Microphone muting in Firmware 2.2 (how?)

[donbarry]

Dear Jambox community:

I purchased this neat little device because of its teleconferencing abilities.  Online documentation specifies that one can mute the microphone by pressing plus and minus together. 

But I cannot get this to work.  A short press of the two simultaneously does nothing, produces no alert, and sound continues to stream through the bluetooth HSP channel.  A long press of the two simply (and noisily) toggles the LiveAudio status, which is a new control feature of the 2.2 firmware.

How can one control the various muting options when the device is communicating in Bluetooth HSP mode?  This is an essential necessity for using the Jambox for teleconferencing.

[neilcbennett]

It does work, but only when you have a conference call active, try it on a test with a willing test partner

[donbarry]

Neil: that's assuming some sort of backdoor channel in the datastream of the bluetooth connection. The Jambox can connect either in A2DP mode (high quality stereo connection forward, no backwards connection because there is no bandwidth left for it) or in HSP mode (moderate quality mono channels both to and fro). HSP normally supports HFP extensions which include setting microphone gain -- but those, if sent, are not getting through to my Pulseaudio sound stack on Linux. I've monitored Dbus events and they aren't even making it that far. I'd just like confirmation that the Jambox is indeed sending mute events through the HFP layer (presumably with VGM commands). If it is, then the problem is on my end. If the Jambox isn't using standards-compliant Bluetooth methods of muting, though, then the problem is at *its* end. Cheers, -Don

[donbarry]

OK, I've sniffed the Bluetooth RFCOMM stream while on a call with the Jambox being used as a HSP/HFP headset/mic device.  The speaker and microphone gains are exchanged during Bluetooth pairing, with +VGS=15 and +VGM=15 (speaker and microphone gains set to maximum), but there are no +VGS and +VGM events sent when pressing the supposed mute button combinations for speaker, microphone, or both.  In fact, nothing is sent over the RFCOMM channels from these button presses -- they seem to be ignored.

Jawbone technical staff: please explain.  It looks like a feature was dropped from the firmware at some point.  I'd like my Jambox to have the mute capability advertised plainly in the documentation.   

Cheers, -Don

[donbarry]

Dear Jambox: I would very much appreciate a reply. I've gone to considerable effort in demonstrating that the Bluetooth RFCOMM data stream does not feature any traffic triggered by the speaker/microphone mute buttons, therefore there these features described in the documentation are not functioning under the 2.2 firmware. I'd simply like an assurance that you are aware of the issue, admit its existence, and will deliver a fix in the next firmware -- which will result in a Jambox which actually supports the features which it is advertised to possess, and which led me to choose it as a product. Cheers, -Don

[JawboneAlex Administrator]

Hi donbarry,

We appreciate your posts on the forum. I am checking in with the team and I will post a response just as soon as I hear back. 

Thanks!

JawboneAlex

[JawboneAlex Administrator · Accepted solution]

Hi donbarry,

We appreciate your detailed post. I have mentioned this issue to the team and we will consider it in future updates!

Thanks!

JawboneAlex

[donbarry]

Dear JawboneAlex: I do appreciate you bringing this issue to the technical team. I will, however, take some issue with your cheery "we will consider it in future updates" addendum. This is not a request for an optional future improvement, it is an insistence that Jawbone meet its truth-in-advertising obligation and deliver a working implementation of a feature which is clearly advertised in the documentation. This is covered in U.S. law by the Lanham Act, 43(a)(1)(B). As an element of my good faith, I will state that I enjoy the speakers otherwise and am prepared to wait a reasonable interval until the next firmware release implements this falsely-advertised missing feature, but I expect that Jawbone's good faith will be to state firmly that they will meet the implicit obligations made through advertising features which the delivered article does not possess. Cheers, -Don

[calyth]

I would also much appreciate correct implementation of the VGS  / VGM command for the Jambox.

I could use something that accept these commands for my work, and frankly I've always had my eye on the bluetooth speakers, so I didn't mind getting it myself without verifying that it support these commands. 

I would love to use something like this as a reference device with a correct implementation of the bluetooth stack.