Shame the Duet is so unreliable

[TheLastMan]

FWIW, I've been using a D-Link wireless gaming adapter (the DWL-G820, which has since been replaced by the DGL-3420) for the past 2+ years to connect my SB3 to my network. When I relied on the SB3's own wireless capability, the signal strength wasn't quite what I needed to handle my mostly FLAC music collection. But since I switched to the adapter, I've experienced no dropouts.

I suspect that this approach might help Duet users.

So you have the D-link pick up the wireless signal as a bridge and then use it to feed the SB3 with an Ethernet cable?

This will work for the Receiver, but it would not help connect the Controller (unless used in ad-hoc mode). The Controller generally has the bigger issue with poor wireless networks.

For the Duet, nothing beats improving the wireless signal as this benefits both the Receiver and the Controller.

[aubuti]

I think the last half dozen posts have summed up the Controller’s woes pretty well. It’s been like the elephant in the room; no one prepared to say the Controller is not good enough for real world situations.

It has been fiercely defended by certain “senior” forum members, who usually blame the complainers router/network/modem etc. They were probably involved in the jive handset beta trials and just can’t believe they overlooked something.

I, and I imagine most of the other beta testers, are continuing to use our SBCs in "real world" situations. So you're saying that we are experiencing the exact same "simply doesn't work" problems that other people are reporting and we're just in denial about it? Oh please.

For me, the rest of the SB line is completely rock solid, but the SBC only scores a "reasonably reliable". There's room for improvement, but even when it flakes out it's usually remedied by a simple reboot of the SBC (just like it inexplicably required a reboot of my pc last night to get the wireless working, completely unrelated to SB). Clearly some people have bigger issues, with varying degrees of interest in resolving them.

This, I think, is some of the trouble with "beta testing". All people are required to do is just use the equipment / software and report their experiences. Very little "testing" as such goes on.

Beta testing is no substitute for proper professional equipment testing. I also think that Logitech / SlimDevices view many users as simply using the Controller in conditions it was not designed to cope with and it is therefore "not Logitech's fault" if it does not behave right.

If you think Logitech's user beta testing program is a substitute for the manufacturer's testing then you're quite mistaken. Both methods of testing are in place. I also think you underestimate the amount of testing done by some beta testers. I'm one of the lazy ones, but others really put the products through the paces and often contribute to the code.

[DennyL]

When I first got my Squeezebox Classic I had an Ethernet cable trailing across the sitting room floor for about six months until one day the SB decided to connect wirelessly. I run the IT in a company with about 80 computers and my impression is that wireless networking is not robust and ready for the consumer market. I know geeks have no probs because they enjoy the challenge of it, but for people who just want to buy a product and take it home and plug it in and see it work we are a long way off. The simple fact is that these magical wireless technologies are not as reliable or easy to set up as a piece of wire with two connectors.

[tobesetc]

At last I feel vindicated. I'll explain. I maintained that the Squeezebox Duet (that I had) didn't work reliably. Sometimes fine, sometimes impossible to work. Then this week...

One of Logitech's Technical Support guys actually called me back (from Holland, it sounded at a guess). He asked me to take the battery out of my Controller and tell him the Device ID. (It was actually working at this stage!)

"Ah", he said..."They should have checked this first"...

"Go on...", say's I

"Well, we built a batch of Controllers with Duplicate ID's. By mistake. We've been trying to get them back. They conflict. They don't work reliably" he says.

"So what do we do now" I asked...

"We'll send you a brand new Receiver and Controller if you promise to destroy the original Controller. Don't sell it. Don't take it back to the shop. Destroy it. You can keep the original Receiver, it's fine. Don't take it back to Micro Anvica because they are not very helpful to clients with Customer Service issues and we suspect they'd just try to resell the faulty handset - that's probably what happened when they sold it to you"

"What! It had probably already been identified as faulty?"

"Yes" he said. "Sorry" he said. "Please send me a picture of it after you've destroyed it. We like that. It means we know it is dead". He said that. Honestly!

So now I've got my fingers crossed that the new set will work fine and in exchange for four months stress & grief, I get a Receiver for a second room! (I'm also not destroying the Controller until the new one arrives - this seems too good to be true, so it may well be!)

Told you it didn't work properly! ;o)

[funkstar]

I'm surprised they have done this with such a high value item. I would have thought they would strip it doen for parts. But, all credit to support for sorting this out.

I've heard of Logitech doing this for things like wireless keyboards and mice though. One part is faulty? bin and and we'll send you a new one.

Glad this appears to be sorted for you.