Nevo SL availability - Page 2  

Someone posted that when controlling anything through the Nevo Wi-Fi interface, the connection will go down when the remote hasn't been activated for a period of time to conserve battery power, which results in a 10 second or so delay when a Wi-Fi controlled button is pressed again. This sounds like a showstopper to me when compared to other RF-based remotes.

The uPnP capability is very attractive, but the Wi-Fi connection issue could derail the concept of the uPnP control point.

Thanks ckelly33, I thought that to but wanted to confim. Once you have experimented that, write a post in order to know how is performing

iHome

I actually attended a Nevo training a couple weeks ago, and I'm pretty impressed with the remote. The wifi is as stated, "wifi from remote to access point, then ethernet from access point to NevoLink." The reason they did this, is because 9/10 times the nevolink will be in the midst of your equipment cabinet which may have a lot of RF/wifi noise in it. They felt this was a more reliable way of getting the signal to the link and equipment. Wifi is a power hog right now. I have it set to wifi always on, so that I don't have to wait 10-15 seconds for the remote to reassociate to the network, but this means that in about 2.5 hours of use the remote is very low. They admitted that this is a problem with the wifi driver and that an update (firmware/software) in late december should fix that..which is HUGE in my book. Also, set up the remote to never shut off, only to have the backlight go off. It is a windows CE remote so if it shuts off, it will have to "reboot." Lastly, at the end of this month, apparently, they will release their first update which will allow you to get feedback from UPnP enabled devices (like Escient). Up until now, the only support was for the DSM-320, or for the NevoServer application installed on a home computer. Escient just release their UPnP update so as soon as UEI releases theirs, we should be able to view the metadata for the Escient on the remote. I'm not sure about other companies, such as Request, but I'm sure if that doesn't happen on this release, it will be coming shortly. Getting that feedback is amazing for a remote at this price range. Anyway, I feel very comfortable with this remote and my capabilities to install/program it, so if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask. I may not be able to answer all, but I'll sure try :o) I think this might turn out to be a great remote... and no I don't work for UEI :o)

ihome-I'll don't have any equipment yet, but I'll do that.

nirvana_av-I feel the same way. The only reason I decided to try it was because I stumbled across one that soemone had won from an installer and was selling it for $200 below MSRP.

Does anyone have any experience out there with this "WiFi delay?" Because of the layout of my system, I'm going to require the use of a NevoLink which, then, requires that I use WiFi. If the Wifi were just for media server issues, it wouldn't be a big deal but since Nevo chose to use WiFi instead of RF, it could potentially be a killer for me too. RF has always been flawless for me so I am reluctant to make this change but the Nevo form factor is soooo appealing.

I also hear that there is a firmware update coming, any chance this is going to get corrected this time around??

Alexsquared...looks like you beat me to the questions I had. I am disappointed to see not only the reports of the WiFi delay grow from 5-10 seconds to 10-15 seconds but now something new I didn't realize...the remote has to reboot if you let it power down?? Does this count for letting it go into "sleep" mode? How long does the reboot take??

alexsquared, thanks for the first-hand information. Sounds like there is a work-around by leaving the Wi-Fi connection running. I hope that the driver upgrade will extend the battery life. If it could just stay on for about six hours that would be OK.

Since UPnP is a standard, I would think that once it works for the Escient device, it should work for all UPnP servers including Microsoft's and any UPnP renderer.

ckelly33. The reboot isn't as bad as the wifi deal by any means. The wifi delay, however is both for the Nevo Media Server and the Nevo Link. Here is what my settings are ( I left the same whether it is in the cradle or running on battery): Turn wifi off after idle for-Never, Turn NevoSL off after idle for-10 minutes, Turn backlight off after idle for-1 minute. I haven't noticed the "reboot" anymore, and I believe it's because the remote is never trully idle anymore since wifi is always on. As I said, the battery gets eaten up in about 2.5 hours with these settings, but the firmware update in December should fix that (per UEI). Now, another bug, that the firmware in october will fix, is that you can't input these settings in the NevoSL itself, you have to do it in the software. This is done in Tools, NevoSL System Settings, under the Power Management tab. Right now you can change them in system settings on the Nevo itself, but the settings won't hold, as soon as you back out of that menu it'll go back to default. If you make the change in Nevo Studio it will hold. They are aware of this bud and should be fixing it by the end of this month. They also mentioned that they knew that the battery wouldn't last very long on wifi, and that is why they tried to design the cradle so nicely, so that people wouldn't mind having the cradle in a central area with the remote sitting in it. They now know that this isn't always going to fly, and that is why they are updating the wifi driver to use less power.

