Bluetooth Intercoms

The wBW Motorcycle Bluetooth Intercoms Page

► See the wBW Motorcycle Intercoms Page for a listing of our motorcycle intercom reviews.

Problems With Bluetooth Intercoms
Bluetooth technology still needs some work to make it user-friendly, in our opinion.  Bluetooth devices must be "paired" the first time they are used.  Pairing basically means that the devices swap some kind of information to let them know that they should be communicating with each other. 

The instructions provided with all of the Bluetooth intercoms we've tried so far are very poorly written and don't clearly describe the pairing procedure; it's like the instruction manuals were written by engineers and computer specialists rather than users.

What makes it more confusing is that the pairing procedure doesn't always seem to work the same way twice.  We've found this to be the case with every one of the Bluetooth intercom systems we've tried. 

Sometimes the two devices connect with each other as soon as the units are turned on; sometimes we have to follow the instructions to get them to "talk" to each other, and sometimes a different series of buttons must be pressed to get everything to work.  It's way more effort than it should be, and the professionals tell us "it can't be done", but from the consumer's point of view, two intercoms need only 2 controls: on/off and volume. 

The user should be able to turn on the devices and they work.  Instantly and without any fuss.  Who cares about pairing?  All I want to do is talk!  When I turn on a cell phone, I don't have to press a series of buttons and wait for LEDs to light up in a particular pattern as I try to negotiate with the carrier each and every time.  I turn it on, press a number and talk.  Bluetooth intercoms should be no different, and no different than a wired intercom system.

Our advice?  We strongly recommend that 1) You copy the owner's manual in your language and bring it with you.  You'll need it!  2) Practice, practice, practice with these devices, both before they are installed in the helmets and after.  It's like a "black art" trying to figure out which buttons to press in which order, what tones and beeps to wait for, what the LED blinking lights mean...it's way, way too confusing!

►Reader Comments and Owner Feedback

From "B.B." (5/09):  "I own a Nolan N102 with N-Com and I find it works really well.  I have coupled it directly to my cell phone with no problems and I also use it with my Tom-Tom Rider GPS.

The beauty of this system is I couple the N-Com to the GPS and the GPS to the Cell phone.  The Tom-Tom has a cell phone page where you can upload the directory of the cell phone into the GPS and then make calls from the directory from the GPS (but only while stationary; the Tom-Tom will not allow you to do anything while moving except cancel a route, find the nearest gas station or answer or reject an incoming phone call).

You can also pair two helmets together for intercom.  The N-Com has provision for a cable connection for auxiliary input, e.g. iPod etc, and also for cable intercom if desired.  I find the instructions to be straightforward and the system easy to use."

From "M.D." (4/09):  "After reading your product reviews on the IMC Bluetooth and wiRevo products I am thoroughly lost. I own a Zumo 550, am not interested in cell phone calls while riding, am not really interested in talking to my passenger or another bike. 

What I want is great stereo audio out of the Zumo, plus the turn by turn instructions from the Zumo and into my helmet via bluetooth.  What should I purchase to get this done? Any advice would really help."

HBC's Response:  With the zumo 550, only the wired output jack will provide stereo audio, as the Bluetooth stream is mono only, although the pending zumo 660 will rectify this in providing Bluetooth that supports the A2DP (stereo) protocol).

Your requirements are basic and for about sixty percent of my riding time, the same.  To get good stereo audio out of the zumo, you will need a good A2DP compatible Bluetooth adapter (BTA) – either of the IMC Camos BTAs used as part of the Camos BTS 300 evaluation would do the job.  Many other BTAs on the market are compatible as well. 

However, the zumo is not as ‘universal’ as some other devices in Bluetooth operations, so it is very important to check compatibility and proper function first. BTAs can range in price from well under $100 to well over 100 depending on location and unit – their versatility however makes them a good deal, especially over the long term.

Along with the wealth of information provided on wBW, there are lots of other rider or user forums that will provide additional information regarding compatible Bluetooth devices that work with the zumo…the list is pretty extensive actually. 

It is important to use an adapter that has Bluetooth 2.0 or 2.1+ or later – this will get you a very good A2DP (stereo) stream to your headset and provides other advantages, such as faster connectivity, more stable stream and power efficiencies."

Editor's Note:  HBC is planning an article on recommended solutions for various intercom uses, such as rider-to-rider, rider-to-pillion, bike-to-bike and listening to GPS and music.

From "P" (4/09):  "Hi, ( live in Southern California).  Just got a new DL650.  This wild Bluetooth helmet to radio thing started with the first ham radios with built in Bluetooth, made by Yaesu called an FTM10SR. I installed it on my 07 DRZ400, paired it to an BlueAnt Interphone (I tried several helmet BT systems but the Interphone worked the best).

