HDD Read Only Error is driving me nuts

[Peter Orr]

I have been using my B2 successfully for about two years. However, recently I've been getting an HDD error alert which I have tried to ignore by rebooting and hoping I've seen it for the last time.  I'm not convinced that the root cause was switching off the Brennan in mid process and suspect there is a bug. I'm running the latest B2 software.

A little research of this group lead me to the conclusion that a B2 HDD format might be a fix, with potentially an SD card reimaging being required as well.

I have been using NAS as my main way of transferring tracks from my iMac to the B2, although getting access to the files on the B2 was intermittent to say the least - multiple attempts to get the B2's tracks to appear in a Finder window are typically required by clicking on Network, Music and waiting several minutes to either achieve success or getting a failure to connect message. Specifically "The operation can't be completed because the original item for 'music' can't be found". Rebooting the B2 and trying again sometimes leads to successful NAS connection. Would the elimination of the HDD error warning make this connection more reliable, I wonder? 

Unfortunately, once I start to add tracks to the B2 from the iMac I now consistently get a HDD Read Only Error with red light blinking as part of a cycle with a 5 second interval. Rebooting does clear this fault but only very temporarily. Updating my Brennan with new music via NAS has therefore become impossible.

I decided to take a fresh backup of all my B2 tracks, starting with a new 2TB HD connected to USB port C via a USB hub then running the Format USB C command. This was successful. I then commenced the Backup via the Export to USB C command.

This seemed to be progressing well, but unfortunately only ran for 12 minutes before stopping and the B2 reporting a HDD read only error! Bizarrely, the B2 is now reporting my 7914 tracks in 948 albums and 568 artists as occupying 0.00Gb rather than the 201.4 Gb of the total available B2 space of 2000Gb.

So I can't take a new backup and am reliant going forward on an older backup which does not include about 10 physical CDs and 15 Apple Music CDs recently added to my collection and existing in Apple Music on my iMac.

Does anybody think I am right to proceed with the B2 HDD Format, knowing that all the B2 tracks will be lost in this process, as a way of ridding my B2 of the repeating Read only errors?

Is the SD reimaging a necessary additional step?

Would be very interested in any comments from users with similar issues and how they were resolved, if at all.

Peter

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Peter,

HMM - You have provided quite a dense information package.

My "feeling" is that your HDD may be starting to fail. 

I know your attempt at a new full "Export" backup failed after 10 mins, but "Export" is incremental and you may be able to add the new 10 physical CDs and 15 Apple Music CDs recently added to your collection to the end of your LAST good "Export" backup. (this would take less time and may work). If not at least you do not have too many CDs to reload!

When you boot up and the HDD read only error has then cleared, can you successfully run a Scan Disk on the drive or does that fail with a read error too (because that operation reads the entire drive).

You could try re-imaging your SD Card to see if that helps (it is a step to take and a bit simpler/less drastic than an HDD job and would eliminate this as a cause).

However I think in the end you may have to reformat (or even replace) your HDD (reformat as first step). 

Replacing the HDD if you have to do it is not a particularly difficult task (you can do it yourself) - I replaced my 2Tb drive with a SSD equivalent a few months ago just fine.

Regarding the intermittent NAS issues, that sounds like a poor quality WiFi problem what is your WiFi strength at the B2?

Fred

[Peter Orr]

Hi Fred,

Thanks for your help and guidance.

Assuming, as you feel, that my B2 HDD is going south, I think I will replace my HDD with an SSD unit as you did - a job which I recently performed successfully on my 27" 2015 iMac which was a surgical operation involving slicing the screen glass from the monitor housing using a mini pizza cutter. The speed increase was very rewarding, and I managed to avoid cracking the screen, unlike many who have gone before!

I am using the very flaky NAS connection to migrate my latest music from the B2 to my backup HD to create an up to date backup. Once the NAS connection is made it appears to be reliably stable, but this can take half a dozen attempts to achieve the connection before I stop getting a 'Brennan can't be found' type error message on the iMac. I can not put this down to a weak WiFi signal as it is very strong and stable (like Theresa May) at the Brennan and the iMac. 

