After reading about all the other poor folk who've gotten duped by SENA with this, I decided to give it one last try. I went in and turned off VOX phone, audio multitasking, tap-tap, so as to not overwhelm the communicators. I charged both, and went on a ride with pillion (so that the 20s would be at a foot from one another). Within 5 minutes, I was talking to myself. My pillion pointed out that my unit had shut off by itself... AGAIN. Went to another site - a place that sells the 20S online - where the reviews are disastrous and shameful. On top of releasing a lemon, SENA has simply stopped all support for the units it seems. There are problems with the hardware, with the software (programming/glitches), and with the support. What the heck are we paying for? I'd even understand bragging rights, but the units not being waterproof means that you might be riding around with a condom on top of the communicator in order to keep it dry. Not the coolest bragging rights, and at my age, not really something I can do and also respect myself in the morning. If you're reading this comment, let me save you from wasting your money. Buy anything else under the sun, just not a SENA 20S. Interphone F5s work fabulously, as do the F4 and F3.
69 commenti
-
Dewald Reynecke I have the same problem with my 20s shutting off randomly. Some days it shuts off every minute (or less) – I keep turning it back on – and other days it stays on all day without issues.
Connected devices: iPhone 5 with latest software, Garmin Zumo 590 with latest software. Sena is also on latest software.
I have tried all the variations of pairing and it remains truly random.
Additionally my audio multitasking does not work at all. Very frustrating and I don't feel the device is worth the money I paid. If everything was working as advertised I'd be happy.
-
Pat Hanks Same problem here. Is there a fix or should I return it? As it stands it's unusable.
-
Pat Hanks Same here. I will be asking Revzilla for a refund. -
Mark Kemp Same shut off problem here. My Sena 20S shuts off every 5 - 20 minutes. I'm connected by Bluetooth to the Alpine of the 2014 BMW K1600GT, BMW Motorrad GPS and the SR10. Please have someone contact me by email ASAP. I'm a long time user of Sena Products products and have purchased 4 Sena 20S and two of the four have shutoff problems. I own a software development company and might be help with the diagnosis. I'm trying to be patient. Thanks
-
Ron Cooper Same problem! Very frustrating, I also have asked Sena to explain why the radar signals cut my intercom off completely, I run a TPX radar through the SR10 hub and the 20s manual states that it shouldnt cut off the intercom, well it does and their advice to me was to turn off the audio multitasking! So what exactly did I pay for again...?
-
Willie Duplooy I have also now logged a call with Sena with regards to this problem. I bought the Dual Kit and the one unit seems fine. I say "seems" because it is hard to test when one of them continues to shut down every few minutes.
-
Ron Cooper Tested my 20s with my friend's yesterday (we bought a duel kit to share), several issues! we seem to be able to intercom ok until I turn my Radar/SR10 on. Cuts the intercom completely. Sena have told me there's a compatibility issue between the SR10 and the 20s which they have said they are trying to remedy with a new SR10 software update due out mid Nov.
The worst thing is they don't seem to be addressing any of the other issues or replying with anything constructive to other users
Ambient seems to work, I haven't had any docking/ mounting issues - yet..., the tap tap feature works ok
I kinda wish I hadn't given my SMH10 away to another mate of mine now!
-
Lisa Hall Same problem here. Bought the dual pack. One will shut down for no apparent reason. I really like these units and I hope Sena addresses this issue. -
Willie Duplooy I am pleased to say that my local supplier (www.bikegear.co.za) in Port Elizabeth, South Africa promptly swapped out the faulty unit. Despite the fact that I am over 500 km away from them, I received the replacement unit within two days and will test it tonight and over the weekend. Sena (support@sena.com) has not bothered to respond though, and this is a concern for me. Their products are not cheap, and I am sure most of us are happy to pay a premium price for a reliable product, backed by good service. Sena is not rising to the challenge on these fronts. If they hope to succeed in a continuing growing market for similar products, they will really have to brush up on service. I actually EXPECT feedback. If I do not receive feedback, I will pursue this matter further even if my units are now working well. Sena must learn about customer service!
-
Pat Hanks Right, so Revzilla replaced my dual pack with a new set. The weather has become more like winter so I've only ridden once with one of the new units and it didn't shut off. The other is an unknown at this point. I suppose I can only wait and see, or convince my partner to walk around the house for an hour or so wearing her helmet to see if they shut off. I did get a response from the help desk at Sena but never followed up with them as I've registered the new units and reckon if one or both fail I can submit a new warranty claim. I'm going to follow up with Sena to make them more aware of the issue. Appreciate everyone else's input.