The whole thing took me about 3 months to get dialed in due to poor support from Yaesu.  The radio had a remote tiny handlebar mounted waterproof head, VHF/UHF/AM/FM entire police-fire scanner, and a plug in for a mp3.  It was low power,10 Watts VHF, 7 Watts UHF, but I was able to make over 100 mile contacts ham to ham without repeaters (oh yeah, did I say these ham rigs are modifiable for FRS/GMRS?).

I still own it.  There are radios out there that can go on a bike that pump some power out and don't need a license for (in the U.S.).

For those riders that want the following:

1. Want to talk to like-equipped buddies (as many as the frequency can handle, which is a lot), not (just the 500 meter stuff either), more then a few miles or 20;

2. Want to talk on a radio that uses a BT helmet setup;

3. Want something that does not look like its the size of a cigar box pretending to be a FRS or GMRS thing your actually supposed to attach to your helmet.

Here is what I did with the new bike and new off-the-shelf system integration for 50 Watts VHF and 35 Watts UHF.  It has a remote head on the dash; the body of the radio is under the seat and the antenna is on the back of the bike.

Of course I use an Interphone abd a Chatterbox XBI.  Need to be able to talk/listen to ham/FRS/GMRS/MURS, get GPS instructions, listen to mp3 and have intercom.

But all this can be done with the XBI; I just like the way the Interphone sounds when it transmits audio out of the radio.  Interested in the least?

New Bluetooth product out there boys and girls.  New long range communication for those that really want to reach out and touch someone, and yes, unfortunately it will work with CB radios (that's a bad word around amateur radio operators ha ha ha!).

I am not totally nuts.  Was medically retired from the police dept, am 43 with a 14 year old kid,a nd have a workbench full of Bluetooth adapters and such.  I am currently attempting to use a Jabra a210 generic 20 buck BT transceiver and mate it to one of my handhelds so my kid will have something on her quad.  I got a couple BT helmet sets lying around......

OK, I started with a quad band (10 meters, 6meters, 2meters, 70cm),w hich most likely doesn't mean much to you.

It's called a Yaesu FT8900R.  Suffice it to say that at times, I will be able to talk worldwide from my bike, along with the VHF/UHF.  The radio has a remote head separated by a cable to the main body of the radio, which I stashed under the seat.

The next really cool part is the "Talksafe"  outboard Bluetooth box.  About the size of a pack of smokes.  You feed it 12 Volts, plug one of its cables into the MIC jack of your radio, the other cable coming out of it goes to the external speaker jack of your whatever radio, and boom, instant Bluetooth radio. 

Pair it up with most of the helmet systems (except the Blutek built-in piece of *&^% radio), put a momentary switch or what we call a PTT on the handlebars or in some cases hit the call accept button on the helmet and the radio transmits. Hit it again and it unkeys, ready to receive.

Plenty of radios out there and good antennas, along with good BT helmet systems that work absolutely bitchen when hooked to a ham radio (or whatever radio) and this new Talksafe box.

I don't work for the company or anything, just trying to get some fellow riders some decent comms.  Here I am talking Bluetooth 100+ miles with the FT8900 ham rig and guys are saying a quarter mile is good.  WTF? HA HA HA .

My install is ultra clean including the custom fabricated remote head bracket and fabricated rear antenna mount.  I used a relay and have the PTT on the horn.  In 30 years of riding enduros, I have never used the horn.  Very usable system.

This system sounds much better then the original built in one on the FTM10SR on the DRZ.  Guys tell me they cant tell I'm on a bike!  I think Yaesu used a bad chipset with a lot of compression, clipping and gobs of aliasing.  Meaning it can sound kinda robotic, but totally usable.

Sorry if I have wasted your time with this.  I have been a ham operator for 24 years and according to the Talksafe company, RPF Industries, it looks like i am the first to integrate this system on a motorcycle in the US.  They are in England.  They also have units that plug into handhelds!  I'm just really excited at the comm possibilities with this system.  The box is like 189.00

The new 2009 DL650 is a mobile communications platform and Disaster Assessment Vehicle for the Red Cross chapter I am on the Board of Directors for, and Director of Communications (Antelope Valley Chapter in Palmdale, California).

We handle 40 percent of Los Angeles County. Been a RC volunteer for almost 15 years and am also an active instructor in First Aid/CPR/Disaster Preparedness, and Earthquake survival. YES I LIVE 2 MILES FROM WILLOW SPRINGS!"

From "S" (10.08):  "I have to agree with a couple of the comments of your readers regarding wanting a unit I can use (with) my own mic and earplug setup. 

I've been considering getting a motorcycle intercom for the last couple of years and been looking at the Bluetooth models in the aim of finding something reasonable cost which allows me to use a throat mic and my Etymotic earbuds.  To me this is the ideal option, no need to worry about wind noise with a throat mic (race teams use them) or the contradiction of trying to block out deafening wind noise with earplugs yet hear music or voice from speakers.

With this setup it's not necessary to worry about what helmet it's connected too because I don't need to worry about the helmet.  Put the unit in my top pocket with wires going to Velcro throat mic and up to ears for earbuds. Requirements for weight, water proofing, small battery size become less of an issue which helps manufacturing costs.

