Zeo Mobile Sleep Manager

Let me start by telling you that I am a Zeo fan. The bedside unit has been with me for a couple of years now and has helped me understand and improve the way I sleep. Zeo (the company) is a pioneer in the emerging field of self-quantification (or lifestyle measurement). The bedside device helped me understand what was going on with my sleep pattern. Being able to compare the data with other people my age gave me a kind of perspective I couldn't get elsewhere.

I travel heavily. The problem with a bulky bedside unit is that you can't really take it with you on a long series of hotel nights. So, I was only able to get a partial look at the realities of the ways that I sleep.

I got very excited when the new more portable unit came out. The iPhone integration is the exact right idea.

Unfortunately, the software isn't ready for prime time yet.

It's taken more than a week to get to the point that I am hoping to have the system operating properly tonight. The data integration problems mentioned elsewhere really slowed my transition from the old version to the new. I simply couldn't get the iPad to run the software effectively (there is a data display bug that interferes with use when you view data in the landscape mode)

So, I added plugs to my nightstand and started to run the iPhone version.

Night 1, it collected the data but saved the date improperly (reporting as September 16 instead of November 10)

Night 2, it completely lost the data from that night's sleep

Night 3, solid data collection, operating properly, right date

Night 4, stopped collecting data after I got up and went to get a glass of water in the middle of the night.

Then, there's the question of using multiple devices on one account. I think I'd like to use the bedside version most of the time at home and the portable version on the road. Given the complexities of data integration already, I'm doubtful that there's going to be a quick solution for this.

My ideal system will take inputs from multiple devices online and integrate with offline data storage. Heck, I can't even find the topic in the FAQs.

So, hold off on this one. It's a good idea but they need to finish testing the software.

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Dec 10 2011

There's more.

The very friendly folks at ZEO gave me amazing customer service over the course of several weeks as they tried to make my product work. Unfortunately, the failures kept happening.

While I was very flattered by the treatment I received, there were so many operating issues that I started to feel like an employee of the company. Ultimately I asked for and received a refund.

Compare this to my experience with the Jawbone UP Band (which measures sleep and daily physical activity). When it became apparent that there were quality issues with the product, Jawbone immediately announced a No Questions Asked Money Back Offer that included a refund and a new device. In addition, there was no requirement that you return the device. Friendly customer service os one thing. You simply filled out the online form.

Taking full responsibility for product success is the gold standard.

If you want to become a member of a beta test team, buy the ZEO device. Otherwise, wait until they've got it right.

Again, I really like the people at ZEO and am a big fan of their other product. They never shied away from addressing my issues and gave great customer service. I just wanted a product that worked.

First off, I am very interested in sleep and brain waves. I have done a lot of research in both over the years, and experimented with brain wave synchronization, and alternative sleep patterns. When I first heard about Zeo over two years ago, I was so excited to be able to measure my brainwaves that I immediately ordered one of their Zeo Bedside Sleep Managers (known as the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach at the time) and even added on the guided coaching option for an extra hundred dollars. Since I found Zeo so early in the company's lifecycle, I always felt close to the company, have been a big fan, and I liked the overall feel of the device and the website. However, the first Zeo was behind the times in that it used an SD card to get data from the device to the internet. (While I had been using an alarm clock with a web interface for years before this, it seemed like they could have added wireless or Ethernet to the device costing three hundred and fifty dollars) Anyway, the problem with the bedside Zeo was not being able to see your data on the site without first going through the pain of taking the SD card out, putting it in your computer going to the website selecting the file, uploading it, then trying to remember to take the SD card back to the Zeo before the next night. The Zeo basically became a very expensive alarm clock, after time, I would no longer upload data, which meant there was no reason to analyze the data, which meant I could stop wearing that headband. I suggested several times to Zeo that they need to have an automated way to get the data uploaded.

Enter the Zeo Mobile, when I first heard about this I had to go out and buy it. Plus it was a third of the cost of the original Zeo. I already used an iPod next to my bed to listen to some brain sync music while drifting off. It would be a bonus if my data was getting uploaded each night then I could finally analyze my sleep data and get better sleep. I did see a few complaints about the Zeo on Amazon's Reviews, but I figured I had a Zeo Bedside, and it worked OK besides the design flaw; there was no way the Zeo Mobile could be THAT bad...

I anxiously awaited the package in the mail. My first night with the Zeo Mobile, I got the headband paired up with my iPod via Bluetooth and went to sleep upon waking I clicked stop on the app and it crashed. My data did not get uploaded... I also had to fiddle with the headband for over a minute to get it to sit on the base correctly to charge. The next night, I had to go through the whole exercise of pairing the iPod to the headband via Bluetooth again. The next morning it crashed again. Fiddle with headband to get it to charge. Two days of data not uploaded to the website, I was beginning to think the other Amazon reviews were right. The third night it worked and actually uploaded all three nights of data... OK, things are getting better maybe it is not so bad.

I had a backup alarm set, just in case, so hadn't realized the alarm was not going off each morning until the weekend when it did go off, but wasn't supposed to. This continued the alarm would go off on days it wasn't supposed to, and occasionally would go off on days it was supposed to.

About twice a week the headband lost connectivity with the iPod, and had to be re-paired. This was a pain as you find this out when you are just about to sleep. And have to fiddle with the pairing, and the blue light on top of the headband blinks very brightly waking up those around you. After complaining to Zeo customer support about this they mentioned a firmware upgrade for the headband, I updated that and I had no more issues with the Bluetooth connection dropping.

