PumpUpVolume

The OS on our EA3 was updated to 3.4.0 today. I'll post back in a while once we've used the Halo Touch in the updated environment for a while.

Thank you. I will pursue the OS update with our dealer. I will post an update here when the update is done and we have some experience with the updated system.

Our EA3 processor is on: c4firmware Version 3.3.3.660628-res I recently asked my dealer to update the firmware and the dealer advised against updating the firmware because - apparently - none of the changes in the firmware pertain to the Halo remote and the dealer is opposed to doing firmware updates remotely. Note: in addition to having issues with intermittent delayed response to Halo Touch commands (which can be temporarily resolved by rebooting the Halo Touch), our system occasionally ends up in a state where there is little or no ability to control it via the Halo Touch or the C4 iPhone application. I have found that the only solution to resolve the complete loss of control is to reboot our EA3 processor. I've taken this up with our dealer and their response was "it must be your network". However, we are not experiencing any evident network issues and the inability to control our system is only resolved by rebooting the EA3; i.e. rebooting network devices (e.g. WAP, switch, router, doesn't help at all) - the inability to control is only resolved by rebooting the EA3. The dealer has not done any troubleshooting; blaming the problems on our network is, in my opinion, jumping to conclusions and a blame game. Do you recommend that I pursue an update to the EA3 firmware?

My Halo Touch is on Firmware Version 1.7.9.001547. That is the current version, is it not?

I am also experiencing intermittent lag on a Halo Touch. Rebooting the Halo Touch completely eliminates the lag - temporarily. That is, immediately after rebooting the Halo Touch, the system responds to button pushes in a manner I describe as instantaneous. This suggests to me that the lag happens within the Halo Touch; i.e. it is a lag between pressing a button on the remote and the remote sending the command over the network. When the lag creeps back into play, it feels like 1-2 seconds pass between pushing a button on the remote and the system responding; i.e. push the "menu" button the remote and the menu opens on the source 1-2 seconds later. Reboot the Halo Touch and try the menu selection again and the menu opens instantly after pushing the menu button. I hope to receive updates on the progress of resolving this issue.

I was able to resolve the missing button issue by rebooting the EA3 processor. Not sure why that worked, but it did.

I'm not referring to the custom buttons that are part of the NEEO program; I am referring to buttons defined in the EA3 code. The buttons I am referencing are icons just like the Watch and Listen icon buttons. I'm not referring to the colour bar buttons that you can access via swiping left/right.

In my first post about the disappearing buttons issue, I noted that I have rebooted the remote a few times since the custom buttons disappeared and the custom buttons remain missing after rebooting. I tried both a restart (instead of power down) and then, when that didn't restore the custom buttons, I also powered down the remote and powered it back up and neither approach brought back the custom buttons. The C4 dealer also confirmed the custom buttons are still in the program (of course they are - they appear in the iPhone App) and triggered a Navigator refresh and that also did not restore the missing buttons.

No. There is no firewall between the NEEO and the EA3 Processor. The only firewall in my network is the default firewall in the ISP provided router, which sits between LAN and WAN. Communications between the NEEO and the EA3 don't even pass through the router, they are "routed" by a switch. Neither the WiFi access point nor the switch have any firewall configured. Furthermore, there were zero network changes between when the buttons were on the remote and when they disappeared.

I've had an "interesting" development with my NEEO. The custom buttons have disappeared from my NEEO. The regular Watch and Listen buttons remain, but the custom ones simply vanished. The custom buttons remain visible and usable in the iPhone C4 App. I consulted my C4 dealer about this issue and the dealer advised me that they don't know why the custom buttons disappeared and there is nothing they can do. Will someone be so bold as to blame the disappearing buttons on my Netgear ProSafe access point? The on-order Halo Touch can't come soon enough. Has anyone else experienced the disappearing custom button issue? I have no idea what triggered the issue. The custom buttons have been present for 1-1/2 years and then, one day last week, POOF, they were gone. And, yes, I've rebooted/restarted the NEEO a few times and that didn't bring the custom buttons back.

Several people using other brands of network equipment, including the latest Ubiquiti hardware are having the same issues as me - as documented in this thread. I understand it is a fraction of the deployed user base for the NEEO that is having these issues, but it is a major issue - a complete lockup requiring a reboot to recover functionality, not a slight response delay - for those of us experiencing it. Frankly, if C4 products can't work with Netgear hardware as a rule then it is C4 that needs to improve its products. Whether you are a Netgear fanboy or not (i'm brand agnostic - it was simply a good choice at the time of purchase), Netgear is one of the World's leading manufacturers of such equipment with a massive install base, including residential, schools, hospitals, hotels, and small businesses. Netgear isn't some weird knockoff brand that popped up on Amazon. I will likely switch brands when I upgrade to WiFi 7 (because of specific design features and system offerings), but Netgear has served me very well over the past decade. I have no regrets with choosing Netgear. I've received excellent support from Nethgear and had very issues. My ProSafe hardware came with LIFETIME warranty - not that I've needed it. And, most of the issues I've had were eventually traced back to another piece of hardware - conclusively... with a lot of effort. E.g. I had a Sony TV that had issues and the investigation precipitated a major produce fix campaign at Sony (I worked with their engineers to isolate the true root cause). Of course, in the Sony case, everyone originally blamed the network, but eventually even the Sony engineers accepted the data - the problem was 100% an issue with the power save mode on the WiFi circuit in the TV. Once a tweak was made on the TV side, all the problems immediately vanished. And note, I'm giving credit where credit is due - control over WiFi using an iPhone (and Netgear) works flawlessly in my experience. I've placed an order for a Halo Touch. I'll update when that is deployed and tested.