I was considering the scala teamset, now tending toward the newly released Chatterbox ibx.  But as biker ranted on another forum the sellers provide very little information about the products on their websites other than a pretty picture of the unit and packaging.  Hope Chatterbox give you the opportunity to review one of these units at some stage. Thanks for a very informative site."

From "J.F.":  "I've been reading your articles and product reviews for a very long time now - thanks for all you do, by the way!

I have become so disenchanted with this whole subject for years.  Your list of "wants" for a Bluetooth system is dead-on.  Why can't a manufacturer just make this a reality?  They would clean up.  I would be first in line to spend several hundred dollars, if only the unit does what is in your list.

My son and I have actually been assembling components to make out own device, but it is time-consuming and expensive if you don't do this for a living.

My wife and I ride separate bikes and we have the Autocom units - they work, but I feel like I'm strangled in all the freak'n wires and cables!  WE NEED TO CUT THE CABLES TO THE HELMET!!!

In 2008, it's hard to believe that this is a problem so hard to solve!  And, the manufacturers don't seem to get it.  I called Autocom last year basically outlining the system, and they acted like I was from Mars.  The guy wanted me off the phone so quick it was frightening.  They are NOT listening to what the customers are telling them.

Thanks for listening. At least you guys communicate nicely!"

From "T.Z" (Responding to our "Problems With Bluetooth Intercoms" above:  "Agreed!  The problems we are trying to solve as consumers are:

1. Get rid of the headset cable that runs to the control unit.

2. Listen to MP3 music in stereo on the headset

3. Create a list of paired devices that automatically connect when turned on and in the same proximity and function properly based on their purpose.  The Bluetooth 2.0 specification provides for up to 255 Bluetooth devices in each piconet (Bluetooth network).

4. Be able to use the headsets as Intercoms and use either speakers or earphones depending or preference with separate volume controls.

5. Be able to listen to a shared music source over the intercom.  (Editor's Note: Music should stream from a single source to both rider and passenger).

6. The various devices should interrupt each other based on a prioritized connection scheme. Cell phones should interrupt music and Intercom, radar detector should always be heard by the rider but not the passenger.

7. Provide long lasting batteries that run at least 20 hours that install in the helmet.  This should not be difficult as there are Li-Ion 3.7 volt batteries available for cell phones that are small enough to fit in a helmet that are rated at over 2000mAh (Milli-Ampere Hours) Most of the Bluetooth headsets operate at 4.5 (High end of a charged battery) to 3.7 volts (Low end of an almost fully discharged battery.)  The batteries should either be swappable of there should be an option to plug in an optional battery life extension pack in to the charging outlet of the headset.

8. The devices should be lockable with security codes that prevent unauthorized Bluetooth devices from joining the piconet (Bluetooth network).

9. I don't care if I still have to plug the GPS, radar detector, XM Satellite, etc. into the control unit.  I just want everything to talk to the headset over Bluetooth.  The control unit can handle all of the complex stuff such as port prioritization.

There are a few more but that is my short list. I don't think that is too much to ask."

From "C.J.":  "Just been reading your information on Bluetooth intercom/headsets. I bought a Motorola HS830 some time ago and installed it in my Nolan N42 Jet.  I use it with my Motorola L5 phone which I keep in a cradle on my handlebars.  Thought I would let you know that this system (about $120) DOES permit rider/passenger communication without a cell phone.  There is an 'a-b' switch on the back of the device.  Set one helmet to 'a' and one to 'b' and voila, there you have it.

Of course for bike to bike it's limited to Bluetooth range (30 feet) whereas the Interphone system will go 150.  But for $120 bucks the Motorola just can't be beat."

From GiMoto Canada:  "GiMoto Canada Ltd. is the approved Canadian distributor for the Cellular Line Interphone.  We first brought the Interphone (Euro power plug units) into Canada several months ago and provided the units to several magazines within Canada, the feedback has been amazing.

The key difference to the Interphone over other products including the Scala Rider Team is the ability to use the Bluetooth intercom feature from bike to bike!  Cellular Line specifies the product has a range of 150m at speeds up to 130 km/h.  I have personally been at a greater distance and had a clear conversation with the other rider.

See the wBW review of the Interphone Bluetooth motorcycle intercom system.

Here is a brochure (Adobe Acrobat format) on the Interphone Bluetooth intercom and also an Adobe Acrobat version of the Interphone Bluetooth intercom owner's manual.

From "M.E.":  "I just read your comment about the unavailability of rider to passenger Bluetooth intercoms.  I too have been scouring the internet, manufacturers and motorcycle dealers for such a product...as have most of my motorcycle riding friends.  It simply boggles the imagination that such a beast seems not to exist yet.  Even products like the fairly new Chatterbox XB1, which was built from the ground up with Bluetooth in mind and can communicate with other riders 5 miles away, can't communicate with the person sitting 3 inches behind you without some sort of wire going to them."

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