ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
Just got a table version Halo on loan from my very friendly dealer to see if we liked it. Aftter initial setup it was super unstable and kept rebooting a lot, sometimes not being able to register on wifi for minutes.
Dealer’s technical expert suggested checking router wifi channel settings, from auto to manual. First did a wifi scan and our router actually selected channel 1 that was rather crowded with networks from neighbouring people, so that made sense causing troubles. Channel 6 seemed a lot less crowded so manually selected channel 6.
The Halo is a lot more stable now and I have played with it the entire morning, but still two random reboots and thereafter it could not register on the wifi and it kept bootlooping. Only After manually pressing the reset button on the front of the Halo (below the plastic cover) all worked fine again.
really liking the design and use of this thing and I’m quit flexible towards B&O’s software reputation so 100% stable is just never gonna happen with this brand. But before I pull the trigger I would like to have an idea this behaviour is “normal” .
Chance this unit is faulty is rather slim since in the shop it has worked many months without issues (loose connection in wifi antenna/circuit board etc?)
Is it normal the Halo needs to be hard reset sometimes ??
Halo is used to control a Level (wifi) and a Beovison 11 (ethernet) . A part from a few tablets and phones no other devices using wifi or ethernet .
Obviously all firmwares and B&O app version are latest.
many thanks for your thoughts and tips.
I have experienced what you described only once with my Halo which I have now for 2 months. I saw the B&O logo popping up and it could not connect to any of my devices. I did not have to do a hard reset however, it just "fixed itself" after some time. Other than that it has been stable and reliable.
Another question, can you pop up the cover to reach the reset button by just pressing the right corner as described in the manual? For me it just doesn't work to pop off the cover like that, I have to use something sharp to pull it off.
Thanks Frederik.
Funny you mention the “no tools Halo plastic cover removal”. Well actually, I managed to do it a few times without the help of a wooden toothpick and it requires a very special technique with a very specifc mixture ratio of applying pressure and rubbing ………the cover ……… (I spoke out loud when typing this and my girlfriend asked what the hell I was doing on the internet:)))
The Halo has worked flawless since my first but just made a few volume adjustments and track skips . Tonight I will do some testing again with intense usage , changing sources, moving the Halo around to weaker wifi area’s etc.
It seems like getting the cover of the Halo off is as challenging as getting the cover on with an A9
One additional note, if your demo unit is a little older it might be that the ring is more right than it will be on a new unit. A lot has been written about this on the forum but it seems that with all new Halo's you just have to accept that the wheel is a little looser.
I've had the same problem with the wifi. It seems that the B&O app was having trouble with the DHCP and was seeing multiple IP addresses. This all started with the big update that made the Halo compatible with the BLI. I haven't seen this problem recur since the recent B&O app update that added Halo support for the NL/ML Converter. Also, I assigned permanent IP addresses for all of my Halos.
Thanks Beojeff for your input. I also figured something in the B&O app could cause this. We have the B&O app running on two ipads normally and I have closed both apps from the backround since this morning and no restarts or unwanted Halo behaviour so far!
There is more hard proof running the B&O app in the backround when not needed can better be reconsidered. For example I have had a pair of A1’s and P6’s and whenever playing them in stereopair you always encouter dropouts . But when you fully close the B&O app once the pairing process is completed zero issues . Never ever. And when you restart the B&O the dropouts start again.
For now I just use the app for reconfiguration , but standard device control is fine with Halo, essence remotes and Beoremote 1.
Today after some additional research from the dealers technical expert it became clear B&O actually is aware of this issue and should be fixed in the next firmware update. Beta version is already available and customers with Halo’s that are currently unusable due to rebooting issue can have the beta firmware update released on serial number via their dealer.
You should absolutely NOT have to manually change your wifi channels just to get this thing to stop rebooting. I mean I have literally over 50 wifi devices on my network and not one of them acts any different based on the channel. The worst thing that should happen is that you get a drop off but a reboot is ridiculous.
I would be very careful with the halo. People are reporting that the wheel is loose or starts acting up. The 1 DAY battery life for something so incredibly simple is also bad hardware and software engineering.
Most importantly, it is very very expensive for its extremely limited use. Huge missed opportunity as well as it should work more like a home hub for smart devices but you only get that privilege if you buy the equally overpriced Core.
You can do a lot more with an iPad and google home devices with 1/10 the cost.
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Thank you for your input. I do agree with most part, there is however one big point. An ipad doesn’t even have 1/10 of the beauty of an Halo. I have the Bronze (rosegold….) table version and the thing is just absolutely gorgeous!!A few people coming over to our home have seen it now, no B&O nerds like we are but they all reacted in a “WHAT IS THAT?!” kind of way, the positive variance to be clear.
And I think I have made quit an interesting discovery. After the first day of use and with the reboot issues the battery depleted more then 50 percent. The wifi channel thing does not seem to be the problem with the rebooting and the battery eating. The B&O app is !!