Alexsquared,

I'd like to be able to use J River Media Center to play flac files ripped to my server (ASIO output), and TheaterTek to play Video_TS files ripped to the server (nvidia and ffdshow filters). Is there any way to get the Nevo SL to "see" these files? Their Media Manager software doesn't appear to support flac or video_ts. I think J River can be set up to act as a UPnP server, though.

Ideally, I'd like to be able to use menu structures set up in jrmc -- Genre -> Album Artist -> Album, and I'd like the remote to acquire automatically any new files as they are imported into jrmc. It would be nice to do something similar for movies, using metadata from DVD Profiler.

Since NevoSL runs WinCE 4.2, it could be used with HouseBot, which should eventually be able to acquire movie and music info from Meedio, but I'd prefer to be able to stick with the native Nevo software...

Anyone have any thoughts on this?


Thanks.

Brad

3-way, there is a good chance that will work once other UPnP devices are enable in Nevo updates. As I mentioned, there will be one (set for the end of this month) that I know will enable Escient boxes and I'm assuming others. How many are going to be enable, though, I'm not sure. It's not going to be an update that will finally turn on UPnP as they already have support for some devices (DSM-320). It will be an update to enable specific devices/manufacturers. I'll check with UEI, though on your JRMC.
Thanks.

I called Nevo tech support this morning and was told that this will not work. Maybe some day, but not today. It's a shame -- this is a beautiful remote.

i-home - I still don't have a NevoLink BUT the setup I described before works via direct infrared.

Does ANYBODY out there have any information about the supposed firmware update that was mentioned a few posts back. I haven't moved forward with the "complete" integration of this unit in my home theater until I know that there is a "fix" that either:
a). Prolongs battery life with WiFi on all the time well-beyond the 2.5 hours currently documented...-OR-
b). Quickens the "wake up time" associated with allowing the Nevo the disassociate with the network and thus save on battery, preferably to under 5 seconds (currently estimated at 10-15 seconds).

Although I do not currently own a NevoLink, I do need one in order to reach the components hidden away in the closet. Stubbornly, I refuse to pay an additional $200 for a NevoLink beyond what I am already out in order to get done what my Pronto did more efficiently (and for less money) with RF.

Global Cache GC-100 support would be nice, as well, for the serial control. Maybe someday...

again, last I heard on the update was end of october. I called them last week and they again said 10-15 days for the update to be posted. If I remember correctly from class, this update, though, is mainly to incorporate more players (ie Escient) and to fix the problem with the settings not being locked unless you do them in Nevo Studio. I believe the wifi driver & battery problem aren't slated until the December update. I know...this waiting sucks. I'm in the same boat, but I think I'll be a little distracted once the Escient update comes out and I'm able to play with that.

RemoteQuest.com

Dave D'Archie is the owner. Very nice and helpful. Got mine there.

Scott

3-way,

I also use JRMC and would love to combine the power of JR with the convience of remote browsing using the Nevo.

Sounds like time will tell.

Scott

Yeah, anybody looking for an advanced remote should look no further than Dave D'Arche at remotequest.com. He has is more helpful and knowledgeable than anyone I've dealt with on the topic of this type of remote...

Thanks for the nice comments. I am willing to help out any way that I can. We are leading with the Nevo SL, out of our collection of remotes we sell. There is some very good info here from Alex and others.

We have been labbing some of the UPnP players out there as well and have reported good success with the Dlink DSM-320. However, it seems there is a small but nagging glitch from one of the two units or media servers. Fix has been to install Windows Media Connect and use it has the main media server software.

I never did install the the Dlink software as I was looking to see if it would see the Nevo server and it did.

We are a member of the UEI beta team so I am waiting as well for the next rev so we can bang on it and report our findings.

No question this remote is a winner and it will only get better.

