motorcycle turn light_Motorcycle Bluetooth Intercom Review

Sena SMH10 Motorcycle Bluetooth Intercom Review

Summary:  A motorcycle Bluetooth intercom system with a very different approach to control layout that makes it very easy to use.  Very loud volume and excellent sound quality also.

Introduction
motorcycle turn light news,Burn and I were working with the new Sena SMH10 intercom system one day last week, when suddenly we realized that a new day has finally dawned for motorcycle communications.

What might be called the first "Gen 1" Bluetooth intercom systems that we reviewed about 3 years ago were difficult to use.  Communication of any type involved a series of obscure and illogical button-pushing sequences that challenged the gray cells of young and old alike, to a point where the intercoms were best left at home.

Next came what might be called the "Gen 2" systems, marked by an improved user interface but with sound quality and volume levels that quickly faded at anything beyond residential road speeds.

And now?  Now we're talking -- if I may pun the saying -- because we finally have arrived, with motorcycle intercom systems that work, and work beautifully well. 

In fact, while past webBikeWorld intercom reviews were mostly a focus on what features didn't work and why, along with tricks and tips to get past the issues, these new generation intercom systems are making the reviewing task a real pleasure. 

It's now assumed and expected that when you turn the darn things on, they're going to pair (an amazing concept!).  And they'll pair with whatever else you throw at them -- GPS, MP3, iPods, uPods, mePods, whatever...

So we can now call these the "Gen 3" systems; characterized by very nice products like the recently reviewed Interphone F4 (review); the Scala Rider G4 (review in process); and the Sena SMH10 system described here.

In fact, it was the Sena SMH10 system that turned on the light bulb for us, because this system pretty much defines the term "ease of use" as it applies to motorcycle Bluetooth intercom systems.

Introduction to Sena Technologies
Now while intercom manufacturers -- er, pardon me -- I mean "motorcycle communications systems providers" -- with names like Interphone, Scala and Midland are familiar to motorcyclists, Sena is not. 

But, chances are you've used a Sena product anyway without even knowing it. 

Sena makes high-tech gear like "external, embedded, wireless and industrial device servers" and they're also big in the industrial Bluetooth arena.  They make products like Bluetooth serial adapters Bluetooth access points used for information technology services, telecom applications, retail point-of-sale, industrial automation (i.e., advanced factories) and medical automation applications.

Sena specializes in what is known as "M2M", or machine-to-machine communications.  Customers for these products are mostly other manufacturers who embed and integrate Sena equipment in various types of manufacturing systems.  In fact, M2M magazine (yes, there is such a thing!) named Sena Technologies in their "Top 100 M2M Technology Providers" for the fourth year in a row.

OK, but what does a tech firm who makes "M2M" products know about things like motorcycles and a sensible user interface?  Plenty, as it turns out...