer in this thread: "...designed for use in inclement weather"... As for waiting for a response from SENA!? Good luck on that! They seem to be treating the 20S as passing gas in an elevator. They're pretending it just doesn't exist and hoping we'll all go away. 0 -
Here is a definitive answer to this question.........NO, IT CERTAINLY ISN'T WATERPROOF!!!! My wife has already posted above and is yet to here back from SENA! We recently went on a European trip and for the first third of the trip the headset worked fine, some minor crackling but on the whole very good. Now prior to going on this trip I emailed SENA asking if the headset was waterproof, to which I received an answer similar to the comment above.......(comment 2)! So, leaving for hotter climates in Europe I was feeling quite confident in the reliability of the set. That was until Italy..........what we rode through would not even constitute drizzle in this country, never mind.........'inclement weather!' Within seconds the headset started to crackle badly and eventually shutdown. I pulled over immediately, and checked all the ports.......the headphones port at the front, despite having a rubber cap was letting water in....! The AUX port at the rear had exactly the same type of rubber cap and again was letting water in! The headset never worked again for the rest of the trip.......even though I had dried the ports completely and removed the set from my helmet to ensure it dried. It would turn on and within 10-15secs would turn itself off!!!! For the money I really expected something of better quality......... News flash...........bikers are exposed to the elements, so it would make sense to design this system to at least withstand light rain. Just so the rider has at least a chance to pull over and secure the unit. I am thoroughly disappointed and somewhat flabbergasted at the flaws in this unit! If you are a fair weather rider then this unit is for you.........if you live in the United Kingdom, I'd advise you to do some research for a waterproof unit!!!! My wife is still awaiting a reply about my case, some 6-7 days after reporting this to SENA! 0 -
I finally got a chance to test the 20S in a rainstorm and... instant fail. While the 20S unit seems to have survived, during a heavy rainstorm the unit went into group intercom mode within 1 or 2 minutes of rain. This morning the 20S worked for about 5 minutes then back into group intercom mode then the ambient mic was stuck on. Most likely thing here is that the main unit remained dry but the base unit and its switches are not waterproof or even water resistant.
I'm trying to dry out the base unit right now (it's sitting on the forced air vent in my office) but as of the day after the rainstorm, my 20S is not usable.
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Four of us on a 3,500 mile trip with more rain than we expected. None of the four Sena units failed due to rain. Plenty of other issues, but rain didn't seem to be one of them. From the reports above, I'm thinking we were lucky.
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Dang. I've used the SMH10 without issue in Torrential downpours. Any way to help reduce this issue?
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Had the same here, used my 20s in the rain and it went into group intercom mode and then into ambient mic mode!! I have emailed sena about this as I cannot believe they have marketed something many adventure riders would buy and not even made it weatherproof! It's a shame as the unit works brilliantly but living in the uk dry riding is not possible half of the year. I will see how it goes but will return the unit if the problems persist as I ride all weathers all year round in the uk. 0 -
Same problem here, fairly heavy rainstorm and one unit goes nuts, constantly trying to initiate group intercom then system turns off, after drying out for two days one unit wont charge or turn on.... 0 -
Some problem here. In rain it asks me about joining a Group Intercom.
Has anyone had any feedback yet from Sena?
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Mine is also a brick after getting caught in the rain. I'm looking for another brand now.
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Last week my first time in the rain with 20s and it failed! started to go to group intercom mode and then asking command.... jog dial did not work, one time it did activate external mic mode.. when rain was over it started to work normally..
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Does the 20S have an Ingress Protection rating for electronic devices used outdoors? Specifically, Sena, what is the Ingress Protection rating of the 20S? For Instance, is the IP rating 66 where the first "6" is the highest rating for prevention of dust and dirt, and second "6" is the ability to withstand water projected in powerful jets (12.5mm nozzle) against the enclosure from any direction and shall have no harmful effects (driving rain on a motorcycle)?
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My 20s showed the signs above (group intercom and ambient mode) too when I went into mist. What a complete piece of junk. 0 -
Sena -- I have a suggestion. Since the 20S seems to be only water resistant (not water proof), some users might want to remove their headsets before they are exposed to rain, etc. Can I suggest you offer a snap-on cover, for the helmet base assembly, that would protect the electrical contacts on the helmet mount from exposure to water. If you decide to offer this, it would be a nice gesture to offer the cover to your existing Sena 20S owners.
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@+1 (910) 520-3732 nope mate, thats not good enough. The SMH10 worked amazing well in thundershowers and heavy rain. Its just a poor product. I see the CARDO PackTalk is advertised as water/weather proof.
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Three of us bought the 20s on the same day. First ride out together all three failed in a rain shower. Their advertising says they are water resistant for use in inclement weather. I Asked Sena if their guarantee covers the unit if it permanently fails due to riding in inclement weather. Here is their reply.
AG-Sena Tech Support, Jul 10, 11:23 AM:
20s are not water proof, just water resistance to differing inclements of weather, which is a subjective and case by case definition.
Use and exercise fair caution when riding with them. I'd suggest not riding with them in any type of showers.You can try to do the 2 resets to help rectify issues. See attached.
But the Warranty Period is this:
Sena guarantees free-of-charge replacements of defective
parts of the product or flaws that may have occurred due to
problems in manufacture for a period of 2 years from the date
of initial purchase.Thanks and have a wonderful day!
Sena Technologies Inc. Support Team
It's not good news for riders in the UK then is it. Imagine riding into a shower on our motorways, particularly when the hard shoulders are in use. You can't stop there to cover it up or remove it. It's a very poor show from Sena. I think I will be taking it back for a refund.
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I'm just back from a trip through the swiss alps. Sadly we had a lot of rain and fog on Gotthard pass. Some hours later the Sena 20S started to go to "Group Intercom" infinitely. It was not possible to switch it off or use any other button function on the docking unit. I had to remove it to switch it off. After reconnecting it to the helmet unit it started again to go to "Group Intercom".
I'm currently trying to dry it at home and I will see if it works again properly....if not I will ask my local dealer "Louis" to replace it.
This is really a bad behavior of such a high class and high price product.Is there anybody out there who could solve the rain problem or get a replacement?
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I ride a sports bike and therefore have my head tilted forward with no screen to protect the unit and I've had problems. People I've spoken to who haven't had problems sit upright and have screens. This may make a difference. 0
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