While on a group ride, two of us sported the mesh-only intercom Sena Spider ST1 that I recently reviewed. A third buddy had an older Sena unit with Bluetooth-only intercom capabilities. Even though Sena told us they wouldn’t connect, we spent a half-hour trying to make it happen, with no success. Enter Sena’s +Mesh.
Sena +Mesh, which features Mesh 2.0 technology, is the perfect intercom solution for owners of older model Senas to jump on the Mesh bandwagon for $119 MSRP. As I related in the ST1 review, my experience with the Mesh intercom on a 1000-mile trip proved that Bluetooth is dead; long live Mesh.
Mount the 2.1-ounce +Mesh on your handlebars, side of your helmet, or somewhere on your bike away from the rider’s body, as bodies limit the radio’s range. Pair it to your phone or connect it via an iOS or Android app, and you are in business. The pairing is a simple one-minute operation and, once accomplished, a one-button press on the +Mesh adds the user to any Sena Mesh intercom group.
I’ll even go so far as to suggest that if your crew all use the Bluetooth intercom, you all get the +Mesh and make life so much easier and better. You’ll only need to pair your headset to the +Mesh. Once done, it’s one button-press to engage the Mesh intercom and no more fiddling around in the parking lot trying to get all your pals connected. It even connects on the fly to anyone joining the ride or trading places in the line. Mesh is relatively dropout-free, works over longer distances, and reduces noise and static.
The +Mesh is a good choice for Sena 10C Evo and 10C Pro riders. These are Sena’s units that have a built-in camera but still use BT intercom technology. It is also applicable to some of Sena’s Momentum helmets.
As with most all devices, upon receipt, I charge it and check the firmware for updates. Sena devices require using the Sena Device Manager software, which is easy to use and can be found on their website.
On a ride with two pals, they both had a Sena 10C and +Mesh, while I was equipped with a Sena Spider ST1. A five-second press on each +Mesh enters the units into pairing mode. Next, a five-second press on each Sena dial puts the devices in intercom pairing mode. Within a few seconds, they connect. After a final one-second press on the +Mesh, we were all chatting clearly.
Additionally, those 10C units can still pair through their native Bluetooth function. When they turn on the +Mesh, they attach to my intercom. When they turn off the +Mesh, their units revert to Bluetooth intercom without giving any other commands.
Out on the road, we enjoyed a strong connection and clear audio, plus the ability to reconnect seamlessly. When one rider got too far ahead in the canyon and went around a hill, we lost him. Yet, once he was in range, we were automatically connected again.
Sena claims the working distance is up to a half-mile in open terrain between two riders. That can extend up to nearly two miles when daisy-chaining six riders. With three Mesh riders, we found the claim of a half-mile to be accurate.
The +Mesh supports Open Mesh Intercom with virtually no limit to the number of rider connections. We could not test this as we were limited to three units we had on this test. Sena claims a talk time of up to 13 hours. We used it all day without any hiccups. Claimed charging time is two hours. Included with the +Mesh device are three accessories—a sticky mount, handlebar mount, and Micro-USB cable.
There are so many advantages to this newer technology that I can predict that Bluetooth intercom is a thing of the past. With native Mesh or Sena +Mesh, there is no pre-ride pairing and one-buttons connections—good riddance to Bluetooth.
