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One Phonak Lumity aid going dead for a few seconds - problem?

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In reply to @1Bluejay

@1Bluejay said:

Except that the 2.4GHz is divided into 80 signal bands, and AirStream, wifi and BT devices from even a decade ago have been made to avoid signal collisions and skip around the bands to find those not in use.

True but it is way more complicated than that for the multitude of devices that can operate in the unlicensed spectrum. WiFi can transmit at 1 Watt power levels and Bluetooth is typically way below that (probably on the order of 20 milliWatts for your TV adapter so 1/50th the power of a WiFi router or other legal “high” power device). WiFi channels are wider than Bluetooth - only 3 WiFi channels in the 2.5 Ghz band don’t interfere with each other (1, 6 and 11 in the US) so WiFi can overlap with many of the Bluetooth frequencies.

If your ADT can operate in the 5 GHz WiFi band, you could try forcing that and possibly fix your issue. However, 5 Ghz has distance problems, especially with walls and other things that can block or reduce the signal. If you turn off the ADT, does the problem go away? Can you move the ADT to be further from your aids and the TV adapter?

Devices sometimes use directional antennas - that raises the effective power in a particular direction so that can be used for relative long range with legal transmit powers. For example, at a remote field site we have a large directional medium gain WiFi antenna for our outdoor AP and very narrow beam high gain antennas for instruments - we get good performance over 1/2 km in the 2.5 Ghz band. Hopefully none of you equipment (or you neighbors) has a high gain antenna aimed in your direction :wink:

In reply to @sterei

You are a mind-reader! That is another test I’m going to do: place the TV Connector outside the “wizard’s closet” of electronics here - the one where that new ADT wall unit is mounted.

I will also test streaming the TV with FULLY-charged aids, and not those I’m typically wearing after 8pm, which have discharged to about 25-30%.

@JordanK said:

Try downloading one of these apps and having a look.

YES! That is another great idea! I will look for wifi and apps to check the overlaps here. I’m a nose-hair away from getting one of these devices at Amazon1 … just in case it’s our odd neighbor.

WhiteHat also mentioned LightBlue link to scan for peripherals and see what the signal strength is coming from them.

I’m a LAB RAT now, determined to FIND THE CHEESE! :rat:

The other thing is that most of the wifi scanning apps are Android so ask someone who has an Android phone. There may be some for Apple too. Not sure.

Jordan

@JordanK said:

ask someone who has an Android phone.

Yes, I have an Android phone, so if any Android users out there know of a wifi scanning app, just HOLLER! I’ll look online for one, too.

All SUPER great suggestions given here! LUV Y’ALL! :heart_eyes:

I think the one I’ve used on my old Android phone was: Network Analyzer Pro. It creates a cool real time graph of all the channels and shows you how crowded each one is. You can see the graph in the photos in the article.

Jordan

IMG_1018

@JordanK said:

Network Analyzer Pro.

OK! That’s on the Top Ten List, too. I kind of like the simplicity of First Row Network Scanner. Ultimately, I’m hoping my Brainiac hubs can pick one he can help me use to see what’s going on. :slightly_smiling_face:

In reply to @biggar

@biggar said:

Hopefully none of you equipment (or you neighbors) has a high gain antenna aimed in your direction

HUM! That is yet another thing to add to my growing list of things to explore and test in the coming days. That could be what I acuse my odd neighbor of “jamming” our signals with. I’ll take a look around outside.

And yes, your comments on the 2.4GHz vs 5GHz band is timely. Turns out our new ADT Home Security wall panel requires 2.4GHz, so that is cast in stone here - no way to force it to run on 5GHz. Our house is built like a concrete bunker, and that’s why they opted to put the longer signal 2.4GHz unit here.

If I walk outside of the TV room to the kitchen, my lil’ ol TV Connector drops the streaming till I walk back in the TV room. Just that 10’ of distance, and it can’t transmit through the bunker walls.

My gut tells me it’s an ADT/TV Connector wifi competion issue here. I lack the knowledge to prove that, but hope to buy the tools and find out - so I can come back here and POST THE FIX!

Does it go quiet in a streaming situation, or in a regular through the air? It is possible for one to blink out during streaming. Mine have done that a couple of times with both the tv streamer and phone calls. I have Lumity also.

Well, I put it to another test tonight: used FULLY 100% charged aids … and the same problem occurred. When my aids stop streaming, it’s oddly just the RIGHT aid that cuts out. It isn’t silent. It reverts to ambient sound because that RIGHT aid alone is no longer streaming at all.

