Too Tall Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 Have these been improved ? I know the last time I had to update one was a while ago ! I seem to recall it used to take a well over 30 mins to update and load a profile. I installed one today and it was a lot quicker, I think the BT and decoder updates took maybe 4- 5 mins max, and the profile loading was a few seconds ... I thought it hadn't done it until I looked to see the profile listed as active ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pendragon Sailing Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 I certainly haven’t encountered any problems with this. A typical Sound Profile normally takes me under 10 minutes, but of course, much depends on the strength of your internet connection and BT interface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 For me it has always been about 25 minutes. I imagine it depends what sound file you use. I doubt it can improve much because it is dependant on the bluetooth interface to the decoder. Without getting too technical it is one of those things that is difficult to change once you have released a product. As we have discussed many times before the transfer of the file from the Hornby website to the smart device is pretty quick, you can tell by watching the messages on the App. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveM6 Posted June 17 Share Posted June 17 I've been experiencing similar issues with long loading times - increased from 20/25 mins to 2 hours!! Reloaded app, changed tablet, reloaded entire engine shed to no effect. Eventually found out it was a WiFi booster that had been moved reducing the signal to the shed! It seems that to be fully effective, a strong WiFi connection is needed for the whole load, including the Bluetooth transfer to the decoder. Repositioned the booster and all back to normal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Too Tall Posted June 17 Author Share Posted June 17 Well none of that has changed (Wi-Fi /BT), but it certainly updated the decoder and installed profile a lot quicker today than I recall in the past, I'll take it as a win whatever the reason 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Too Tall Posted June 18 Author Share Posted June 18 P.S. No idea if it should make any difference, but previous decoders were next 18, this one was an 8 pin version. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 Mine are around the 10min time every time and have been since the original updates to improve upload reliability. As TT also says the profile upload is pretty much in the button. All in all it’s proving to be a stable and powerful system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dBerriff Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 Same here, loading times have always been just over the 10 minutes mark. I believe users have been assessing their local Wi-Fi/Bluetooth performance rather than HM7000. We have mesh Wi-Fi and minimal interference in the 2.4GHz band. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveM6 Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 It's been said a few times, WiFi and Bluetooth need to both be strong and stable for efficient profile loading. I found out the hard way. I took have a mesh system for WiFi and am looking to extend it with more base stations to make it even more robust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Too Tall Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 No I was mistaken, still takes nearly an hour to upload sound profile, although the firmware updating does seem quicker. Yes I have strong wifi and BT signals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 I have never had anything longer than 25 minutes, most recent ones are around 12-15 minutes and that is loco on layout, not a dedicated loading track. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rallymatt Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 (edited) Isn’t some of the issue with Wi-Fi down to interference; that can be all manner of gadget not even on the system and in some cases high security systems effectively shutting regular Wi-Fi down or slowing it to a crawl to prevent hacking? I think this is where Z21 has fallen down a lot in public and exhibition venues. Edited June 19 by Rallymatt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dBerriff Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 2.4GHz band has some Wi-Fi, DECT phones and, so I have been told, possible USB 3 interference (Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 have been mentioned as in a plastic case or no case they have minimal shielding). If possible use 5GHz Wi-Fi; move away from USB 3 connections; and use good-quality USB cables. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Too Tall Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 As the update is sent via BT why is wifi coming into it ? sure it downloads the sound file, but doesn't it store it temporarily on the device then send to decoder via BT ? (would seem the belt and braces way to do it). how large are the sound files ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveM6 Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 42 minutes ago, Too Tall said: As the update is sent via BT why is wifi coming into it ? sure it downloads the sound file, but doesn't it store it temporarily on the device then send to decoder via BT ? (would seem the belt and braces way to do it). how large are the sound files ? Not the way it works. The decoder and tablet need strong uninterrupted WiFi and Bluetooth through the entire loading process. Having I initially very quick loads, my times slipped significantly back in February. It took a lot of detective work between myself and Hornby to determine that it was a change in my WiFi signal that was the issue. During this investigation they explained that both are needed for the duration of the load. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveM6 Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 I'm just test loading the 4VEP and the timer has settled at about 45 mins. Checked WiFi and Bluetooth speeds - BT is around 62bPm with WiFi at 140/40 which should be fine. 45 mins is a bit disappointing but I can live with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Too Tall Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 (edited) 70-80 mbps here, still an hour to load the king class sound file. Edited June 19 by Too Tall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristian-353752 Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 1 hour ago, SteveM6 said: I'm just test loading the 4VEP and the timer has settled at about 45 mins. Checked WiFi and Bluetooth speeds - BT is around 62bPm with WiFi at 140/40 which should be fine. 45 mins is a bit disappointing but I can live with it. I had a similar time when I first started to load this profile. In the end it took just over 25 minutes. Significantly longer than any other profiles I have loaded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Too Tall Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 (edited) What's more frustrating right now, after an hour "installing" the profile, it tells me there is no sound profile installed 😖 BTW I mean Hall class sound profile not King class as my post above says. Edited June 19 by Too Tall Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveM6 Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 32 minutes ago, Too Tall said: What's more frustrating right now, after an hour "installing" the profile, it tells me there is no sound profile installed 😖 BTW I mean Hall class sound profile not King class as my post above says. Curiously mine (4VEP) failed first time but ok at the second attempt. I wonder if the time of day made a difference? Many people returning home from work and hitting their mobile devices putting a strain on bandwidth and maybe causing momentary WiFi dropout? It's all witchcraft to me so I could be talking complete rubbish - not for the first time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Too Tall Posted June 19 Author Share Posted June 19 Finally it took, only took around 4 hours with all the failed ones 😄 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 I will say it once more in case nobody else read the earlier post. If I remember correctly when I enquired about the system when it first came out, the smart device copies the sound file from the Hornby website to the smart device before it starts the upgrade. This is backed up by the messages on the screen of the smart device. The app on the smart device then chops the file into manageable blocks that get transferred to the decoder. Before the decoder can write the new data it has to erase the old data, it may be this that takes the time. Unless it needs to contact the Hornby server as it programs, then the WiFi signal is irrelevant at this point. The only thing it could be, is if the smart device loses the WiFi it starts scanning to look for one (although it doesn't need it for this process), stopping whatever processes it is doing while it does it. So that might be the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveM6 Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 Sorry Colin but that speculation is completely at odds with what I was told personally by the HM7K Project Team only two months ago. "The final spirom involves both download & install - therefore good solid WiFi is required for at least some (if not most) of it too.....The long spirom time could easily be caused by flaky WiFi rather than Bluetooth." I do have the order of download/cache/data transfer but it's too much to type up but it does show that the system goes back and forth between WiFi and Bluetooth at various points in the process. Unstable WiFi or Bluetooth through interruption or interference will likely cause the download to fail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinB Posted June 19 Share Posted June 19 24 minutes ago, SteveM6 said: Sorry Colin but that speculation is completely at odds with what I was told personally by the HM7K Project Team only two months ago. "The final spirom involves both download & install - therefore good solid WiFi is required for at least some (if not most) of it too.....The long spirom time could easily be caused by flaky WiFi rather than Bluetooth." I do have the order of download/cache/data transfer but it's too much to type up but it does show that the system goes back and forth between WiFi and Bluetooth at various points in the process. Unstable WiFi or Bluetooth through interruption or interference will likely cause the download to fail. Ok if that is what they told you, it was 96RAF that told me they do it the other way. I must admit that is not the way you generally do it unless they were worried about storage on the smart device. You normally copy the whole of the file before you chop it up, it gets very messy if you do it any other way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
96RAF Posted June 20 Share Posted June 20 9 hours ago, ColinB said: it was 96RAF that told me they do it the other way. That must have been before they changed their mind on process. As usual always use the latest published information. Historical fact at the time in the Hornby world can be awry, e.g. use of analogue controllers at full whack as a HM7K power supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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