-
Pablo Motta Please try submit a ticket with our help desk so we can replace your unit.
http://support.sena.com/anonymous_requests/new
Use the subject: Shuts off at random
-
Ken Well, I was hoping that the new 20S replacement unit would have fixed this problem. But yesterday, two of us paired and connected our 20S units to each other and confirmed intercom operation with a short conversation. We were stationary as we prepared to ride together.
Then, we turned on our motorcycle ignitions. Of course, our Zumos powered up and took priority over all other Sena functions. We couldn't carry on our conversation while each Zumo was initializing as usual. (I hate that!)
But some time during that waiting period, my Zumo simply turned itself back OFF! I tried and tried and tried to talk to my friend over the intercom after the Zumos had long since powered up and were silent. Finally, I gave up and decided to turn my Sena 20S OFF. When I pushed the two buttons to turn it OFF, the Sena lady said, "HELLO!". IT WAS OFF! Some time during the Zumo taking priority and blanking out our intercom chatting, the Sena had turned itself off. We finished our ride without being able to talk. Maybe his had powered itself OFF, too. We had to revert to hand signals.
Frustrating! I really want these 20Ss to work properly. The ZUMO should not have the highest priority. Everyone I know that has a Zumo uses it for MP3, XM radio, and other audio sources that need A2DP stereo.
-
Ron Cooper Well I submitted a ticket to get my 20s replaced, supplied them with all my details as instructed.. This morning I get an email from them saying they cant ship to New Zealand..
I asked them if they actually read the forums and negative comments about their product, this really is crap service
-
Ron Cooper Well... Sena seem to have come to the party with my replacement, sent me an address to send it to and told me to reverse the shipping charges... not sure quite how to do that but anyway...
I installed the latest firmware v1.3 and it seems to be working a lot better? I'll test it properly at the weekend but from what I can see so far is the radar doesn't interrupt the intercom now so maybe they've fixed the priority issue? I wont send it back until I've had a couple of days running it.
Let me know how you get on with your upgrade
-
Chet Anekwe I joined this forum today just for this VERY issue! It has been driving me NUTS!! I turned around from riding to work today because is randomly shut of 4 times on the way in. It's ridiculous! And my unit is only 2 month old!
I will put in my replacement request.
-
Ken In one of our experiments, we confirmed a scenario where the Sena 20S will turn itself OFF without any notification:
My friend had his iPhone paired and connected to the Sena. (He didn't realize it was, but it must have been left over from a previous test or operation).
Each time he tried to connect to the Zumo by selecting the Sena 20S on the Zumo screen, the Sena would just power itself down. We didn't realize what was happening for at least a half dozen tries until I noticed that his Sena blue LED would stop flashing. (of course, wearing the helmet, he couldn't see the Sena blue LED). When we'd simultaneously press the Job and Phone buttons to turn the Sena OFF to try again, the Sena would turn back on! In other words, the Sena had powered itself down without saying "Goodbye" when the Zumo tried to connect.
Our Senas are newer models (replacements for the originals that had the hardware issues) and they're running the latest firmware.
This issue needs to be confirmed by others to make sure we didn't experience an anomaly.
Ken
-
Kevin Andrew Mason All up to date on firmware and I'm using iPhone 6. Same issue. SO FRUSTRATING how it's completely random... I just wanna ride and listen to music. :(
-
Brian Bartlett Purchased the 20S Dual Pack for snowmobiling. One unit shuts off almost immediately, once outside. Submitted a ticket so I'll wait and see.
-
Johny5 Uk Using iPhone 5s, brand new twin units, 1 shuts off randomly and locks up on intercom. Only way round it is to power off and then back on again, not really safe doing this while riding......
This isn't really great press for Sena. I have logged a ticket.
-
GMan55 I purchased the Sena 20S-01D dual pack on 2/12/15. The first unit will not stay on (no indication that the unit is powering off) or connected no matter the connection to a source. It shuts off at random and will last a minute but sometimes up to 20 minutes. This includes phone, intercom and Sirius Bluetooth units. After my first ride with the unit I'm completely frustrated as my riding partner uses the other unit (same conditions & temps) without any issues ... no powering off or dropped connections at all. I deleted all parings and tried again. I left the faulty unit connect to my phone, Sirius and connected the intercom in my office for +6 hours without the unit powering off or dropping a connection. I then went for a second ride with the fault unit and it once again it powered itself off (without indication). Based on that result I know what I'm doing and how to properly perform the setup. This seems to be a issue with the dual pack units where one works and the other powers itself off without indication and I can't see how only temps could be the issue since this seems to be only impact one unit in the dual pack. My faulty unit is the one with the first S/N number. Can anyone else confirm that it limited to the first unit in the dual pack?
-
Ian Grosfeld Same problem here, and I'm already at my second unit (not counting the one that was dead upon unboxing.