Precisely. Deploying a NEEO (or any other handheld remote) should be like installing the C4 app on the iPhone. It should work reliably upon deployment without having to use WireShark to perform packet tracing, modify the processor programming, fiddle with obscure network settings, and/or replace network infrastructure - choosing from a short and select list of high end but less common network hardware. We are discussing a handheld TV remote, not a lunar landing module controller.

Precisely - the problem is unique to the relationship between the NEEO and the network. Thank you for making my point. My question was entirely sarcastic - the difference is the point. The network works fine for 20 devices and the NEEO is a train wreck. I'm hoping that the Halo Touch has a much better WiFi chip than the NEEO and that is the end of my issues. Oh, and it isn't a setup/configuration issue - I've tried every possible configuration change. It may be hardware incompatibility... or it may be a C4 programming issue... but, my dealer has sold a total of one NEEO and I think it is entirely possible that there is a programming issue. But, both the dealer and C4 support have blamed the customer network without any analysis or troubleshooting. I won't really know until I can get a Halo Touch. When get I get my pre-order for the Halo Touch placed? I can't seem to get an answer to that question.

One additional data point that I haven't mentioned previously is that controlling my C4 system from my iPhone works flawlessly - there are none of the issues I experience with the NEEO. It is fast, responsive, and reliable. ...just like all the other non-NEEO devices on my network. I would welcome an explanation as to how the problems with the NEEO could be the fault of my network if all the same control functionality works perfectly fine via the iPhone, which is communicating over the same WiFi network as the NEEO. I can't recall ever encountering a single glitch with controlling the system via the iPhone over WiFi, yet the NEEO is train wreck.

Now that we are solidly into Q3 2023, is there an update on the pre-order/release date for the Halo Touch?

Are you suggesting that - in the case of someone who has a single access point, single router, and single switch with no MoIP (video transport is point to point hybrid optical HDMI - no distribution) in the house - that there is some configuration setting that hasn't already been discussed ad nauseum here? I'm glad that a MoIP setting resolved your issues, but mine persist in MoIP free environment. ... I'm continuing to wait for the Halo Touch to be released, hoping that is a solution.

We are approaching the end of Q2 2023. Any update on when the Halo Touch will actually be available?

Q2 23 runs now through end of June (as only as you are referencing calendar quarters) a couple weeks ago... so we can expect the Halo touch to be available from dealers before end of June?

The Halo Touch was supposed to be released in Q4 2022... now that is well passed, it would be appreciated if an updated release date could be provided....

The first and last sentences in the quoted post are - combined - the most valuable comments (for me) out of everything that has been said, shared, and recommended in this entire thread. Thank you again for sharing!

Thank you kindly for sharing that perspective. It boosts my confidence in deferring my network upgrade investments until I can implement the Halo Touch upgrade and see whether that alone solves the control issues. I know there are others on this forum that see this the other way - I should upgrade my router, switch, and access point first. While I am committed to an upgrade in the foreseeable future, I don't agree that those upgrades should revolve around the NEEO. I don't have any network issues with any other device, so I'd like to do the upgrade to take advantage of new technologies, features, and benefits, not to try to create some sort of bubble wrapped ecosystem that might enable a NEEO to work continuously for a week. And, FWIW, I am an engineer, I have worked in the custom electronic devices industry, and I'm well acquainted with PCB assembly/manufacturing... and, I wouldn't begin to entertain attempting to fix the NEEO myself. Upgrading to the Halo is going to be faster, cheaper, and also provide better functionality beyond simply solving the networking, crash, reboot problems. It's just difficult to be patient while waiting indefinitely for the Halo Touch to arrive. I am going to wait for the touch, however... I'll have the new remote for years, I expect; waiting a few more months for the Touch to be released isn't the end of the world. Everyone in my family is now proficient with rebooting the NEEO... we can hang in here for a while longer - it's a first world problem.... Again, thanks for taking the time to share your experience with both the NEEO and the Halo!

I've been intending to add this to the thread for a while... while this thread's discussion is focused on networking related issues with the NEEO, I think it is important to note that our NEEO sometimes spontaneously crashes and self-initiates a reboot cycle; like with the apparent networking issues, this always happens when we are initiating a Room Change on the NEEO. This does cause me to wonder whether it is a networking issue at or is it some issue with handling the room change that often manifests as a networking issue? What makes this tricky to pursue, isolate and diagnose is that happens intermittently. We can successfully navigate many room changes after a reboot, until, whamo, the next room change either throws a networking error or it crashes the remote and self-initiates a reboot. This also causes me to wonder whether there is aspect of how my dealer has programmed the rooms that is actually causing the issues. I know for a fact that my dealer has sold very few NEEOs and my C4 project manager has only ever sold one NEEO - to me. Maybe there is something my dealer doesn't know about programming for the NEEO? Bottom line is that I really don't know the cause of the problem. Again, I'm waiting for the Halo Touch to be released and I'll do an upgrade with the hope that solves the problem. I do plan to upgrade aspects of my network also, but the timing of that may be determined by supply chain issues as some of the equipment that is of interest to me is simply not available at present.

This is helpful. I do have a "cable box" (IPTV). Based on other reading, I do understand that these consumer based gateways handle DMZ differently than how DMZ is configured in an enterprise setting. Some consumer grade gateways forward all ports to the DMZ; others don't. I'm assuming the HH3000 does, but I'll have to test that.

Would this be a good and appropriate choice of router for my situation: Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X 5-Port Advanced Gigabit Ethernet PoE Router Or could someone please recommend an alternative if that one isn't satisfactory for my needs?

If I were to take the DMZ approach, what router would you recommend understanding I have enough switching capacity with the existing switch, don't need SFP ports, don't need WiFi on the router. What is a great bare bones router?