Having eventually established the B2-iMac NAS connection, the actual NAS transfer process is painful as I have to drag and drop by individual track with a 50/50 chance of the B2 red lighting and re-reporting its HDD error, in mid transfer, which shuts down the transfer with a mac error message, in which case I simply try again. If I grab a whole CD there is no chance of that much data not causing a HDD red light flash, closing the file transfer process. Eventually I can copy every FLAC file at a rate of about one track per 4 minutes on average. 

I'm guessing that sooner or later I will lose all contact with the B2 HDD, but it's limping along enough to do this transfer with multiple red light fits along the way and I'm slowly updating my Backup HDD while the B2 so reluctantly wants to share its contents.

I'm hoping that the SD card is not the root cause of the HDD error message, but I want to eliminate the HDD in any case so will move on to the SD reflash if the SSD instal does not resolve the issue.

Thanks again for your comments.

Peter

[Peter Orr]

Fred,

Forgot to answer your question re Scan Disk.  Yes, Scan Disk seems to run fine once I've rebooted the B2, despite the presumed sick HDD. It remains a mystery why the B2 is reporting 0Gb of space used when it is showing over 200Gb of track data on it.

Peter

On Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at 12:35:30 PM UTC fred.w....@gmail.com wrote:

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Ok Peter.

If you are going down the HDD to SSD replacement route, remember that you still have the old B2 HDD to "hand". So, providing it is still readable, you can in fact connect it to a PC / Mac with a USB3  to SATA cable and read it.
I thought my WiFi strength was OK, but after I connected it via Ethernet (using a Powerline Ethernet solution ie Ethernet over house mains wiring) I was amazed at how much better the NAS and indeed the B2's UI behaved. (Even though some people do not recommend Ethernet over mains!).

Just be gentle getting the HDD out and remember there is a cable to the Screen at the front that you need to try not to pull off.

Fred

[Peter Orr]

Fred,

Good point, I will try connecting the removed B2 HD to my iMac and also run a health scan on it to see whether this sheds any light on the problem. If I can copy its contents to another HDD that would be a good additional backup.

Now to search for a suitable SDD replacement on Amazon. When I did this for the iMac I needed to replace the internal drive temp sensor as well in order to keep the iMac software happy. I'm assuming there is no such luxury as temp monitoring in the Brennan for me to worry about.

Peter

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

No, no temp thingies to worry about in the B2 Peter.

My SSD was a black Friday Samsung purchase from Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B078WRSSVT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Fred

[Jeff]

Peter, I have these fitted in my laptop and PC, very good and great value!

Crucial MX500 2TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 inch 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal SSD | CT2000MX500SSD1 | Crucial UK  

[Peter Orr]

Thanks Jeff, yes I used the Crucial 2TB SSD in my iMac upgrade - very pleased with it too!

Peter

[PMB]

Hi Peter,

Another B2 owner wrote this document on changing the HDD. You may find it useful.

If you have managed to dis-assemble a MAC then the B2 will be a doddle....

Paul

Brennan Support.

[ma...@garymshaw.co.uk]

I've just read this thread about the unit displaying "Warning: HDD Read Only!" with interest, as my B2 has started doing this too over the last couple of days.

If it as as Fred suggests, the hard drive dying, then I'm really annoyed, as I only ordered mine on 27/12/18. If I have to change the hard drive and reload the files every two years, then it's certainly not worth the £500 I paid for it.

The functionality of the B2 is flaky enough anyway, without this added chore. I'm very disappointed and feel like I've been ripped off.

I'll contact Brennan about it, but my warranty will have expired by now anyway.

Gary

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Garry,

Just because you are getting the  "Warning: HDD Read Only!"  it does not mean that your DHH is dying - there can be other causes. However the symptoms described by Peter above did, to me, indicate that that was the problem in his case (we need to wait and see how things go when he installs a new one) - I could be covered in chagrin :( !!

