Which bluetooth kit??

Hi all...
So, recently bought the Cardo Freecom4+
Nice bit of kit but doesn't really do what we need.
I mainly tour 2 up with my good lady and had Autocom installed previously...
(it finally died),
I was after a wireless kit where we both could hear music and the sat nav (bmw nav v)
We could if needed to, make a sacrifice, but for us, being able to hear all audio, makes it more
of a joint experience when touring..
eg. at least she'll know why i'm swearing lol

Sena whichever suits your purpose mate best kit around,

Good luck

So what bit of the music sharing (section 4.5 of the manual) does not work using the Freecom 4 combo?

Topcat502 said:

Hi all...
So, recently bought the Cardo Freecom4+
Nice bit of kit but doesn't really do what we need.
I mainly tour 2 up with my good lady and had Autocom installed previously...
(it finally died),
I was after a wireless kit where we both could hear music and the sat nav (bmw nav v)
We could if needed to, make a sacrifice, but for us, being able to hear all audio, makes it more
of a joint experience when touring..
eg. at least she'll know why i'm swearing lol

Click to expand...

Watching this thread with interest. I’ve used Autocom for ever, never heard of anything else that functions as per your (and our) requirements. Much as I would like to loose all the wires. Good luck with the chase!

I used a freecom for years, plugged into my 1150GS, it worked seamlessly, And never let me down. I persisted for years not to give up on it, but eventually I was swayed. A mate of mine showed me his Bluetooth set up, And to say I was impressed was an understatement, No loss in music , phone quality and no connection problems. My first Bluetooth set up was the Cardo Q3. This was a great improvement, No wires to plug in. easy to use. And more importantly, it worked great. I was connected to my phone, a Galaxy S7, which gave me music and phone calls. I then decided to give the bike to bike a try and managed to talk my mate into also buying one. Its simplicity was refreshing, and although it never reached anywhere near the claimed range, as they never do, It had a workable range, and I was happy. The Q3 lasted nearly ten hours, around the same duration as my phone. And then recharged when off the bike. The claims that the Cardo was waterproof were correct. A great unit.
I then bought a GSA with the TFT.................................
Initially i wasn't bothered about setting it up to talk to the bike, and remained just connected to the phone. But each day I rode, I couldn't help myself wondering what the TFT could do.
I then spent some time researching and learning. I managed to get it connected, but with issues, The music would work, but the Phone wouldn't...
During some later research I discovered that the TFT required a bluetooth version 4.1 or higher. And to my shock and disappointment, The cardo Q3 was only 3.1. Bollox. I decided to do some more research and bit the bullet and bought the latest Sena 30K. The 30K having the latest mesh system and Blutetooth 4.1. Its all about Bluetooth channels and bandwidth. The quality of the 30K is (IMHO) far superior. However, Sena claim the unit is only water resistant. I needed to test this, And rode several hours through torrential rain. It never failed.
I was aware of the many posts on serval forums all complaining about the TFT connection. I never have had any issues. It connects first time everytime. Without any problems. I must add that at the same time as purchasing the 30K, I also upgraded my phone to the Galaxy Note 9.
I started the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/195190591351953/ BMW TFT Connectivity. Over 2000 members in 18 months. Lots of information. There is a video pinned at the top that gives comprehensive instructions and advice (Mentioned on here a few times)
So, Sena and Cardo run the show, but its personal in the end. I would always stay with Sena now.
Good luck
Sorry if this goes on a bit, I'm bored out of my fekin head........

vincentrapide said:

I’ve used Autocom for ever, never heard of anything else that functions as per your (and our) requirements. Much as I would like to loose all the wires.

Click to expand...

You will never lose all the wires because the BT headsets have to be recharged from the mains.

I am using Autocom for two-up on the RT and BT when riding solo on my other machine. My first attempt at using BT with a passenger did not end well, but could be down to unfamiliarity and mis-matched BT headsets - so I do plan to try the setup again.

beemerboy9 said:

You will never lose all the wires because the BT headsets have to be recharged from the mains.

Click to expand...

But not whilst you're using it . Mine is always charged either on the ground in my tent, or on the side in a hotel room.

Thats a bit like saying your MOBILE phone is never really free of wires

Onahi said:

Thats a bit like saying your MOBILE phone is never really free of wires

Click to expand...

In my case, I would not be completely free of wires even with a BT heatset. This is because I have to plug my in-ear monitors into the relevant socket.

... not to mention the heated gear in the winter.

The Sena head set that fits into the helmet is completely invisible, except for the mic boom. The speakers which are inside the helmet pre cut out holes are brilliant, clear and bassy. You just put your helmet on ! No need to plug anything in. You should try it....
What has plugging your heated vest etc got to do with Bluetooth headsets
I plug my bike into the BMW wall charger......
And my toaster in the kitchen is plugged in too

Onahi said:

The Sena head set that fits into the helmet is completely invisible, except for the mic boom. The speakers which are inside the helmet pre cut out holes are brilliant, clear and bassy. You just put your helmet on ! No need to plug anything in. You should try it....
What has plugging your heated vest etc got to do with Bluetooth headsets

Click to expand...

I have tinnitus so I prefer to have ear protection with the integrated speakers.

You're quite right that a 12V heated jacket does not plug into a BT headset, however it does have wires.

So when I wear a heated jacket , I would not get rid of all the wires connecting me and the bike.

You have also set me a difficult puzzle, as a need to work out what a toaster has to do with a BT headset.

beemerboy9 said:

You have also set me a difficult puzzle, as a need to work out what a toaster has to do with a BT headset.

