Firmware for app to work

Andy - I think it's worth upgrading to the latest firmware to beneift from DAC processing improvements.

3.17 is a pretty old firmware version, and some functions of the streamer will not work unless you update it. Multiroom, Tidal, Spotify, BBC HLS iRadio, etc. and some sound quality improvements all need later firmware. 

The later firmware also improves streamer discovery. But if you mean that the current version of your app can't see your streamer, then the firmware update won't help with that.

There seems to have been some change made in the way streamer discovery works from app version 5.7 onwards and this seems to be network dependant. You may find it works ok if you restart your wireless router.

best

David

Thanks David. I've restarted my router (a lot). I can't install new Firmware from my Mac for some reason and I'm going to have to take a day off work to get a dealer to do it and I'm really worried thats not going to sort the connection problems out. Have you spoken to Naim about your problems? There seem to be a lot of similar comments on the app review page but I can't get any comment from the service dept about if they know of any problems and they are suggesting it is just down to the firmware. I am stupified that they would force you to use a piece of software they know isn't compatible with the system it is being downloaded onto.

I haven't discussed it with Naim directly, but I am a beta tester and I have posted many reports about this issue on the beta forum. But I have no feedback on what if anything they are doing about the issue.

But updating your streamer firmware is worth doing anyway. As Adam and Chris said, the later firmware releases included many improvements, including sound quality improvements. Also Naim recommend using the latest streamer firmware and I think you will find it hard to get any traction with them while you are still on such an old version. So I think you should regard it as a free upgrade (or nearly free if your dealer charges you!). It only takes 15 mins to do so you shouldn't have to wait too long or pay for too much of their time.

Also I think the current app should see the streamer and the problem I have seen is that it often forgets and you have to restart the app to make it look again. But if yours doesn't see the streamer at all then that is different and maybe updating the firmware will sort it out.

Do let us know here what happens though please!

best and fingers crossed

David

Thanks David. It sounds like I'll have to go down that route. It might ony be 15 minutes in the shop but added to the month it'll be before I can get down there and the waste of a days holiday its a big overhead for me. I'll report back one way or the other.

Where do you live? Someone on here might be local, so you could do it in the evening. 

As HH says.

Also the PC updater seems to work more reliably than the Mac one, so if you can find a friend with a PC who is willing to help you, you can probably update the firmware that way yourself.

best

David

Well, I did find a beat up old PC laptop yesterday that could barely load Minesweeper but did manage to update the Firmware, so there is some issue with the Mac installation software/ process if any Mac people find this and are having problems. So horray for that, but it hasn't changed the fact I still can't connect to the app (although my friends iphone with the old app is still fine). What a sham.

In that case, I'd send an email to Naim, and hopefully Phil will be able to sort you out. 

I suggest you contact Naim support either via phone or email.  They should be able to help you out.

I think the problem with the Mac updater is that some versions of the Mac OS see the streamer as an unauthorised hardware add on and so don't allow the connection to work. I recall reading a few forum posts about this at the time a new Mac OS version was being rolled out (maybe a year or so ago) and a more savvy than usual Mac user explained what he had to do to overcome this. It wasn't at all obvious and as I don't use Mac myself, I didn't read it that carefully.

best

David

David Hendon posted:

I think the problem with the Mac updater is that some versions of the Mac OS see the streamer as an unauthorised hardware add on and so don't allow the connection to work. I recall reading a few forum posts about this at the time a new Mac OS version was being rolled out (maybe a year or so ago) and a more savvy than usual Mac user explained what he had to do to overcome this. It wasn't at all obvious and as I don't use Mac myself, I didn't read it that carefully.

That sounds familiar - I've always done the updates on a Mac, I'll have a look on mine later and see if I can remember what the issue was.

ChrisSU posted:

David Hendon posted:

I think the problem with the Mac updater is that some versions of the Mac OS see the streamer as an unauthorised hardware add on and so don't allow the connection to work. I recall reading a few forum posts about this at the time a new Mac OS version was being rolled out (maybe a year or so ago) and a more savvy than usual Mac user explained what he had to do to overcome this. It wasn't at all obvious and as I don't use Mac myself, I didn't read it that carefully.

That sounds familiar - I've always done the updates on a Mac, I'll have a look on mine later and see if I can remember what the issue was.