The first unit that worked would shut down at random, and after two weeks would not accept any microphone input. It got exchanged but now my current one (S/N 1410...) has the same problem. It happens more frequently when it's cold, but also happens in warm sunny weather.
I'll get in touch with the shop where I bought it and see if Sena will acknowledge and replace or if I will ask for a refund.
I really would like to hear from Sena if they have identified the problem and if it's been fixed in later production items.
-
Pat Hanks Has anyone heard a thing from Sena about this problem?
I had Revzilla replace my dual pack after it failed within weeks of purchase but I have not used the new dual pack since winter began in earnest. I am inclined to exchange the dual pack for another brand if Sena has not responded positively, rather than to wait and hope for the best with the "new" units.
Can anyone suggest an alternative device? -
dskoc I had the same issue. Dual pack purchased in early December with consecutive serial numbers S/N: 20s 140904879 was the 30 second unit S/N: 20s 140904880 would last 20 minutes or longer but did exhibit similar issues. I contacted tech support on February 23 and received a reply within 2 days. RMA and shipped back 3 days later. Took FedEx nearly a week and I received a response today that a replacement dual pack is being shipped. I'll let you know how the replacements work. Unfortunately, the snowmobile season is melting away quickly so a solid testing session may not be in the near future.
-
Brent Davis Same problem here.
My friend and I both have Sena 20S's bought as a dual pack and mine keeps switching off when they are connected by intercom. We are having a conversation and then mine goes dead. There is no "Goodbye" announcement, it just goes dead, with no lights on and it does not respond to any buttons. It always takes 3 attempts to switch it back on.
I have tried a fault reset (twice) and have restored it to factory settings, all to no avail. It is on the latest F/W version 1.3.
-
Ken Gillett I have sen this on a 20S with firmware 1.3, but another still on 1.1.1 is perfect. Is this perhaps a problem introduced with the later firmware?
We'll be testing to see, but is anyone suffering this problem while using 1.1.1?
-
Ken Ken, my friends and I have encountered this random powering off with no warning or indication (except the blue light turns off) using every firmware from the very first to the present 1.3.
We once could actually induce the problem by trying to pair the Zumo as phone 1 (not knowing that the iPhone was already paired as phone 1). It did it to us several times in a row that evening. I've tried to duplicate our experiment several times since then and it doesn't cause a Sena power-off.
It's frustrating when it happens out of the blue, though. Riding along thinking everyone has nothing to say and the intercom is quiet; only to find that my Sena had powered itself down and all the other riders have been trying to contact me. It's so random that there seems to be no pattern.
Ken
-
Ken Gillett I suspect the 20S is not actually powering itself down. If that were the case, there would almost certainly be the usual voice warning prompt. I suspect it is simply crashing, hence the multiple button presses to get it to restart and also if it does this just after changing a setting, the change is lost. No doubt changes are saved when it shuts down, but this instant crash means it never gets the chance to save.
No sure if it makes any difference to our problem though. As long as Sena understand that it IS happening and get on and fix it.
If it has happened with 1.1.1 then it's surprising how some units simply don't do it, but some do and cannot run for more than a few minutes when in intercom mode. It all points to being a software issue I have to say. Something that is relying on some exact facet of the hardware, but production tolerances mean it is sometimes exceeded and the system just crashes. In which case, replacing the hardware may possibly fix it, but may not, which does seem to be the case. The only real cure will be to fix the software so that it can cope with ALL variances in the hardware.
Either way, I'm finding Sena's lack of communication even less acceptable than having to put up with the problem in the first place.
-
Ken It might not be powering itself down, but the two-button power-up worked to make it come alive again each time we tried. In fact, when riding, that's the only way you can tell it's powered down. When you push the two buttons to power it OFF . . . . it powers ON.
I'm super surprised that Sena hasn't concentrated on fixing this issue. There are dozens of reports of random power-downs. No telling how many users are not on this forum and have experienced the same. All three of my friends and I have experienced the bug. That's a 100% incidence of failure.
Ken
-
Lisa Hall Sena has replaced both of my units that have had this problem. . Even though these issues exist I'm happy with the way Sena has treated me and the speed at which the replacements have come. -
Dae Just got a dual pack of 20s yesterday to replace our SMH10s. So far my wife isn't impressed. She tried hers today on a 2 hour ride and had 4 shutdowns, causing her to miss GPS instructions and get a bit lost. She also said the volume isn't as good as the SMH10 and has had to put her GPS music on full volume instead of the 60% when using the SMH10. Unfortunately it will be a couple of months until I can try mine as I'm recovering from surgery. I use custom plugs with built in speakers so may not have issues with the volume.