More often the warning appears because a write to the disk has at some point caused a data corruption. In which measures other than replacing hardware can be used to solve the problem. The most important thing a B2 owner can do is to make sure that they have a complete backup of their music.

Fred

[ma...@garymshaw.co.uk]

Thanks Fred. That's hopefully the case.

I have back up files, but I previously had to load them to the B2 via a USB memory stick, which took forever as I have over 36,000 files to load on.

If I bought a 2TB hard drive just to back up directly from the B2, would that work now or has the possible corruption made it too late?

Thanks,

Gary

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Garry

First thing to do is Run a "Scan Disk" then a "save".  then reboot the B2 - does that clear the HDD problem?

Then look at the front screen or the "cog" on the UI and see how many GB your music collection actually occupies. Mine looks like this

I do not have quite as many tracks as you but I bet you are still below "Used 1000.00 Gb".

In which case, unless you plan to load a lot more, a 1Tb SSD USB hard drive (which is what I use) will be OK as a backup device.

Mine is a https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-T7-Portable-SSD-MU-PC1T0T-dp-B087DDGWKL/dp/B087DFLF9S/ref=dp_ob_title_ce?th=1

(I see they do a 2Tb version now for what I paid for mine in 2016).

---------------------------------

Regarding your HDD issue what were you doing with the B2 prior to this happening. Also was there a power cut or anything ?

Fred

[ma...@garymshaw.co.uk]

Hi Fred

I've scanned the disk. Not sure what you mean by a "save". I then put it on stand by and switched it on and off at the back. Does that reboot it?

It removed the "Read Only" message, so I tried to rip a CD. It did it once, then when I tried another, it spat the CD out and "Read Only" appeared again.

As you can see from the screenshot, mine is just over half full, so I'd need a bigger than 1TB back up. 

What I did before I tried (and failed) to rip tracks from a CD was run the 'web update', which was two days ago. I've done that again (2 or 3 times) today and initially it lets me rip tracks again, but then reverts to the "Warning: HDD Read Only!".

Whilst on the subject of web updates, any idea what the "Forget Clear Sonos Devices" in the screenshot is? That wasn't there before. As I don't have any Sonos Devices, I'm guessing it's not applicable to me.

Thanks for all the help with this, much appreciated.

Gary

[ma...@garymshaw.co.uk]

No idea why the screenshot disappeared when posted.

[ma...@garymshaw.co.uk]

Hopefully it works this time!

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

"Save" = press and hold in the front button marked "Play/Stop" until "SAVING" appears on the front screen. Wait until the time reappears before powering off the B2 (or continuing with more uploads/ripping etc).

Doing a "save" should be ROUTINE before powering off a B2.

Doing a "Scan Disk" should be routine whenever anything has been done to change the contents of the B2's Music content (followed by a "save").

In my opinion as you were able to rip one CD before the HD error reappeared, your problem is a corrupt file on the HDD.  

I hope others here on the forum confirm this opinion !!

but if so I think you may have to make sure you have a full backup ("Export") of your B2 and then "Reformat HDD" to get rid of it, followed by reloading ("Import") your music from the backup.

I know of no way to identify the causative corrupt file (so that you can delete it specifically) but others here may.

Fred 

On Thursday, 31 December 2020 at 15:09:53 UTC ma...@garymshaw.co.uk wrote:

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

You do have the latest software - the Sonos bit you can ignore, you would not find it relevant unless you have Sonos devices.

Yep your backup device needs to be 2 Tb - a SSD one is good because it uses very little power and is fast.

You do NEED a COMPETE backup of your B2 as a matter of some urgency - before doing anything else to restore heath to your B2.

Fred

[Peter Orr]

By way of an update, I removed the internal HDD from my B2 and replaced it with a new 2TB SSD (easy to do, described elsewhere on here). I then formatted it to Fat32 using the B2 and imported tracks from a backup HDD via USB C. This took about 5 hours to restore 8079 tracks.  All OK, no HDD errors since, so no need to refresh the SD card so far.

