Bluetooth Intercom Discussion

[Wizard]

hi guys.. was random surfing around the net to read up more on bluetooth intercom and came across several products on the net.. so i thought i will just share with you guys

 

 

webbikeworld Interphone Intercom F4.

 

user review --> here

 

while i also understand that there might be cheaper alternatives or OEM products, lets not dwell too much into product comparison.. instead maybe for a start we can talk about the functionality of bluetooth intercom and on usage.

 

does any bros here uses bluetooth intercom and what is your kind of usage?

 

personally for me.. on local riding..

wireless music from my iphone

able to pick up phone calls without stretching hand to press on the unit..

 

for touring..

long battery life

wireless music streaming.. or with 3.5mm wire plug to non-bluetooth device like ipod shuffle

intercom with my friend if we are getting similar brand of intercom (may or may not be same model/series)

[ahcaibiker]

definitely and convenient and useful tool to have on touring trips...

 

but not so safe and practical for local riding... reason being, it distracts your focus on the road and traffic conditions making being slower in reaction to changes in traffic condition which increases chances of getting into an unwanted situation or accident.

 

just my 2 cents.

[Wizard]

i certainly agree with you where picking up phone call is concern.. esp when you need to use your left hand to press a button somewhere to receive.

however for my personal use.. i dun really have the habit of picking up call now.. even thou i feel the vibration.. i also wun stop (in a safe place) to answer this call.. and that 30 mins on the road to office and home.. very very rarely i will get calls.. even if i do.. my friends are already accustomed to dropping me a sms if they can't get me.. haha

 

back to the topic for local usage..

i was toying with the idea of just use it as like a wireless stereo music.. since very likely i will mount it on my caberg konda which i mostly use it for local ride.. i would say the rest of the function are a bonus to have.

[stoner]

Hmmm.... I'm using U-Clear.. even fitted one for my CO.

 

It worked great! The other party could hear me clearly to speed of appox.. 90km/hr ++ and rides with my CO has never been better!

 

Do check it out...

[TWdude26]

Hmmm.... I'm using U-Clear.. even fitted one for my CO.

 

It worked great! The other party could hear me clearly to speed of appox.. 90km/hr ++ and rides with my CO has never been better!

 

Do check it out...

bro, any idea where can get this u-clear since MO has already end? Tks:angel:

[Qaihonda]

bro, any idea where can get this u-clear since MO has already end? Tks:angel:

 

bro u can PM Kushinagar for the U-Clear MO ... The MO is in the PMO section

[stoner]

bro, any idea where can get this u-clear since MO has already end? Tks:angel:

 

Yap... Check with Kushinagar... I got it from Motorworld during the PMO...

[blackiek7]

Me and my gf just gotten a set of interphone f4 each. reason y we get the interphone f4 is that both of us ride a bike each and f4 gives us the function to communicate to each other upto a range of 500 meters when we are riding our own bike (although she rides pillion when we are on road trip). another advantage is the long battery life. it is suppose to give 700 hours on stand by mode and 10 hours on talk time on a single charge. most importantly, i can listen to mp3 (essential when i am on trip) on its A2DP speakers. besides these functions will be the normal ones like connectivity to gps, mobile phones (can pair upto 2 phones but i dunno why would you want to do that). this set also comes with a full face comfort kit. for more info, you may see this link. http://www.myblueant.com/products/headsets/interphone/f4/index.php

 

What convince us to buy the F4 is the review by webbikeworld.com when they conducted the Sound Level Comparison between Interphone F4 vs. Scala Teamset. The F4 turns out to be louder.

Quoted from http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-intercoms/interphone-f4/

"By the way, at about 15 feet away, the Scala system lost its Bluetooth connection, while the Interphone F4 still worked at a much greater distance without any loss in volume or sound quality, as can be seen in the video below."

This sells us the product.

 

Check out F4 video too.

 

This is an expensive investment for both of us so we wanted something that is able to perform what we want. Do your own math/ research before concluding is what my advice to you.

 

We will be on a bike trip nx week so it will be a good test for us.

 

Cheers. Hope my 2 cents of advice helps.

Edited October 30, 2010 by blackiek7

[TWdude26]

bro u can PM Kushinagar for the U-Clear MO ... The MO is in the PMO section

 

Yap... Check with Kushinagar... I got it from Motorworld during the PMO...

 

Tks guys! PMed him liao

[TWdude26]

received PM from bro Kushinagar liao... the u-clear is still available at moto world.

but i guess no more promo price liao...

 

btw, i manage to get i unit from bro 703d, who has a spare unit, at promo price.

thanks bro

[mustakimqz]

Hi Guys,

 

Appreciate if you can let me know who sells it in SG and the price pls.

 

Thanks

 

Mus

[lacrimosae]

I am currently using a pair of Interphone F4.

 

There's a set fitted in my helmet, and one in my partner's helmet, as we both ride our own bikes and we do like to talkto one another during rides, especially like pointing out dangers and road hazards, interesting sights, and just the plain old mushy "I love you"s occasionally.

 

It lives up to its reputation, and the webbikeworld review is spot on.

 

The voice is so clear, it's almost like speaking to the other party in person. There is no distortion whatsoever. And the signal is rarely dropped. Only once did I lose contact with my partner when she stopped along the shoulder to check on her bike and change her spark plug and I went on ahead, we lost contact almost about 30 seconds later, I'd say about 500-800 metres line-of-sight range.