However after upgrading the firmware, the iOS app seemed to increase the frequency it crashed. I went a whole week with the app crashing every night while I was asleep. When the app crashed during the night the data was not captured and I had no data from that night. These crashes were around an hour after I went to sleep. Customer support said to uninstall and reinstall the app. This did not help, I tried pairing the headband to my iPhone instead of my iPod and got 4 hours of data before the app crashed that night. Each of these nights I would not have been awoken if I had not had a backup alarm set.

After time, it realized while fiddling with the headband in the morning to get it to snap into the charging base correctly was due to the forehead pads being a bit too thick. Squeezing the top of the band would allow it to charge, but letting go made it shift so it did not charge. The bottom of the band needed to come out a bit more. I switched headband straps with the one I used on my bedside Zeo which had 2 years of use, and it seemed to pop into place most of the time.

Zeo customer support recommended closing all other apps before going to sleep to stop the Zeo app from crashing. The app still crashed for me. All the clicking on the iPod each night was annoying. Plus there were screens in the iOS app that listed instructions that you had to click through each night; it would have been good to show these for the first few days rather than every night. In all I must have had to click 20 or more things each night before going to sleep. My iPod was really only used next to my bed, if you used your iPhone you would have much more clicking to do to close all the other apps. This was a lot of things to do when you want to hop into bed. Compared to the Zeo bedside, going to bed was easy. You just take the headband off the base and put it on. In the morning you take it off and put it on the stand. (I never had the bedside headband not snap correctly into place, either)

Zeo's customer support responded fairly quickly to my questions, and I had a lot of them. They did have a solution to the Bluetooth problem. However, despite their best efforts, I have not really gotten help in resolving the other many issues with the Zeo. So it is with regret that I have to send this device back to Amazon. I feel as though a good friend let me down. I plan to use the Zeo Bedside for a while, but I am sure that after some time I will again no longer take SD card back and forth from the bedroom to the office, no longer upload my data frequently, and stop using the headband.

Pros:

Data gets uploaded to Zeo's website automatically (IF everything goes right, big IF)

Cons:

Alarm has a mind of its own, it goes off when it is not supposed to and doesn't when it should.

iOS app crashes a lot, 1) while sleeping loses all data after crash. 2) while uploading data in morning, will upload it on next success.

Headband loses Bluetooth connectivity, seems to have been fixed by firmware upgrade.

Headband doesn't snap into charging base easily. Headband is too fat. Fiddling with it causes stress each morning.

Too much button pushing each night. Causes a bit of stress before going to sleep.

Bottom Line:

cannot be trusted as an alarm clock

does not reliably collect sleep data

Is there really any value to an alarm clock/data collector that cannot be trusted as an alarm clock, nor reliably collect sleep data?

Buy Zeo Mobile Sleep Manager Now

I've been using the zeo mobile for about a week. I don't have a bedside zeo, so this is my first experience with it.

The initial device setup was surprisingly easy. I just charged it and paired it with my phone (an Android phone). Nightly operation is also simple and has been reliable so far: I take the headband off the charger, listen for the sound from my phone, put it on, and sleep. In the morning, I put it back on the charger, go to my phone, and check the zeo app to see how I did. So far I've found the ZQ scores correlate well with my subjective feeling about how rested I am.

Syncing the data to the web site wasn't as smooth. I tried creating an account at the site, but it seems to be designed for the bedside one, and doesn't offer an option to sync with a mobile unit. I eventually used my phone to set up syncing, which worked fine, and I can see all my data on the site. I haven't played around with the site enough to know how useful the online features are.

Good:

Simple reliable operation (with Android, at least).

Data seems to make sense.

Headband is comfortable and doesn't bother me while sleeping.

Bad:

The website is in flash and registration could be simpler (advice: use the mobile app to register and set up sync).

The device doesn't snap into the charger convincingly. I usually have to move it around a little before I'm convinced it's charging.

Don't know yet:

Long term reliability.

Usefulness of online features.

Read Best Reviews of Zeo Mobile Sleep Manager Here

The Zeo Mobile collects at most one block of sleep per 24 hours. If I wake up and move around during the night, it only reports one half of the night. It is very frustrating, because I can see the data reaching my iPhone, but the display there is too small for useful analysis.

I reported this to Zeo, asking how to record and download the whole night, and the customer service response said, in part: "At the moment, Zeo is designed to capture a full night of sleep data, as opposed to shorter time periods (like naps)" and continued on the assumption that I was trying to collect naps.

Apparently, the Zeo people sleep too well to understand that a night's sleep might involve multiple discontinuous blocks of sleep time. Their software is designed only for those who sleep through the night.

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As a frequent traveler (and busy graduate student) that suffers from heavy jetlag, I found the new Zeo mobile to be an excellent tool to help understand my strange sleep patterns in shifted time zones. With the old unit, I could only get sleep data at home and if I wanted to collect data when I needed it most on the road, I would pack my bedside unit and take it with me. Since I have erratic sleep patterns (sometimes with afternoon naps), collecting sleep data on the move became a huge challenge. With the new Zeo mobile, I simply bring the headband and dock around with me in my bag.

Prior to buying a Zeo, some of my friends suggested going to a sleep clinic, but I found that many of my sleep problems were related to travel and many of them subsided when I was at home. Although I haven't been formally tested at a sleep clinic, I found that I was able to measurably improve my sleep and energy levels by making small lifestyle changes suggested on the Zeo website (and other sleep help sites). While I acknowledge that a sleep clinic might provide more/better data, I do have to say that the continuous measurement (on the road) aspect is what gives the Zeo mobile it's appeal. This is definitely a game changer for those who need to rest well on their journeys.