Neat devices: Version 20211213 Release Notes
Last updated on January 6, 2022
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1. Introduction
This document describes the new features, improvements, bug fixes and known issues in the 20211213 software release for Neat Bar, Neat Pad, Neat Board. For more information about the Neat Bar Pro, please see our separate product release notes here: https://support.neat.no/article/neat-bar-pro-version-20211213-release-notes/
As long as your Neat device was up and running and on the network after 12:00pm Central European Time (6am US Eastern / 3am US Pacific), on January 6, the initial upgrade would have been downloaded and your system would automatically reboot at 2am local time the following day to apply it.
If your Neat device was not powered up or online, when it is next booted up and connected to the internet, it will download the software and perform the automatic reboot during the following night / early morning.
Note: Previous release notes can be found here: Neat devices: Version 20211012 Release Notes – Neat Support
2. What’s in the new upgrade?
The Neat firmware builds in this upgrade are:
- Neat Pad firmware: NFA1.20211123.0103
- Neat Bar firmware: NFB1.20211213.1240
- Neat Board firmware: NFC1.20211213.1240
The built-in Zoom Rooms versions are:
- Zoom Room Appliance version: 5.8.3 (388)
- Zoom Room Controller version: 5.8.3 (960)
The features introduced in this release are:
- Zoom Room 5.8 Release
- Other Improvements
2.1 Zoom Rooms 5.8 Release
This is a major release for Zoom Rooms – with exciting new features that include
- Smart gallery/Multi-stream improvements: Remote meeting attendees will be able to see which camera feeds belong to the same Zoom Room, and Zoom Room camera feeds will sort together by default. Smart gallery is now enabled by tapping Multi-stream on the zoom room controller.
- Local only screen share: Users can make screen shares visible only to themselves when sharing.
- Breakout rooms management: Meeting hosts can use the features of breakout rooms with a Zoom Rooms controller or touch screen.
2.2 Other Improvements
This release contains significant improvements to camera sharpness while zooming in and out. We have also made improvements to the camera’s frame rate and reliability while using Neat symmetry and other multi-stream video features.
3. Zoom Rooms software
The Zoom Rooms software builds in this upgrade are:
- Zoom Room Appliance version: 5.8.3 (388)
- Zoom Room Controller version: 5.8.3 (960)
This is a major release from Zoom. You can find the full release notes for this build here:
4. Fixed bugs and improvements
| Issue reference | Description |
| CUS-222 | In previous releases, Neat devices required EDID information to come in a specific format that could be interpreted by Neat firmware. This caused an issue in certain models of 4k display that use a different format to register 4k capabilities with Neat. Because of this, Neat devices would only allow for 1080p resolutions on those monitors. In this release we have improved the way Neat devices interpret EDID information for those monitors so they are correctly identified as 4k compatible displays. |
| CUS-232 | In our previous release, the ‘Software update’ page on Neat device’s web admin incorrectly reports “this will disable the option to change password or turn remote access off from the device”. This has been resolved in this release. |
| CUS-243 | In previous releases, it was possible to view the web admin login page for a Neat device while the remote access (beta) option is disabled. When this occurred, you would not be able to log in until remote access (beta) was enabled on the device and a password was configured. In this release, it is no longer possible to view the landing page while remote access is disabled. |
| INBUGS-616 | In the original 20211213 firmware release, we noticed Neat devices started polling ZDM services at a much higher rate than usual. This effected various services including as Neat Sense, manual device updates, and device registration through ZDM. This issue was resolved as part of the hot fix version released on January 6. |
5. Known issues
| Issue reference | Description |
| CUS-214 | Currently, Neat devices are only able to support 48.1 kHz audio sampling rates via HDMI. Certain linux machines will output 44.1 kHz audio by default, which can cause a crackling effect while sharing HDMI content to the Neat Bar. |
| 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. |
| INBUGS-317 | When upgrading from an old s/w release to most recent Android 10 release (from June 2021), some devices would incorrectly show the timezone of Neat device to be ‘Azores Summer Time’. As a work-around, you can factory reset both Bar and Pad and the correct timezone will be reflected. |
| 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. |
| ZOOM-105 | Currently, Neat Sense data from Neat devices is not being properly received and reported in the Zoom cloud. This issue is being investigated by the Zoom engineering team. |
6. How to check if you have the new build
Zoom Rooms Version / Controller Version: 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.
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 – just click on the room name, and then click on the name of each device.
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’.
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