Interestingly, I connected the original B2 HD to my iMac via a SATA to USB adapter cable in order to do some failure analysis on it via Apple's Disk Utiliy app. First Aid couldn't find anything wrong with it! So I formatted it FAT32 and saved the contents of the B2 onto it so that it can be a standby backup HDD from now on.

Thank you Fred, Paul and others for your helpful comments.

Peter

[PMB]

Hi Gary,

If you had ripped some CDs around the time the HDD Read Only message appeared, I would suspect one of the rips was bad. So it may be worth deleting the last few CDs, run Scan Disk and see if it clears the Read Only message.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[ma...@garymshaw.co.uk]

Thanks Paul, you could well be right there. The thing is, I've tried to deleting the last few CDs, either on the B2 or on an FE File Explorer app, and they just won't delete. I've tried both ways several times and then the files are still there afterwards. This is also after scanning the disc, saving the disc, standing by and rebooting the unit.

I've ordered a 2TB external hard drive as Fred suggested, which is due to arrive on Wednesday, so I'll see if it'll let me back up everything and presumably I can reset the B2 and then reload the tracks again.

[PMB]

Hi Gary,

OK let us know how you get on.

You will need to format the backup HDD before you can use it. The B2 can do this - plug the HDD into USB C (or A) > go to the Maintenance menu and select 'Format USB C (or A). There's more info on our website - here.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Gary Shaw]

Hi Paul,

After a delivery issue with the courier (thanks Hermes, useless as ever), I finally received the back up hard drive on Wednesday.

I formatted it as you said, then started to back it up. Which took the best part of a day. My fault for having almost 37k tracks on it.

I checked the back up drive on my computer and deleted the recently added tracks from the failed rip, which I couldn't delete off the B2.

I then wiped the original tracks from the B2, restarted it and clicked on the restore from USB (c).

I've done that twice now, both times it's crashed. The first time I started it at 8pm last night and at crashed at 9am this morning.

I then went through the whole procedure again at 10:35am and the display currently (at 2:25pm) reads 11:25am. The red light is no longer flashing but the display still reads "restoring" and then lists the track that was copying over when it crashed. Both times different tracks, neither of which were corrupted on a recent rip from a CD.

I'm reluctant to try this a third time, as it can run for many hours before crashing out. So any advice would be very welcome.

Thanks,

Gary

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Hi Garry

Lets just be clear.

You got the new drive,

1) formatted it using the B2, 

2) EXPORTED !!  (USB menu > Export to C) your HDD contents

3) checked your new drives contents on your PC, deleting some files.

4) Wiped the B2's HDD (how did you do this Format HDD?)

5) rebooted

6) IMPORTED !! (USB menu > import USB C) to restore your music to your HDD

I say the above steps in CAPITALS as you have not made clear in your question which command you used. 

Fred

[Gary Shaw]

Hi Frred,

Yes, exported to USB C.

Then just deleted the HDD contents, presumably there is a control in 'Maintenance' to format the HDD?

Then imported from USB C.

So it looks like the formatting of the HDD where I'm going wrong?

I'll give that a go. It can be confusing, as there are a lot of options, some of which appear similar.

Thanks

Gary

[Gary Shaw]

The 'format HDD' is in the 'advanced' settings, which is probably why I didn't see it.

Have done it and am now importing from the back up. Fingers crossed!!!

Gary

[fred.w....@gmail.com]

Good, you have found it!

It is a good idea to familiarize yourself with this page

https://www.brennan.co.uk/itemcontent.php/content/Menus

I think that now you have a "clean" HDD the Import should work OK.

Please keep us informed regarding your progress.

Fred

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Gary,

Did you run 'Stop NAS' before you ran 'Format HDD'?  The format will not work correctly if NAS is still running, but it does not report an error.  Therefore you can think that the format of the HDD has worked when in fact it has not.  So you might be 'Import'ing to a drive that has not been re-formatted.