 

Also, the speakers are very loud even at the mid level. It also has self-adjusting volume, based on the ambient moise level. So if I accelerate from 40kph to 90kph, it turns itself louder to compensate. At 130kph, I can make out about 60% of my music (bass, treble, a bit of vocals); voice comms is about 60% clarity too. Only above 160kph does the drone of my 2-stroke and the wind noise make the music or comms inaudible.

 

As for battery life, I have yet to run them down in a single ride.

 

I paid S$400 for both sets of F4. Very very good value for money. Probably the best investment I've put down in bike accessories since my armoured gear.

 

Cos I can tell my partner to "steer clear of the roadkill on the left, Honey. Then look right to see the sunset. Isn't it beautiful how the blood orange of the setting sun is splashed onto the cirrus clouds overhead? And does that clump look like Jesus's face in it to you too? Yeah, I love you too..."

 

instead of having to stop at a rest stop and then talk about a scene she missed.

Edited November 5, 2010 by lacrimosae

[lacrimosae]

Hi Guys,

 

Appreciate if you can let me know who sells it in SG and the price pls.

 

Thanks

 

Mus

 

Actually you find good deals if you look through all the online websites selling the F4.

 

It would save u some shipping if you get more people to piggyback your order.

[ORen]

Hiya, another user of the BlueAnt F4 here. Been using it for what, a month and a half, and have the same feedback as previous posts: best piece of equipment ever !

Hard (impossible?) to find in SG.

 

I don;t use it for phone calls, I use it for pillion/rider inter com, music and GPS. Works like a charm, except I have yet to understand how to go back to my music when swtiching to intercom (paired with an iPad). My pillion uses an iphone for the music and can intercom and switch back to the music with no pb - for me on the ipad, it dosn't work. I'm sure this has to do with the pairing order or something, I don't know, but I need to get to the bottom of it. Definitely a user issue not an equipment issue.

 

The clarity of the sound is simply outstanding.

The battery lasts 12h with non stop use of the intercom for music, except for breaks where the device is turned off. So I'd say a good 10h guaranteed until the beast gives up.

I ponly clipped it my helmet and at 120kph max it's not moving at all. Extra easy to put in and take out - the cable connect to it has a narrow plug so you need to be gentle with it, but the piece is super easy to unclip from the helmet to charge.

Charger comes with 2 cables so basically you only need one charger for two devices.

The mic is a bit bulkier than other intercom devices I tried. But it's not annoying and depending on your helmet you won't feel it.

The pairing is easy as pie, pretty much paired with everything I threw at him from apple devices to nika, ericson and garmin gps.

The auto adjustment of volume can be surprising at first but you learn to set up your external device's volume accordingly: since I know my F4 will increase the volume on highways, I'll set up the base volume on the device a bit lower than the usual.

My helmet is an HJC well vented, yet I have no issues hearing music, gps directions or my pillion's voice.

This is the kind of device that you can keep for years and years, even if youchange helmet, bike or pillion So definitely worth the money and more !

[Jo.]

so is UClear or Blueant F4 more recommended??

[lacrimosae]

Never heard of UClear before. Locally made product?

 

I think it really depends on your budget.

 

The BlueAnt Interphone F4 is about S$440 for 2 sets. It's expensive but its quality is proven in US and Europe, based on its popularity.

 

Maybe you could search for reviews on UClear on Webbikeworld.com or other bike forums with a huge readership?

[blackiek7]

Agree with O'Ren there is some issue for F4 for the switching back to music. I am using iphone (which has no issue) but my gf uses itouch and she cant switchback to music which can be irritating for her other than that, the F4 work very well for my last trip to lake kenyir.

[wait4me]

yeah i also wanna know u clear or F4 better??

[stoner]

UCLEAR is a locally Design aka Made in Singapore, currently marketed by Motorworld.

 

I hear that the Uclear is currently started to market in Europe under a different name. The main difference Uclear and the rest is that it does not have a mouth peice aka mike sticking in front of your mouth... The mike is integrated into the ear-speaker.

 

Here's the link to the CMO Thread...

http://www.singaporebikes.com/forums/showthread.php/296301-lt-PMO-gt-U-CLEAR-Helmet-Communicator

 

Just my $0.02....

[Wizard]

Agree with O'Ren there is some issue for F4 for the switching back to music. I am using iphone (which has no issue) but my gf uses itouch and she cant switchback to music which can be irritating for her other than that, the F4 work very well for my last trip to lake kenyir.

 

if i am not wrong.. the reason is becoz the iphone/ipod touch must be upgraded to firmware 4.0 and above. where the bluetooth profile is updated in order for music to function properly.

[Wizard]

Agree with O'Ren there is some issue for F4 for the switching back to music. I am using iphone (which has no issue) but my gf uses itouch and she cant switchback to music which can be irritating for her other than that, the F4 work very well for my last trip to lake kenyir.

 

if i am not wrong.. the reason is becoz the iphone/ipod touch must be upgraded to firmware 4.0 and above. where the bluetooth profile is updated in order for music to function properly.

[jason1202]

From my understanding, almost all Bluetooth products are being made in China now....

 

Even my Scala also from there....

 

To me personally, it is just marketing gimmick.

 

With repackaging and marketing, it will do wonders to the product.

 

Do take a look at my MO if interested.

 

Cheers!

[ORen]

Thanks Wizard, will look into this lead !

[Wizard]

Thanks Wizard' date=' will look into this lead ![/quote']

 

No prob..

and earlier you asked.. yes the F4 is actually available locally @ regina

[blackiek7]

ok will update the firmware and try. thanks mate.