Since three days I have killed all the B&O apps from the backround on our ipads and the Halo has worked flawless and…..after three days of intense use the battery has not even dropped below 50 percent!!
whats going on here…….
I will sent support a message with these findings.
It's sad that any discussion of the Halo seems to attract the troll(s) who have not lived with a Halo for any serious amount of time.
The Halo was primarily intended as an interface for home automation with the BLI. Its function as a replacement for the Essence remote was secondary. It meets both goals astonishingly.
When I wake in the morning, iI merely roll over to look at the Halo and it knows that I'm looking at it and displays the time and weather. I push the "morning" button and it begins my morning routine adjusting the lights, brewing the coffee, and playing the morning news.
I put a vinyl album on its stand and the music starts playing just like in the Boston showroom video. I go into the kitchen and can join that music with the Halo to play on the Beosound 1 in the kitchen. I can also join that same music on the Essence in the dining room. I can control the volume from ANY speaker, can see the metadata of what's playing, and can move between tracks and sources -- all with just one hand without needing to pick up a phone or tablet. I can adjust the lights in the kitchen with a simple roll of the Halo wheel. The concept is extremely elegant and it just works. This degree of elegance just can't be achieved with a phone or tablet.
All B&O software has had its bugs. We just need to inform B&O about them so they can continue to polish them out. They've come a long way already.
beojeff:It's sad that any discussion of the Halo seems to attract the troll(s) who have not lived with a Halo for any serious amount of time. The Halo was primarily intended as an interface for home automation with the BLI. Its function as a replacement for the Essence remote was secondary. It meets both goals astonishingly. When I wake in the morning, iI merely roll over to look at the Halo and it knows that I'm looking at it and displays the time and weather. I push the "morning" button and it begins my morning routine adjusting the lights, brewing the coffee, and playing the morning news. I put a vinyl album on its stand and the music starts playing just like in the Boston showroom video. I go into the kitchen and can join that music with the Halo to play on the Beosound 1 in the kitchen. I can also join that same music on the Essence in the dining room. I can control the volume from ANY speaker, can see the metadata of what's playing, and can move between tracks and sources -- all with just one hand without needing to pick up a phone or tablet. I can adjust the lights in the kitchen with a simple roll of the Halo wheel. The concept is extremely elegant and it just works. This degree of elegance just can't be achieved with a phone or tablet. All B&O software has had its bugs. We just need to inform B&O about them so they can continue to polish them out. They've come a long way already.
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Sandyb: beojeff: It's sad that any discussion of the Halo seems to attract the troll(s) who have not lived with a Halo for any serious amount of time. The Halo was primarily intended as an interface for home automation with the BLI. Its function as a replacement for the Essence remote was secondary. It meets both goals astonishingly. When I wake in the morning, iI merely roll over to look at the Halo and it knows that I'm looking at it and displays the time and weather. I push the "morning" button and it begins my morning routine adjusting the lights, brewing the coffee, and playing the morning news. I put a vinyl album on its stand and the music starts playing just like in the Boston showroom video. I go into the kitchen and can join that music with the Halo to play on the Beosound 1 in the kitchen. I can also join that same music on the Essence in the dining room. I can control the volume from ANY speaker, can see the metadata of what's playing, and can move between tracks and sources -- all with just one hand without needing to pick up a phone or tablet. I can adjust the lights in the kitchen with a simple roll of the Halo wheel. The concept is extremely elegant and it just works. This degree of elegance just can't be achieved with a phone or tablet. All B&O software has had its bugs. We just need to inform B&O about them so they can continue to polish them out. They've come a long way already. Intended as a device for home automation? Really? That may be the bit that it’s good at, but at launch it had zero home automation ability, so not sure how that can be described as it’s primary intended function?
beojeff: It's sad that any discussion of the Halo seems to attract the troll(s) who have not lived with a Halo for any serious amount of time. The Halo was primarily intended as an interface for home automation with the BLI. Its function as a replacement for the Essence remote was secondary. It meets both goals astonishingly. When I wake in the morning, iI merely roll over to look at the Halo and it knows that I'm looking at it and displays the time and weather. I push the "morning" button and it begins my morning routine adjusting the lights, brewing the coffee, and playing the morning news. I put a vinyl album on its stand and the music starts playing just like in the Boston showroom video. I go into the kitchen and can join that music with the Halo to play on the Beosound 1 in the kitchen. I can also join that same music on the Essence in the dining room. I can control the volume from ANY speaker, can see the metadata of what's playing, and can move between tracks and sources -- all with just one hand without needing to pick up a phone or tablet. I can adjust the lights in the kitchen with a simple roll of the Halo wheel. The concept is extremely elegant and it just works. This degree of elegance just can't be achieved with a phone or tablet. All B&O software has had its bugs. We just need to inform B&O about them so they can continue to polish them out. They've come a long way already.