Give me a shout if I can be of any assistance. Always looking for user experiences.

Dave
RemoteQuest

does anyone notice a high pitched buzz from the ac adaptor for the charger base when you dont have the remote charging? annoying me :mad:

Nope. No buzzing sound.

None here, either. So its coming from the ac adapter, not the charging base????

Dave

yep its coming from the adaptor. when i put my fingers on each side like the way you would push it into the outlet you can barely hear the buzz. i already contacted nevo about this no word back yet maybe tomorrow :rolleyes:

Strike 1. I was awaiting the much anticipated nevo update that was scheduled to hit yesterday, and after calling them numerous times, I get an e-mail at 3:30PM telling me that due to some last minute additions the update will not be available until the middle of next week! Granted, it sounds like they are trying to incorporate some of the issues that were scheduled to be fixed on the next update (end of December, into this one) but come on people. This is the first opportunity to shine and we get a delay :o( Just my .02

I bought my Nevo off of an end-user who didn't like it. Since I don't exactly have an "installer" will this hinder me form getting updates in any way?

as long as you have the install software (and it is registered) you should be able to get the updates. I deleted my last comment, because after chatting with the UEI team, they were very helpful. I will patiently await the update.

it looks as though nevo removed their forum as of this morning. there were numerous complaints re the lack of support, lack of a uei presence on the boards and problems with the remotes. this is clearly still in beta. it's got a lot of potential, but it's also got a long ways to go before i'd sell and install it in anyone's home.

through talking to nevo support (who have always been polite and helpful), i've learned that planned upgrades include complete control of escient boxes and a future piece of hardware with rs232 (similar to the nevolink). wish they'd just allow the sl to talk to a gc-100 and send windows messages to other devices on the network, but, you can't always get what you want. from their faq, it looks like they might support additional apps on the device at some point. netremote would be useful, as would a browser for interfacing with devices with web servers (squeezebox and crestron gear, in particular). i'm going to hold on to my demo unit for the time being, but i don't expect it to be very useful for another 4-6 months.

Just curious, what types of resources are available through the UEI website? Being a former Pronto user, I'm not accustomed to having resources 'hidden' from end users. I understand that they don't want the end user hassels BUT...what am I missing? THX!

Here's a couple of more questions in addition to the one just above:

ddarche, since you are on the Beta team for Nevo, are you allowed to spill the beans regarding the update? What will it contain? Do you have a definite release date?

Also, has ANYONE noticed a delay in response from the remote for about 2 secs or so where the remote will not register a command that you give it? Is this the reboot that alexsquared spoke of earlier?

Thanks for any information you guys!

Shame on you for asking him to disclose info ahead of time :o) Trust me I want all the info too. I have heard that the release of the update has been rescheduled for some time in the middle of next week (if it hits Wed that would be a nice B-day present for me). I'm expecting it to contain the Escient support which was part of the original plan, but I heard there throwing in a few extra things into this update with were originally planned for the update at the end of the year! To me, that justifies a wait of 1.5 weeks for the original update.
Also, in regards to the question you had about a delay 1-2 sec delay, I don't believe it's a reboot. I think it's just the trusty ol' Windows CE lagging on us. It happens totally randomly which leads me to believe that it has nothing to do with the remote sitting idle. RS232 hardware would be SWEET, especially if it is two way. I know sometime next year RTI will be allowing 2-way 232 instead of just the 1-way they have now. It'll be interesting to see what price range the new Nevo 232 piece will come in (if they do intend to build one). Yes the remote has a few quirks, but I think once these few quirks are fixed, it'll knock the socks off at least the pronto, if not others.

Can any of you dealers or NevoLink owners answer the following question? When paired with a NevoLink, does the NevoSL simultaneously emit RF/WiFi and IR -OR- like the Pronto line, once you choose the device(s) to be controlled by the RF unit, does it forego the IR when WiFi/RF is chosen for a particular device? Am I making sense here?

To possibly explain thi question better, previously I was using a Pronto with RF to control EVERYTHING, even the TV (which was my only device in "line of sight"). When I indicated to the Pronto I wanted to control the TV with RF, if quit sending IR signals in favor of RF only...which prevented duplication of signals being sent to my TV.