Regards,

Peter.

[Gary Shaw]

No Peter I didn't know about that. 

But thankfully I saw your message before I posted again, as I was going to say that the whole process still hasn't worked. The import failed twice and then seemed to work third time, but is now showing the 'HDD Read Only' message again.

I'll try again (fingers double crossed) and this time will Stop NAS too.

Thanks.

Gary

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Gary,

Another thought for you is this.  In the spring of 2020, I began to look into 'Export' and 'Import' failures, as many users were posting problems.  However before I really got going I found that these functions were failing randomly on my B2 before I got to the reported problems.  It took me a day or so to find that the problem was being caused by the Bluetooth dongle.  I removed this and suddenly the 'Export' (and 'Import') began to work more reliably.  After that, I was able to get to the real problem, which Brennan subsequently fixed.  I have done upwards of 50 Export and Import cycles since July 2020 and these have worked without problems.  So I regard the 'Export' and 'Import' functions as totally reliable.

So, if you have a further problem with your 'Import' I would suggest that you first remove both the Bluetooth and WiFi dongles and then run the 'Import'.  Once the Import is complete then plug the dongles back in.

Also in reading this entire thread, I strongly suspect that the problems with your B2 are likely to be caused by the the WiFi dongle.  I would replace it with a proper antenna based unit (make sure it is RT5370 compliant (about £10 on Amazon).  My reason for suggesting this is that, in my view, it is unrealistic to expect the B2 to perform reliably without an antenna based WiFi unit.  I think that when the WiFi gets into difficulty that causes the B2 to become unstable and that could lead to a number of different situations.  One situation is that the B2 is very good at 'protecting' its music collection and will deliberately go in 'HDD Read only' mode if it does get into difficulty in an attempt to prevent the music prevent disk corruption.

I set up a test first using a Brennan WiFi dongle then using an antenna based unit.  The Brennan unit showed at -60 to -63 dBm, whereas the antenna based unit showed at -30dBm.  This is a factor of 1000 improvement in signal strength (the dDm scale is logarithmic and every -3dBm improvement = a doubling of the signal strength)

Replacing the WiFi dongle with a proper antenna based unit would be a massive improvement.  My set up is two B2s, both hardwired and one BB1, wireless connected to a network of three Windows servers using NAS throughout.  Then I have four Windows laptops and three MacBooks, all also using NAS.  All of this runs without problems day after day.  The older B2 is now over 4 years old and all three Brennans have been stable and trouble free.

Some users will be thinking 'well everything else works on my wireless network'.  This is true, but everything else has a 4 to 6 inch antenna usually hidden inside the phone or laptop or other wireless device.  The B2 does not have that, and thus suffers from having to work with an unrealistically low signal level.

i don't normally use wireless on my B2s and I think that this is why my environment is so stable.  The BB1 is also stable, but it has (I think) an antenna hidden inside the case just like most other wireless devices.

 My apologies for the length of this post but when I saw what you are suffering from, I just had to offer some assistance in order for you to get to a 'happy place'

Regards and good luck!

Peter.

[Gary Shaw]

That's brilliant Peter. 

I've read through, am now 99% sure I understand what I'm doing and will give all that a go.

It takes a long time to get it done, but that's my fault for the sheer amount of music on there.

Thanks again and I'll post on here how I get on.

Gary

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Gary,

Yes, keep us posted on your progress.  From the stats that you posted, I think that the full 'Import' should complete in about 38 hours.  Then take it from there!

Regards,

Peter.

[Gary Shaw]

Hi Peter,

I think we have a favourable result.

I've got the external to format, backed up the HDD, restarted NAS and it seemed OK.

So I then ripped a few new discs. All good. I then backed up the external again and tried ripping the discs which failed last time. Still all good.

I'll now look into your point about replacing the WiFi dongle.

Thanks for all your help with this.