Luckily, the LEFT aid is still streaming away, so I get to hear the show streamed to ONE aid - augh. It’s actually more distracting to have one aid streaming and the other one NOT streaming.

I’m super tired of all these tests that never result in a fix. There is still a list of more things I want to try. I put in a Tech Support case at Phonak, but doubt they’ll any clue at all as to the resolution.

On top of which, my husband who wears NO aids is completely at sea as to why I’d rather stream audio than not. :expressionless:

If you are going to see your Audi, see if she/he can switch sides of master/slave hearing aid and see if the problem follows that adjustment. Another thing to try is using your Roger On in pointer mode towards TV and see if it still cuts out. :thinking::thinking::thinking:

It’s definitely interference or there is another connected bluetooth device in your home that is on and that one of your hearing aids is periodically connecting to when you are streaming.

Jordan

In reply to @cleveto

cleveto, I don’t have the Roger On in - YET! But that is on my list of things to consider. Does it require the MyPhonak app to work?

Yes, it would be intriguing to see if switching the “master” from LEFT to RIGHT aid would result in the same issue. If I was a DIYer, I’d do it right here at home. I’m SUPER left-ear dominant, so I’ve always shied away from having anything bossed around by my right ear/aid. That right ear isn’t even connected to my brain - it just goes DUH if I have only that ear to hear through.

In reply to @JordanK

@JordanK said:

It’s definitely interference or there is another connected bluetooth device in your home that is on and that one of your hearing aids is periodically connecting to when you are streaming.

That sounds logical, but why would my aids go for up to 2 weeks with NO issues? Then the issue returns for several days again. It almost seems like someone has a directional antenna interfering … but MORE tests will be done.

Tonight, I’ll move my TV Connector into a different location and see if that works better. The TV Connector audio cable has to plug in to a Marantz receiver cuz that’s how our TV runs at home. There’s no way to access the back of the TV and plug anything in there. It’s an 84-inch flat panel that’s mounted on the wall with no flexible frame so we can pull it out and access the back. :neutral_face:

Not confusing at all! I totally get what you are saying here. That sounds intriguing to use the “pointer” mode, you betcha!

I’m hoping to get in to see my audi next week and maybe she’d have one on-hand for me to demo? I’ve thought about Roger devices for a LONG time, and it seems it would be a good investment for overall hearing options.

In reply to @cleveto

Not confusing at all! I totally get what you are saying here. That sounds intriguing to use the “pointer” mode, you betcha!

I’m hoping to get in to see my audi next week and maybe she’d have one on-hand for me to demo? I’ve thought about Roger devices for a LONG time, and it seems it would be a good investment for overall hearing options.

It would also be interesting to see if that Roger On in is also fritzed by interference here like my TV Connector seems to be.

I wish things could be simpler - now everything is on wifi and and folks have to use phone apps to even get on an exercise machine. It’s just getting way too intrusive and complicated, not to mention all these signals zinging around and obstructing each other.

No one takes into account that MEDICAL devices like our aids require a clear, clean path. I wonder if those with pacemakers or have similar issues?

OK. Wow. Or rather, BUMMER. I filled out a case form at Phonak Tech Support yesterday telling them that I was having streaming issues with my TV Connector and suspected it could be some wifi interference from the new ADT Security System installed here back in June.

Today, I got an email back from Phonak Tech Support - basically fobbed me off and said, “Thank you for contacting Phonak. Congratulations on the new ADT Security system, most systems should allow you to change the Channel (Example: Ch 1… 11) to stop the interference. Our TV Connector does not have a way to change the channel for Bluetooth. What you can try is to repair the aids to the TV Connector, also, may resolve the issue. For future reference, here is a link to our support page.” blahdy blahdy, lah-di-dahdy.

Next: I just got off the phone with ADT Home Security Tech Support, and was told not only does their system NOT (repeat NOT) interfere with any other wifi or my hearing aids and the TV Connector Streamer, but there is no way to dedicate a single frequency band on that 2.4GHz for their system. Makes sense, cuz a home security system is going to need to hop, skip and jump all over these 80 bands to work 24x7.

Tonight we’ll try moving the TV Connector to a different spot where it might not be subject to so much wifi interference. Will report back on that tomorrow.

I have an app’t set up with my audi for next week and am HOPING and PRAYING that 1.) maybe these Lumity Life aids need a firmware update that would resolve my streaming issues or 2.) she’ll have a Roger ON in device for me to try out. Otherwise, stereophonic streaming as I used to enjoy is OVER, and I’ll be lucky if I can stream into the LEFT ear only in a quasi-reliable fashion.

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