Click to expand...

About the same as a heated jacket and bluetooth headsets.

Have a look at the latest Interphone gear.

If Sena is allegedly the best, then my advice would be to not bother. They're a pisspoor company by any standards. Rubbish support, rubbish products (Sena 20s in my case). We had three of them. I think I can count on one hand the number of occasions all three of us could stay connected for more than 10 minutes. I hope they never get in to the pacemaker business, or ABS brake systems.

I have no idea why people put up with this type of crap and not call it out for what it is.

User error A few beers !

I have a Sena 30k

It replaced my SMH5, which was a great bit of solo kit, apart from it wasn't BT 3.0


The 30k is good, but i have to say quirky as f*ck

the wake up phrase is critical "Hello Sena" & not "Hey Sena" DAMHIK 3 feking hours bellowing into the mike thinking the bloody thing was broken

Once you have worked out the list of commands & managed to get through the nav/phone Sena connection voodoo it works well

The upgrade to Mesh 2.0 should make things interesting ( although i dont use mesh

The only real negative, is the speakers , way underwhelming, They need to so some serious work on those

Been offered an upgrade to the 50K, but with a shorter battery life i dont think i'll bother

Onahi said:

User error A few beers !

Click to expand...

Haha All 3 of us? My son's latest issue is a failed mic system, but it's the unit not the hardware as we've swapped it all around. Response from Sena? nada. So now we need to look at buying another pair, as I'm only really interested in talking with him when we travel together. Trouble is, from what I can gather no manufacturer actually makes a product that works consistently, the bike community seems to be regarded as a bunch of suckers and most folk seem to be quite happy with stuff that doesn't really work as advertised.

I have a long case clock which is around 250 years old; it still keeps time to around 10 or 20 seconds per week. And it has date, the moon phase and chimes on the hour, which still work fine. Charging occurs once a week for about 20 seconds with a key. Sena need to worry less about features and more about engineering.

Santa-2512 said:

I have a Sena 30k

It replaced my SMH5, which was a great bit of solo kit, apart from it wasn't BT 3.0


The 30k is good, but i have to say quirky as f*ck

the wake up phrase is critical "Hello Sena" & not "Hey Sena" DAMHIK 3 feking hours bellowing into the mike thinking the bloody thing was broken

Once you have worked out the list of commands & managed to get through the nav/phone Sena connection voodoo it works well

The upgrade to Mesh 2.0 should make things interesting ( although i dont use mesh

The only real negative, is the speakers , way underwhelming, They need to so some serious work on those

Been offered an upgrade to the 50K, but with a shorter battery life i dont think i'll bother

Click to expand...

I've never used the voice control.
Maybe I should.
Also. The speakers have been upgraded. Base. Quality. Comfort and louder. Maybe purchase those only ? Instead of the whole kit.

Afewbeers said:

Haha All 3 of us? My son's latest issue is a failed mic system, but it's the unit not the hardware as we've swapped it all around. Response from Sena? nada. So now we need to look at buying another pair, as I'm only really interested in talking with him when we travel together. Trouble is, from what I can gather no manufacturer actually makes a product that works consistently, the bike community seems to be regarded as a bunch of suckers and most folk seem to be quite happy with stuff that doesn't really work as advertised.

I have a long case clock which is around 250 years old; it still keeps time to around 10 or 20 seconds per week. And it has date, the moon phase and chimes on the hour, which still work fine. Charging occurs once a week for about 20 seconds with a key. Sena need to worry less about features and more about engineering.

Click to expand...

Works brilliantly for me and my mates ?
Your case clock. I bet it's a bastard to get on and off the bike ?

Onahi said:

Works brilliantly for me and my mates ?
Your case clock. I bet it's a bastard to get on and off the bike ?

Click to expand...

I think the difficulty for prospective customers is trying to determine how likely they are going to encounter problems. The internet is full of random experiences but there is no accurate data to make informed decisions on. Similarly there is a vast difference in expectation.

Take range for example. Some people read 2 miles and expect 2 miles (in average conditions) - others are quite happy if they get 250 metres and don't have an issue. Same with water ingress, if you only ride in good weather then not an issue. Some don't get fazed if things fail after 6 months and buy replacements, others expect things to last for ever without maintenance. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle of that range.

My primary reason for using a Sena was bike to bike communication. Pretty much every other feature is of no value to me. In that regard they have been completely flakey and unreliable. I don't need the sat nav link, I don't make calls and very rarely listen to music. We've had them for around 2 or 3 years, if there was an effective support system then you could expect that by now all three should be sorted but that is not the case.

The reason I mention it here is so that others may learn about it. Depending on people's appetite for risk they can make their own minds up. When I got them I was just coming back in to biking from a 15 year absence - I hadn't been slowly educated that in fact these comm systems are not as reliable as I was led to believe. I also wrongly assumed that they must be light years ahead of the old autocom systems. In features they are, in operational terms they are not.

I'm not saying that anything else is better than Sena, I have no idea, but I am stating that in my experience they are unreliable and the support process is not effective.

By the way, the clock has not been on the bike but it was made in Ireland (where my family is originally from), traveled to the States, came back to Ireland and then resided in Norway for 30 years. I collected it by car and it is now in my care until it gets passed on to my son when I am gone. It's seen a bit of action, Empires, 2 world wars, the great famine, US civil war, and now the Covid 19 outbreak. Everyone should have something old in their house that works just to put a little perspective on life