Gary

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Gary,

That's great news and thanks for the update.

Yes, I think that the Wifi dongle is a 'centre of misery'.  I believe that a proper antenna based unit will be a massive improvement to the smooth running of your B2.

Regards,

Peter.

[Gary Shaw]

Hi Peter, me again!

I've bought a RT5370 compliant WiFi antenna dongle for the B2, and it now won't connect to the network.

I replaced the old dongle, restarted the B2, then searched for the network, only to see that it couldn't find any.

Is there something else I need to do, to let the B2 know that it now has a different dongle?

I also (even before replacing the dongle) find that it will no longer connect via Bluetooth to an Amazon Echo or a Juice speaker, both of which previously streamed from it no problem.

I have to be honest and say that I'm starting to regret buying the B2, it wasn't cheap and there appears to be constant issues with it. I don't even use it that often, it's wired to my lounge hifi, which is the only place it now works. But I actually bought it to stream around the house, which it now struggles to do.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Gary

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Gary,

The antenna USB unit should be a 'plug and go' situation.  It was for me.

So, if you plug in the original Brennan dongle, can the B2 connect to the router?

Next, if you power down the B2, plug in the antenna unit, then power the B2 up try this.

1.  Go to  Main menu' --> 'Settings' --> 'Maintenance' --> 'Reset Wifi'  and then see if the B2 can see the router.

2.  Power down the router for two minutes and power it back up.  Give the router ten minutes to let it get itself sorted out and then see if the B2 can find it.

Regards,

Peter.

[Gary Shaw]

Hi Peter, I tried all you suggested, but no joy.

I've since plugged the old WiFi dongle back in and it connects to the network again. Therefore it's probably due to the antenna dongle.

I can't prove it's broken, as I don't know enough about that kind of thing, so pointless sending it back.

I've reached the point where my B2 only works when connected directly to my hifi, so it's in effect become a very expensive CD player with an unreliable remote control system.

I think I've now wasted more than enough time and money on it, so I won't be trying anything else and will just leave it as it is.

Thanks for all your help, it's much appreciated. 

Kind regards,

Gary

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Gary,

I reckon that the new antenna unit is faulty, so you could return it and get a replacement.  If it uses the RT5370 chipset (which your's does) then it should plug in and go.  The Brennan can do so many things once you have a good network connection.  I have 2 x B2s, one wired and one using the RT5370 Wifi unit and they just work!

If you need further help, just give us a shout here.

Regards,

Peter.

[PMB]

Hi Gary,

Which RT5370 dongle did you get - I assume Peter gave you a link? It does sound like it may be faulty and needs to be replaced. Amazon are usually good with returns as they want to keep a good reputation.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Gary Shaw]

Hi Paul,

I actually got it through a seller on eBay, as I don't like using Amazon. It isn't branded (picture attached), but is apparently RT5370 compliant.

I've since contacted the seller, explained the situation and they've given me a return address for a replacement.

I'll see what happens then, but I have to be honest that I'm getting very disillusioned with the B2, it's been nothing but problems since I bought it a couple of years ago. Even if it now connects to the network better with a replaced antenna dongle, it's currently not recognising any of the Bluetooth devices in my home. Which is exactly what it was bought for.

Kind regards,

Gary

[PMB]

Hi Gary,

OK let us know how it goes with the replacement dongle.

Concerning Bluetooth - I assume you have the Bluetooth dongle (the one marked CSR4.0) plugged in?

1. Try 'Reset Bluetooth' - Maintenance menu - using the front control on the B2
2. Also do a reset (clear all previous pairings) on one of your Bluetooth speakers.
3. Now try pairing the B2 and the speaker again.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Gary Shaw]

I've had a message from the Antenna Dongle seller to say there's nothing wrong with it, so they've refunded my money.

There's still no improvement with the Bluetooth. If I scan for devices, it picks up a Samsung TV, which isn't mine so must be next door, but nothing of mine. The Echo speaker in the kitchen can see the B2, but not vice versa. The Juice speaker can't be found on the B2 either.

