Neat devices: Version 20221128 Release Notes

Last updated on June 22, 2023

If you would like to receive email notifications for new releases, please subscribe here.

1. Introduction

This document describes the new features, improvements, bug fixes and known issues in the 20221128 software release for Neat Bar, Neat Bar Pro, Neat Pad, Neat Board, and Neat Frame.

As long as your Neat equipment was up and on the network after 2:00pm Central European Time (8:00am Eastern US / 5:00am Pacific US) on Saturday, March 18th, the update would have been downloaded into the Stable update channel on your device.

If you had opted out of automatic upgrades by disabling ‘Automatic updates’ on your Neat device, please note that it will remain on the existing software release and will not upgrade. However, if you would like to upgrade to the 20221128 release, please enable ‘Automatic updates’ and the Neat device(s) will download the latest firmware release and upgrade the Stable channel as above. Automatic updates can be enabled or disabled by going into your Neat’s System settings (from a Neat Pad, Neat Board, or Neat Frame) -> System -> Software Update.

Note: Previous release notes can be found here: https://support.neat.no/article/neat-devices-version-20220914-release-notes/

2. What’s in the new upgrade?

Saturday March 18th:
The Neat firmware builds in this upgrade are

Neat Pad firmware: NFA1.20221128.0007
Neat Bar firmware: NFB1.20221128.0011
Neat Board firmware: NFC1.20221128.0011
Neat Bar Pro firmware: NFD1.20221128.0011

This version contains a fix an issue affecting the volume slider on Neat devices running Microsoft Teams. More information can be found under issue reference CUS-575.

Saturday February 4th:
The built-in Zoom Room versions are

Zoom Room Controller software version: 5.13.5 (1760)
Zoom Room Appliance software version: 5.13.6 (2489)

More information about the latest version of Zoom can be found here:

Saturday January 21st:
The built-in Microsoft Teams Room versions are

Admin Agent: 1.0.0.202209060820.product
Companyportal : 5.0.5484.0
Teams Devices (MTRA U3): 1449/1.0.96.2022120503
Panels (Panels U4A): 1449/1.0.97.2022748302
Display (Display U4A): 1449/1.0.95.2022120502

*NOTE: Neat devices get the current Stable version of Microsoft Teams Rooms as part of the out of box setup, and this may differ from what is listed in this article. Any future updates to Microsoft Teams apps needs to be done through TAC.

The features introduced in this release are:

Neat Bar Pro CEC support
Neat Bar Pro noise suppression (beta)
Neat Bar Pro audio extension (beta)
Neat Bar Pro voice localization in Smart Gallery
Screen reader volume adjustment
Date format in system settings
Pairing between Neat Board and Neat Pad
Secure communication between Neat Bar and Neat Pad
Neat Pulse (coming soon)
Support for 802.1x (beta)
Support for Turkish language
Updates for “beta” features
Max room occupancy notification in Microsoft Teams
Move settings behind password protection in Microsoft Teams
Other improvements

2.1 Neat Bar Pro CEC support

CEC is now supported on the Neat Bar Pro. When Auto Wake-up is enabled on the Neat Bar Pro the connected displays will now be powered off when the Neat Bar Pro enters standby mode and powered back on when the Neat Bar Pro wakes up.

2.2 Neat Bar Pro noise suppression (beta)

Advance noise suppression is now available on the Neat Bar Pro. With our deep noise suppression model, the microphone will remove most unwanted noises while preserving the clarify of voices. This will not be enabled by default. To enable noise suppression, enter the “Audio & video” page in the Neat system settings of a Neat Bar Pro and enable the “Voice isolation (beta)” toggle.

Note: This feature processes microphone signals, and it is therefore the far-end participants that will benefit from this feature.

2.3 Neat Bar Pro audio over USB (beta)

You are now able to connect additional third party speaker and microphone systems to the Neat Bar Pro using a USB-C cable. To enable this functionality, enter the “Audio & video” page in the Neat system settings of a Neat Bar Pro and enable the “Audio over USB (beta)” toggle.

For more help setting up USB audio, please see the following support article: https://support.neat.no/article/neat-bar-pro-usb-audio-support-beta/

2.4 Neat Bar Pro voice localization in Smart Gallery

In this release, the active speaker in a room can always be highlighted while using Smart Gallery in Zoom on a Neat Bar Pro. In “Gallery View” there will be a green rectangle around the frame that displays the camera stream that contains the active speaker. In Speaker View and Thumbnail View the camera stream that contains the active speaker will be shown instead of always showing the overview camera.