Intended as a device for home automation? Really? That may be the bit that it’s good at, but at launch it had zero home automation ability, so not sure how that can be described as it’s primary intended function?
My dealer explained that the home automation was not yet ready at launch but that a replacement for the Essence remote was needed. That's why the launch was made early.
Update.
I have bought another Level and playing them as a stereo pair now.
stability of the Halo itself is very decent, not 100 percent, I did two resets last week but since we use it daily and quit a lot, that’s ok for now.
Battery performance of my table version Halo however is poor again. A few posts above I mentioned the setup with just one Level and we got at least three days with fifty percent of the battery, was really happy with that.
Currently running Halo firmware 1.4.790 that was released on serial by the dealer to fix the known random reboot issues. The Halo is programmed to just to control the Level stereo pair and nothing else. Wifi connection for the Halo in the app states anything from good to excellent. But the battery struggles to keep out for 24 hours. According to techsupport Halo’s battery eating bug was fixed already in B&O app version 3.17. The only difference with the longlasting battery setup I managed to get before is the Level being stereo paired now and the firmware 1.4.790. Hard to think the second level is the culprit, so it must be the beta firmware then fixing the random reboots but eating the battery again….
Currently there is no difference anymore with the B&O app running in the backround or not.
if someone has tips, please let me know. Otherwise I will just connect an ugly 50.000 mah powerbank to the Halo ;)
All 5 of my Halo remotes have been solid and reliable for weeks now. I think that assigning permanent IP addresses is a good idea. I also think that software updates have fixed the problem. Also, I always have my Halos connected to power. I don't think that the Halos were really intended to be used mainly on battery power. Perhaps just for the occasional mobility. However, the Halo isn't like a Beoremote One or Beo4 that's intended to be lifted from the table. Mine work well now and that's all that I care about.
Thanks Jeff. But there was a moment / configuration the battery performed really well. Could you do me a big favour and just unplug one of your Halo’s to see how much time your battery can last ? Big thanks !
LeMirage: Thanks Jeff. But there was a moment / configuration the battery performed really well. Could you do me a big favour and just unplug one of your Halo’s to see how much time your battery can last ? Big thanks !
No. Because that's not how I use my Halos. I keep them always connected to power and they work flawlessly.
LeMirage:Thanks Jeff. But there was a moment / configuration the battery performed really well. Could you do me a big favour and just unplug one of your Halo’s to see how much time your battery can last ? Big thanks !
It’s total nonsense that a device designed with a battery can’t operate an acceptable amount of days without recharging and is not intended to use on the battery.
They call my Halo a TABLE STAND , how much tables have a power outlet built in ?!
1100 mah’s gobbled in 24 hours for a device with such a small screen, very tight programmed screensaver time and simple networking capabilities is nothing but absurd. Series 7 iwatch with it’s 300 (!) mah battery and retina Oled sceen:
All-day battery life is based on 18 hours with the following use: 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 60-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth, over the course of 18 hours. Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS) usage includes connection to iPhone via Bluetooth during the entire 18-hour test. Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS + Cellular) usage includes a total of 4 hours of LTE connection and 14 hours of connection to iPhone via Bluetooth over the course of 18 hours.
It’s just messy programming or a bug. Hopefully fixed before I start using my Halo as an overpriced paperweight.
LeMirage: It’s total nonsense that a device designed with a battery can’t operate an acceptable amount of days without recharging and is not intended to use on the battery. They call my Halo a TABLE STAND , how much tables have a power outlet built in ?! 1100 mah’s gobbled in 24 hours for a device with such a small screen, very tight programmed screensaver time and simple networking capabilities is nothing but absurd. Series 7 iwatch with it’s 300 (!) mah battery and retina Oled sceen: All-day battery life is based on 18 hours with the following use: 90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 60-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth, over the course of 18 hours. Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS) usage includes connection to iPhone via Bluetooth during the entire 18-hour test. Apple Watch Series 7 (GPS + Cellular) usage includes a total of 4 hours of LTE connection and 14 hours of connection to iPhone via Bluetooth over the course of 18 hours. It’s just messy programming or a bug. Hopefully fixed before I start using my Halo as an overpriced paperweight.
Living room Halo: on an end table with the usb cable running behind the table.
Kitchen Halo: on the countertop connected to power.
Bedroom Halo: on the nightstand with the usb cable running behind the nighstand
Bathroom Halo: on the wall always connected to power
Office Halo: on my desk always connected to my computer for power
None of these Halos ever need to be moved. They function as they should as a fixed remote,
Carolpa: I have to recharge them two to three times a week. Note: both Halo's are only used on batteries.
I have to recharge them two to three times a week. Note: both Halo's are only used on batteries.
That is pretty much my experience too. Maybe twice a week. Though, it sits on the sideboard in living room where I constantly pass on my way to working desk, balcony etc so it gets "woken up" a lot during the day. Would be great that the battery lasts even longer, but my experience so far is not as disappointing as it is for some other owners.