Easytek problem with phone streaming

Hearing Aids
#1

Trax 42 XMs with streamer. Last night, made a call. HAs connected OK, but then (after a couple of minutes) the audio signal became very choppy. The sound effect was like speaking into the blades of an old-style fan (if you have ever done that). The person that I was talking to, also said that my voice was cutting in and out. Changing the volume with the Easytek seem to clear the problem for a few seconds, then it returned. I finally put he phone on speaker phone, and took the Easytek out of the loop, and then everything was fine.

Does this seem like some kind of interference with the Bluetooth signal, or is it a sign that the Easytek may not be working properly? Later, last night, I used it for an hour streaming audio from my TV via the Transmitter, with no problems.

#2

  1. Bad neck loop (antenna)

  2. WiFi router too close to frequency or a harmonic – change channel

  3. Bad Unit

  4. Ask audiologist to replace and give you extra cord – they tend to fail

  5. Test with WiFi off or well away from router

  6. Have audiologist replace under warranty

#3

Thanks Ken. Will do.

#4

What the hell would the WiFi router have to do with anything?

#5

WiFi = Bluetooth – frequency proximity. From everything I heard said about the unit, I suspect the front end is weakly engineered.

#6

A couple of things:

One, I found that the antenna was not quite plugged in all the way on one side, so there could have been a bad connection. Two, I was close to the WiFi router at the time. Three, I do have a Panasonic phone set (wireless home phone) with Link-to-Cell, that is linked to my wife’s cell phone via Bluetooth, so there is a possible source of interference there too. I have not paired my phone to it.

#7

The FCC has created ISM frequencies. That’s Industrial-Scientific-Medical. Vendors can sell equipment that operates on those bands without licensing. There are a lot of these items:

  • microwave ovens
  • garage door openers
  • WiFi Routers
  • Bluetooth
  • TV
  • and so on
An older WiFi phone may operate on 900mhz which cuts through walls/floors better. 2.4Ghz is better than the newer 5ghz WiFi in that too but that can carry more data for streaming and such.

When there are adjacent signals, devices will step down their data rate. In some cases that step down has a data rate that loses some of the signal. In data, the checksum requires the data be re-transmitted. In a real-time devices such as attaching to your phone, the signal remains lost – hence the cutting out.

#8

Kenny I see WiFi and wireless communication is not your thing.

#9

Yeah, we all have problems, Jakey. Your problem is common courtesy. Me I’ll stick with my problems. I know you’ll stick with yours.

#10

Kenny you be the good guy with bad information and I’ll be the ahole with good information.

#11

What info was incorrect, Jakey? It certainly wasn’t as complete and it could have been but it does give the basics and why the band is used.

#12

I have worked in the software industry for almost 30 years. One of my jobs is testing and troubleshooting a very complex chemical process simulation software suite. When I am testing a problem, I find that it pays to be methodical. Sometimes, that means testing things that can’t possibly have any effect. Other times, it means asking, not ‘why something doesn’t work’, but ‘why it DOES work’. You’d be surprised how often that pays off.

Thank you both for your input. :slight_smile:

#13

Where was the phone in relation to the streamer (front pocket, back pocket, laying on table…)?

#14

At the time, in my hand. As I was talking, I was moving to the corner of the house which gets the best cell phone reception, which is also the corner of the house which is further away from both the WiFi/router and the Bluetooth house phone base station.

#15

Well, it is strange. You could start by isolating the problem. Turn everything off in the house (wifi and the Panasonic, and any other device that has any kind of radio transmitting or wifi, like TVs and other phones) and get to the spot with strong cell coverage, and try it again. Then move around in the house and try to duplicate the problem with everything else turned off. If no problems turn one other thing on and repeat the process from the strong cell spot.

#16

I discovered a setting in the Smart Connect app called Broadcast Level. The default setting is Medium. I have set it to High. So far, so good. I also noticed that this setting is ‘sticky’ meaning that it remains set to High, even after the HAs and phone have been powered off.

#17

Hi, may I know…can easytek work for “change program” only with no neckloop connected? If no, then can it work with neckloop not around the neck but close to hearing aids? Thank you.

#18

I think that “broadcast level” setting only affects the “stand alone mode” / “touchControl mode” where you use your phone as a remote for the hearing aids without using the easyTek. I think the phone sends high frequency sounds to control the hearing aids. If I’m right this won’t have any effect on easyTek streaming.

#19

Another thread from the dead. Excellent use of existing threads.
I was in an office with usual low level sounds around. There were younger people in their early-ish 20’s around. I surreptitiously adjusted my HA’s with the phone controls and one of them from about 10’ away looks over wondering. They turn away. I do another adjustment and they look again more wondering and I ask are you hearing something? They say they’re hearing a high pitch sound and were wondering what the heck it was. I do another adjustment and they say yeah that. And I say huh whaddyaknow apparently this thing makes a high pitch sound. I certainly couldn’t hear it.
Easytek…don’t know don’t have one. It’s the same as the Rexton Smart Connect seeing as how their both from the same company.

#20

If you don’t have the EasyTek loop, you can communicate with the phone to the HA’s using touch control, which is a high frequency audio sound. I suspect that this frequency is out of range of most people with HA’s. Other post is correct, the Broadcast level is the volume of the control sound. On Medium, you have to put it close to your face to get it to control. The loop is Bluetooth. The newer HA’s do direct control from the phone to the HA via Bluetooth.

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