So I'm going to do an up-to-date back-up of the unit onto my back-up hard-drive, then reset it to factory settings. 

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Gary,

The only thought that I have now is that the Antenna unit is not using the RT5370 chipset and therefore is not compatible.  As I said before, I purchased a unit, plugged it into the B2 and it worked straight away.  I'm still using it today for testing.

Regards,

Peter.

[PMB]

Hi Gary,

This one does work.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[PMB]

Hi Gary,

Re. Bluetooth problem - I assume you are putting the Echo and Juice devices into 'Discovery' mode?

Try clearing all previous pairings from the Echo and/or Juice and then try to pair the B2.

Paul

Brennan Support.

[Gary Shaw]

Hi Paul,

The Juice speaker has no interface, it just connects to a Bluetooth signal.

I've looked at the Echo via its app. It can see the B2, but not vice versa. If I tell it via the app to connect to the B2, it then connects as if it's outputting its signal to the B2, when I actually need the opposite. If I then go into the B2 settings and click on Bluetooth, it shows that it's now paired to the Echo, but when I tick the box to connect to output from the B2 to the Echo, it just unticks it. It can still see a Samsung TV in someone else's house, but nothing in mine.

As mentioned previously, and as you've probably worked out, I'm getting really fed up with the whole thing. It's had regular to constant issues right from the start. I want a device to stream music around my house. I didn't want to have to learn in-depth computer systems to make it work. I'm fairly good with hifi and computers, but not at the level I appear to need to be to get it to work. If I'd known at the start it would have been this much trouble, I wouldn't have bought it.

My concern is that even if I buy the wifi dongle you recommend above, it still won't connect to any speakers in the house and therefore will be a pointless purchase.

I find the B2 similar to my iPhone. In that every time there's a software update it adds new features. But I don't want new features, I just want the existing ones to be more reliable and user-friendly.

Gary

[jeff...@googlemail.com]

I have google home devices that I have connected to my B2, To connect them, I had to put them in discover mode, through the google app, and then Scan bluetooth from the B2 settings page. Once discovered you then pair them. I would imagine an echo is very similar in its pairing,  No?

[jeff...@googlemail.com]

Juice instructions tell you to press power button till the power light flashes constantly, it is now in discover mode, and can be scanned from B2 bluetooth settings! They don't "just connect" as you would be able to connect to every bluetooth device out there. Give it a go and try it.

[Gary Shaw]

Hi Jeff, thanks for trying to help with this, but that's pretty much what Peter suggested above and I then addressed on my last post. 

Plus I should point out that the Amazon Echo is not a recent purchase that I'm trying to connect for the first time. I bought it only a couple of weeks before the B2, two or three years ago. It's worked most of the time since then, with the occasional glitch. But now just they just won't work together. The Echo can see the B2, but not vice versa and that's what I need to stream from the B2.

I reset the B2 today, both Bluetooth and WiFi, but to no avail. It just won't connect. 

Thanks,

Gary

On Friday, 30 April 2021 at 15:04:57 UTC+1 jeff...@googlemail.com wrote:

[Gary Shaw]

It's always connected before, but I'll give that a try. Fingers crossed.

Thanks Jeff.

[Peter Lowham]

Hi Jeff,

My discussion with Gary was in regard to Wireless WiFi connections, not Bluetooth.

Regards,

Peter.

[jeff...@googlemail.com]

Ah sorry, didn't realise they all worked before, best to delete bluetooth devices and start again, so unpair from B2 bluetooth settings, and also from echo pairings, and go to discover mode again! You always have to "reset" from both sides, as it were.

On Friday, 30 April 2021 at 15:53:24 UTC+1 ma...@garymshaw.co.uk wrote:

[jeff...@googlemail.com]

Peter, yes i know, I'm just trying to help him with his bluetooth, which seems to be a problem too. If only one could say, I'll just pop round for a look!!!