Note: Only the overview camera is transmitted as 720p/1080p. The additional streams are transmitted as 360p, thus the Speaker and Thumbnail View may show lower resolution than expected. We’re working together with Zoom to address this in a future release.

2.5 Screen reader volume adjustment

A volume slider to adjust the volume of spoken text is now available after enabling the screen reader from the “Accessibility” page in a device’s Neat system settings. This volume can be adjusted independently from the system volume.

2.6 Date format options

You are now able to select the format for dates appear on your Neat device in the “Time & language” page in a device’s Neat system settings. The following options are included:

DD-MM-YYYY
MM-DD-YYYY
YYYY-MM-DD

2.7 Pairing between Neat Board and Neat Pad

Neat level pairing is now available between a Neat Pad and a Neat Board. Neat level pairing gives users the ability to control and manage their Board from the Neat Pad in the same way they do for the Neat Bar and Neat Bar Pro.

To pair a Neat Pad with a Neat Board, the Neat Board must already be running a videoconferencing platform and have the “Pairing” option open in its Neat system settings (System settings -> Pairing) and the Neat Pad must be going through the out-of-box (OOB) setup. While the Neat Board is discoverable, select the option on the Neat Pad to set the device up as a standalone controller, then proceed through the OOB setup. After connecting to the same subnet as the Neat Board, the Neat Pad will be able to discover the Neat Board as a device to pair with. After selecting the Neat Board and pressing “Continue” the Neat Pad will initiate pairing with the Neat Board. Once this is complete, the videoconferencing platform running on the Neat Board will launch on the Neat Pad.

Note: The Neat Pad will not automatically sign in to your Zoom or Microsoft Teams account, you will still need to follow on-screen instructions to pair them on the platform level.

2.8 Secure communication between paired devices

This release introduces a protocol negotiation step during pairing to make communication more secure. Previously some data was sent in clear text over the network, but with this update a secure TLS channel will be established both ways for the communication between devices.

This is backwards compatible and enabled by default. If both devices support secure communication this newer method will be used, and if not the old communication method will be used.

2.9 Neat Pulse (coming soon)

Included in this release are a few foundational elements of Neat Pulse, our forthcoming device management and maintenance platform. If you have any questions, please get in touch with us at https://neat.no/contact .

2.10 Support for 802.1x (beta)

802.1x security protocol is now supported for wired and wireless networks. For help setting up your device on an 802.1x network, please see the following support article: https://support.neat.no/article/how-to-configure-802-1x-on-neat-devices-beta/

2.11 Support for Turkish language

The Turkish language is now supported on Neat devices.

2.12 Updates for “beta” features

In this release, the USB Mode feature has been renamed to “BYOD Mode” and the beta flag has been removed from its title. The Subject Boundary feature has also been renamed to “Framing Boundary” and the beta flag has been removed.

2.13 Max room occupancy notifications in Microsoft Teams

Utilizing Neat’s people count functionality, you can now set a notification in Microsoft Teams to let users know when the maximum capacity of a room is reached during calls. If the maximum capacity is set for a room, the device’s display and any connected panels will show a notification when the room has exceeded its recommended capacity during a call.

The maximum capacity of the room can be configured in the room’s Microsoft Exchange resource mailbox settings or via the set-place command while using PowerShell, and the notification can be toggled on the device in the “Meetings” page of its Microsoft Teams settings.

Note: The max room occupancy notification requires a Standard or Pro license for the room. It is not supported on Personal accounts or Microsoft Teams Rooms Basic accounts.

2.14 Move settings behind password protection in Microsoft Teams

Previously, a Neat Pad, Neat Bar, Neat Bar Pro, Neat Board, or Neat Frame running Microsoft Teams would allow for changing of the Remote Access administrator password without an authentication challenge.

By design, Neat devices operate with a single administrator password for managing configuration settings. Therefore, changing the Remote Access admin password will also change the local Microsoft Teams admin account on the device. Admin Settings allow for configuring Wi-Fi or Ethernet interfaces, configure proxy settings, enable Bluetooth, and resetting the device to factory defaults.

This updated firmware version will ensure that authentication is required for configuring remote access features and streamline the device configuration settings available to administrators.