Having just refreshed my memory, I think the issue is with a restriction Apple place on the opening of third party apps in OSX. Depending on which version of OSX you run, there is a setting in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General. 

The default setting is to 'Allow apps downloaded from the (Mac) app store.' You can change this to also allow apps from 'identified developers', or 'anywhere.' Later versions of OSX have had the 'anywhere' option removed, so on the face of it, you can't open some apps at all. However, if you go back to the app and try opening it, but do so by control-clicking on it, you get a warning box, but you can still open it.

I'm not sure if this addresses the OP's problem, but it may be worth looking at for any future updates. Having done a fair few firmware updates, all with a Mac, I've always found them to be straightforward, and I'm certainly not going to borrow a PC to do it.

Chris in this case the OP could run the updater but it couldn't find the port that his SU was connected to. I seem to recall a different Mac problem to the one you describe that was introduced with an OS update (Mountain Lion maybe?) where because of a new security feature, the OS wouldn't allow the hardware to be connected rather than wouldn't allow the programme to run. A forum member explained it and there was a complicated reconfiguration which solved it.

best

David

Hi David - you're right that a recent OS update (to Sierra or earlier, El Capitain?) blocked access to the serial port UART interface and other things. There was a complex way to disable the security, but there was also an official fix issued in an early patch, so users don't have to disable all hardware security to use the UART any more. 

There were also driver issues with one of the serial controller adapter chipsets, but that was for the USB to RS232 converters, I think; as I had that working first  (for a Qute) I don't recall if this is necessary for the equipment that comes with mini-USB (Qute2, SU, etc). 

The Mac does not always show what's installed, driver wise, when there is no connection. It is important to make sure cables and adapters work, of course, but simply testing a USB to USB-mini cable with a camera or external hard (as mentioned by the OP) disc may not be sufficient, since that isn't necessarily the protocol used by the Naim updater. 

I also have a vague memory that there was one specific firmware update that was required, since the updater code itself was changed; that may have been very early (3.21?) in the beta cycle. You certainly don't have to install every release version sequentially, but there may be some that are mandatory. 

Looking in system settings to see which serial adapters are available is a good idea, and can be done under the Apple Icon (top left corner) -> About This Mac -> Overview -> System Report where you can see a list of Hardware.

Under USB, you should see the USB Serial bus device tree and its host controller drivers.

Since the OP has the Bluetooth option visible in the Naim updater, he should see a USB 2.0 Bus, with a Hub entry for IR receiver, which cascades down to the Bluetooth driver.  This isn't used by the Naim Updater, but it is a nice confirmation of a driver that is installed.

If the Silicon Labs driver has been properly installed (and possibly only if a cable is connected, not sure) then on the USB 3.0 bus, there should be an entry for the CP2102 USB to UART Bridge Controller (this is most likely the one from Silicon Laboratories Inc, as suggested in the Naim instructions but that isn't the only one out there). If this isn't visible in the Apple System info tree, it can't show up in the Naim Updater "select interface" dialog...which is what happened to the OP. I'd recommended re-installing the Silicon Labs driver, in that case. As I read the original post, however, it seemed like this had been done...so I'm not really sure what's going on if the system status shows that everything is as it should be, but the Naim Updater app still only offers the (useless) Bluetooth Bridge Controller and not the Serial (UART) Bridge  

Whew. Pretty long winded, but clear enough for folks to check the status of their Mac before launching the Naim Updater I hope!!

Regards alan

I have read the above posts - and I have never had an issue with my  USB to Serial converter on my Mac running Yosemite and earlier OSX versions using Prolific drivers. Just install the Prolific drivers and away you go.. and to check all is ok - plug the USB/Serial converter in, and it doesn't need to be connected to the Naim streamer to do this check,  and from the terminal type and you will see - 

$ ioreg -c IOSerialBSDClient | grep usb

    | | | |     |           "IOTTYBaseName" = "usbserial"

    | | | |     |           "IOCalloutDevice" = "/dev/cu.usbserial"

    | | | |     |           "IODialinDevice" = "/dev/tty.usbserial"

    | | | |     |           "IOTTYDevice" = "usbserial"

When connected to the streamer, restart the Naim streamer to activate the Streamer's serial  interface and then The Naim update app sees this and happily connects to the streamer.

So although some might have issues it certainly it isn't necessary to have them with using the  USB to Serial converter on the Mac