Sena, a leader in motorcycle helmets (and other) communication devices, is recentlyintroduced the Spider ST1what could be one of the most significant advances in motorcycle helmet-to-helmet communication technology. Sena achieved this by eliminating the traditional Bluetooth powered two-way radio from the equation and replacing it with all-wireless mesh networking technology.
Sure, Bluetooth (BT) 5.1 still powers the connection from the device to your smartphone, GPS and motorcycle, but now the communication between the helmets is powered by a mesh radio. Enter Mesh 2.0 from. a Sena.
Mesh radio is an outgrowth of military radio technology and, in simple terms, enables all nodes in the radio to act together regardless of the sequence. It also has a repeater-like feature so the mesh radios repeat the traffic as the group grows, separating the leader from the sweep driver. This feature extends the range beyond what can be achieved with only two units connected to the intercom.
I’m a big fan of helmet-mounted communication devices while driving. Most of the time, I listen to music streamed from my smartphone. I will also make or answer a call if I think it’s important. Occasionally I will pair my communication device intercom with friends to chat while driving, especially on long journeys. Other drivers use the VHF radio functions, if available. The Spider ST1 can be combined with GPS devices and the latest motorcycle infotainment systems, with which drivers can operate all functions via the motorcycle’s controls.
Older driver-to-driver intercoms are nice, but have drawbacks. One is the distance between drivers before the intercoms get a lot static and then get disconnected. Until recently, all or most of the helmet devices relied on the BT radio signal to operate the intercoms. Another disadvantage was pairing with other drivers.
In recent years this has gotten a bit easier, which has to do with smartphone apps for pairing and other ways to touch devices, shake, and other varieties of voodoo. However, it was often frustrating, took some roadside time to connect, and often ended up without that connection.
Then there were restrictions on the number of drivers on the intercom and, depending on the manufacturer, odd requirements for the group drivers – for example, driver A connects to B, B to C, C to A and so on. Sometimes the riders had to stay in the same physical order as dictated their pairing so that the riders couldn’t walk past each other or leave the group without the entire structure failing. It was so painful that I often skipped trying, even though the intercom would have been a nice addition to the ride.
It’s all over now.
I’ve tested the new Sena Spider ST1 device and I’m impressed – so much so that I won’t be going back to the BT radio if I can change it. I recommend all friends to use mesh-equipped communication devices.
I have been testing BT helmet units for over eight years and have rarely ever recommended a brand to anyone. I’ve always tried to influence manufacturers to adopt a protocol so that all brands can communicate with each other. That has never happened before, and I doubt it will ever happen.
Some brands allow you to connect with others. However, this requires that a participant’s smartphone connection be sacrificed to enable connection to another device. This is not a good way of doing this.
Sena claims that an unlimited number of riders can join the party with a range of up to five miles. With two drivers, the range is about one mile. Your mileage may vary.
There are two different intercom modes. The first is Multi-Channel Open Mesh (Group 1 – Standard), which supports an unlimited number of riders and connects to any Sena Mesh headset. The second is Group Mesh Intercom, which allows up to eight additional channels. The channels can be created with or without the Sena Motorcycles app (iOS and Android available). Drivers can segment their group in order to target only the desired drivers and it requires that new group members be invited by an existing member.
Once you’re done, you can jump back and forth between groups whenever you want. With our small group, we didn’t have time to try this. Regardless, the Sena Motorcycles app allows users to configure all device settings and is much easier to use than with a helmet on.
Most importantly, the Sena Mesh intercom works by pressing a button on the Spider ST1 to turn the Mesh on or off. No more voodoo – that’s it. I recently did a 1000 mile trip with a buddy. We all hit the mesh button and, bam, we had a chat.
During our travels, we found that the range in a straight line was three quarters of a mile with just two drivers. I found that quite acceptable. We also experienced less signal loss on winding canyon roads when the lead driver disappeared around a slope. Yes, there are a few dropouts at extreme distances, but the mesh radios had more fault tolerance than BT radios and had less loss of contact.
In addition, when these failures occurred, the intercoms were immediately reconnected if they were in line of sight. This is not always the case with old BT radios. They require drivers to zoom out and back in and around to re-establish connections. Under no circumstances could the devices fail to connect.
A test with four drivers had almost the same results. Easy connections between everyone at the push of a button, and when a rider leaves the group or a new rider joins the group there is no drama or frustration – just one button and Bob is your uncle. The stern-to-stern distances increased to about a mile. Suffice it to say that we were happy with the results as we have rarely spread out that widely.
I enjoy the audio multitasking feature. It allows me to hear my smartphone playlist or GPS while hearing my buddy talk.
In addition to the Spider ST1 that I tested, Sena also offers the Spider RT1. They use Mesh 2.0 and the only difference is that the ST1 uses the jog dial familiar to many existing Sena users. The RT1 replaces the jog dial with three buttons. I chose the ST1 because of a long relationship with the Jog Dial.
If you know the jog dial, you can probably skip the quick start guide, although I recommend reading it. The only thing you need to learn is that the mesh switch is on the top of the back of the device. When you switch it on for the first time, the device goes directly to smartphone pairing mode, so one click on the phone and you have paired it.
Sena warns that the ST1 and RT1 will not pair with older BT Senas unless the older model comes with an optional + mesh intercom adapter (about $ 110) that generally mounts on the handlebar . My buddy and I tried unsuccessfully to connect our mesh units to a third Sena legacy unit, so don’t waste time on it. It does, however, connect to existing Senas that have mesh capability, including the 50S, 50R, 30K full face helmets, Momentum EVO with mesh, and any Sena BT device with the + mesh adapter.
Sena claims premium HD speakers. My non-audiophile ears found that they sounded rather average given our cruising speed and wind noise. To my ears, the volume of the Sena RT-1 is not as loud as I would like it to be when driving fast and loud on the motorway.
Sena Device Manager is a handy utility that is easy to use to update internal firmware as improvements are made. I can also enable an audio equalizer, allow VOX phone (answer with voice), VOX sensitivity, audio overlay management, and intercom audio overlay sensitivity. Good stuff.
The Sena RT1 uses the new USB-C cable for charging. A cable is included with every device, but no charger.
The charging time is given as 1.5 hours, enough juice for 11.5 hours of talk time. I didn’t check this, but I turned it on for an early start, turned it on during lunch and it was still happy for dinner.
Installation on our helmets was easy and the overall experience is satisfactory in all aspects. The speakers are flat and have a tapered bezel that might facilitate installation in helmets with flat ear pockets.
I can only recommend the Spider ST1. If you’re looking for the latest helmet-to-helmet communication equipment and don’t need a VHF radio, the ST1 is a tasty choice. It’s at the lower end of the premium unit price points and is exclusive to Cycle Gear, J&P Cycles, and Revzilla.
Sena Spider ST1 specifications
DIMENSIONS
- Height: 1.8 in
- Width: 3.8 inches
- Depth: 1.0 in
- Weight: 2.12 ounces
- Speaker diameter: 1.6 inches
- Speaker depth: 0.3 inches
POWER
- Talk time: 11 hours
- Battery charging time: 1.5 hours
- Mesh intercom working distance: Up to 1.2 miles (5 miles with six or more drivers)
- Bluetooth: 5.1
- Guarantee: 2 years
Sena Spider ST1 Price: $ 199 MSRP
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