More information can be found in the following security bulletin: https://support.neat.no/article/devices-running-microsoft-teams-allow-for-remote-admin-password-change-without-authentication/

2.15 Other improvements

This feature also contains improvements to audio beam forming on the Neat Bar Pro and other minor bug fixes for devices running Microsoft Teams.

3. Fixed bugs and improvements

Original Release

Issue reference	Description
CUS-414	Previously, it was possible for a device’s NTP server to revert back to its original setting after the device was rebooted. This issue has been resolved in this release.
CUS-456	Previously, it was possible for HDMI content sharing to fail on a Neat Bar after repeatedly switching the content source. This issue has been resolved in this relase.
CUS-477	Previously, having a bright background could cause faces to appear too dark. This issue has been resolved in this release.
CUS-485	Previously, it was possible for a Neat Bar Pro to stop sending any video signal to a display connected in the HDMI2 port during active Zoom calls. This issue has been resolved in this release.
CUS-498	Previously, it was possible for HDMI content sharing on a Neat Bar Pro to cause high CPU usage in Zoom which resulted in an error message and poor audio quality. This issue has been resolved in this release.
CUS-528	Previously, while sharing HDMI content on a Neat Bar in Zoom the content would freeze for approximately 1 second, once per minute. This issue has been resolved in this release.

Hotfixes

Issue reference	Description
CUS-551	In the original version of this release (NFD1.20221128.0005), it was possible for a Neat Bar Pro to register two connected HDMI displays regardless of the number of displays connected. This issue has been resolved in the hotfix version NFD1.20221128.0007
CUS-558 CUS-559	In the original version of this release (NFX1.20221128.0005), the Neat Bar, Neat Board, and Neat Bar Pro saw critical issues related to audio quality and sensitivity to background noise during calls. This issue has been resolved in the first hotfix version NFX1.20221128.0007
CUS-563	In the first hotfix version of the 20221128 release (NFX1.20221128.0007), the Neat Bar, Neat Board, or Neat Bar Pro would send portrait cropped video feeds to far-end participants during calls joined with the Direct Guest Join feature in Zoom or Microsoft Teams. This issue has been resolved in the second hotfix version NFX1.20221128.0009
CUS-575	Previously, it was possible for the volume slider on devices running Microsoft Teams to behave in unpredictable ways. This issue has been resolved in the third hotfix version NFX1.20221128.0011 This impacted Neat devices that had updated their Microsoft Teams app version to 1449/1.0.96.2022120503 and completed Neat’s OOB installation process after January 21, 2023.

4. Known issues

Issue reference	Description
INBUGS-31	‘Unable to verify certificate’ message displayed when uploading CA certificate which has a text part before the actual certificate part. To work-around this issue, copy only the certificate portion (BEGIN CERTIFICATE / END CERTIFICATE) to a file and save it as .pem/.cert etc.
ZOOM-93	In this release, it is not possible to disable Zoom’s ‘Advanced Noise Suppression’ feature. As a result, any users using the ‘Music mode’ feature will notice that their audio is being suppressed by Zoom’s noise suppression algorithm, making the experience poor. This issue is being investigated by the Zoom engineering team.
CUS-326	In this release, color correction configuration options are available in the accessibility settings on the Neat Board and Neat Bar Pro, but enabling the feature will not have any effect on the screen.
CUS-415 CUS-574	In this release it is possible for the Neat Board’s screen to become unresponsive after entering screen standby mode, requiring a power cycle in order to bring the device back online. To work around this issue, you can disable auto wake up in your Neat system settings and enable “Keep Screen ON” in your screen standby settings.
CUS-579	In this release it is possible for a Neat Board’s “Keep Screen ON” setting to revert from “off” to “on” after the device is rebooted.
CUS-584	In this release, it is possible for shared HDMI content on a Neat Bar Pro running Zoom to remain on the screen for several seconds (up to 10) after the HDMI cable has been disconnected.
CUS-587	In this release, it is possible for a display connected to the HDMI2 port on a Neat Bar to remain unresponsive when auto wake is used to bring the device out of standby mode.
CUS-644	In this release, it is possible for a display connected to the HDMI1 port on a Neat Bar Pro to remain unresponsive when auto wake is used to bring the device out of standby mode.
CUS-654	In this release, adjusting the volume slider from a Neat Pad functioning as a Microsoft Teams Room controller will not have any impact on device volume during Direct Guest Join meetings from Microsoft Teams to Zoom or Microsoft Teams to Webex.
INBUGS-1663	In this release, external audio hardware is not synchronized with the mute indicator and volume slider in Zoom or Microsoft Teams while using Audio over USB on a Neat Bar Pro.
INBUGS-1664	In this release, switching between external audio hardware and the internal speaker while using Audio over USB on a Neat Bar Pro does not always work during a Zoom meeting.

5. Version History

Saturday March 18th:
The Neat firmware builds in this upgrade are

Neat Pad firmware: NFA1.20221128.0007
Neat Bar firmware: NFB1.20221128.0011
Neat Board firmware: NFC1.20221128.0011
Neat Bar Pro firmware: NFD1.20221128.0011

This version contains a fix an issue affecting the volume slider on Neat devices running Microsoft Teams. More information can be found under issue reference CUS-575.

Saturday February 4th:
The Neat firmware builds in this upgrade are

Neat Pad firmware: NFA1.20221128.0005
Neat Bar firmware: NFB1.20221128.0009
Neat Board firmware: NFC1.20221128.0009
Neat Bar Pro firmware: NFD1.20221128.0009
Neat Frame firmware: NFF1.20221128.0005

This version contains fixes for CUS-563 and introduces Zoom Rooms version 5.13

The built-in Zoom Room versions are

Zoom Room Controller software version: 5.13.5 (1760)
Zoom Room Appliance software version: 5.13.6 (2489)

Saturday January 28th:
The Neat firmware builds in this upgrade are

Neat Pad firmware: NFA1.20221128.0005
Neat Bar firmware: NFB1.20221128.0007
Neat Board firmware: NFC1.20221128.0007
Neat Bar Pro firmware: NFD1.20221128.0007
Neat Frame firmware: NFF1.20221128.0005

This version contains additional improvements to audio beamforming on the Neat Bar Pro. This release also makes critical improvements to audio quality and sensitivity on the Neat Bar, Neat Board, and Neat Bar Pro. See CUS-558/CUS-559 for more information. The issue CUS-551 is also resolved in this release.

Saturday January 21st:
The Neat firmware builds in this upgrade are

Neat Pad firmware: NFA1.20221128.0005
Neat Bar firmware: NFB1.20221128.0005
Neat Board firmware: NFC1.20221128.0005
Neat Bar Pro firmware: NFD1.20221128.0005
Neat Frame firmware: NFF1.20221128.0005

The built-in Zoom Room versions are

Zoom Room Controller software version: 5.12.6 (1612)
Zoom Room Appliance software version: 5.12.6 (2097)

6. How to check if you have the new build

Zoom Rooms Software Versions: Click on the Settings button on the lower left corner of Neat Pad or Neat Board. Then click on ‘About’. The Zoom software version numbers will be displayed on the right.

Microsoft Teams Software Versions: Click on the “More” button on the main screen of the Neat Pad or Neat Board, then click on “Settings” and “About” and the Microsoft Teams software version numbers will be displayed.

Neat Board/ Neat Bar / Neat Pad Firmware Versions: Click on the Settings button on the lower left corner of Neat Pad or lower right corner of Neat Board. Then click on ‘General’ and on the right, you’ll see the meeting room name displayed. Below the room name, you should find an option named ‘System Settings’. If you click on this, you’ll be prompted to enter the system passcode (this passcode is listed with the room settings in the Zoom Room administrator portal).

You will now have entered Neat’s System Settings. Next navigate from System Settings -> System -> About and you should be able to view the serial number and firmware versions for each device.

You can also see the serial number and firmware version of your Neat devices in the Zoom Room administrator portal and the Teams Admin Center (TAC) online portal.

7. Getting help from Neat

We encourage you to visit our support website and view new articles, FAQs, how-to and troubleshooting guides which are being regularly added there. Please search the following page to find answers to your common questions or problems: https://support.neat.no

If you encounter an issue with your Neat device, please email: support@neat.no and one of our technical support engineers will reach out to you.

Note: Neat provides support on Neat devices running current released software, or running software from the previous release. For more information on our support policy, please see the article ‘Neat’s technical support policy’.

IMPORTANT: Please see our privacy policy at https://neat.no/privacy-policy/