Questions about hörbert 2011 (model with toggle switch)

Requirements:

1. You need access to a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi at your location.

2. Your hörbert must have the latest firmware version (Butterfly2) installed. The model hörbert 3.0 already has this firmware version or a newer one. Here’s the link to the -> Instructions for a firmware update.

How to activate the podcast function for your hörbert

• Start the Browser Set Mode for hörbert -> Explanation video
• Click on “WLAN” in the main menu. Activate the WLAN there and enter the WLAN name and password.
• Choose in the “Advanced Settings” at what time hörbert should wake up silently and download new episodes. Use a time when hörbert is definitely not being used.

• Add podcasts to playlists:
  • Select one of the colourful playlists in the main menu where you’d like to save a podcast URL.
  • Click on the “+Podcast” button
  • If you know the URL, enter a name for the podcast here and type or copy the URL into the designated field and select “save”
  • You can also start a keyword search for a podcast, select the right podcast from the results list and “Save”.
  • Define at this point as well how many podcast episodes should be kept:

• Once you’ve clicked “Save”, hörbert downloads the control file for the podcast. In the playlist, this control file is displayed together with the preview of the podcast episodes.
• If you then click on the download icon in the parent control file, hörbert downloads the entire number of episodes displayed. This can take several minutes depending on the podcast length.

• If you want to download just a single episode first, click on the download symbol to the right of the desired episode.
• hörbert then automatically downloads the other episodes at the previously set wake-up time, provided it’s connected to the home Wi-Fi at that moment and was switched off beforehand. If it’s currently playing and in use, no new episodes will be loaded.

We wish you lots of fun with your favourite podcasts!

Requirements:

• Your hörbert (model from October 2021 without toggle switch) is already running the new BETA version of the Butterfly2 firmware from October 2025.
• If needed, here’s where you can update to the new BETA version -> Firmware Update

People who use hörbert, especially young children who often playfully press all the buttons, mustn’t accidentally enter hörbert’s SET mode. That’s why we’ve devised a method that can’t be applied “by accident”.

How to enter hörbert’s SET mode without unscrewing it:

• Press the rotary knob at the top and hold it down.
• Wait 5 seconds (hörbert may start playing)
• Now additionally press the dark green button.
• Hold both buttons for at least 10 seconds, then release the rotary knob first, followed by the dark green button.
• hörbert is now in Set mode and opens its own Wi-Fi for you.
• Connect your smartphone, tablet or computer to hörbert’s Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi password is: hoerbert
• Then start a web browser on your device and enter the following address: http://hoerbert.local
• You’ll now see hörbert’s browser Set Mode on the display:

In Browser Set Mode, you can now make all settings for hörbert. For example:

Enable/disable Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and the voice microphone, edit playlists, add podcasts or web radio stations, and much more.

Here you’ll find an overview of the possibilities in Browser Set Mode: BLOG ARTICLE BROWSER SET MODE

Note: Recordings are not possible with an older hörbert 2011 model with a toggle switch for switching on/off. You can have your hörbert updated by us or upgrade it yourself with our DIY upgrade kit for hörbert 2011 if you want to make recordings with it.

If your hörbert already has the Butterfly firmware, an Internet radio recording works as follows:

• Connect to hörbert’s WLAN with your mobile phone, tablet or computer by switching it on and pressing the Set button inside. hörbert opens its own WLAN.

• hörbert is now displayed as a WLAN network on your end device. Connect to it. The WLAN password is: hoerbert

• Start an internet browser on your end device, e.g. Chrome or Firefox. Enter the following web address there:

  http://hoerbert.local

• The hörbert browser set mode opens.

• Tick ‘activated’ in the ‘WLAN’ menu item in the browser set mode.

• Select your home WLAN from the list and enter the WLAN password. Then click on ‘Save and test’

• In the browser set mode, select a playlist in the ‘PLAYLISTS’ menu item that you want to share for web radio recordings. All recordings from the Internet will then be saved there one after the other.

• Enter at least one valid web radio URL for this playlist. To do this, open the content list of the playlist that you have authorised for web radio recordings in the Set Mode browser. Click on ‘+ RADIO’ at the top of the track list.

• A keyword search for radio stations from which you can choose will open.
• If you know the exact streaming URL, you can also insert it in the text line below and save it.
• Exit the browser set mode. After a few seconds, hörbert will start playing from his loudspeaker again.
• Select the playlist with the web radio URL and click through to it.
• hörbert will indicate the search for the home WLAN and the URL with an ascending sequence of tones and will then play the radio station after a few seconds.

• Start a recording by first pressing the black and then the grey button at the same time until the red light on the microphone opening at the front lights up. You can then release the buttons.

• To end the recording, press the black button again.
• The recording is saved at the end of the playlist that you have previously enabled for web radio recordings in browser set mode.

• If you have an hörbert with only three large playlist buttons, you do not have a black or grey button to start and stop recording. You must first change the recording mode in the browser set mode in the ‘Expert menu’ under ‘Recording settings’ so that a recording starts, for example, when you press and hold a playlist button. And the recording ends when you press a playlist button again. See also our instructions for hörbert with Butterfly firmware from page 40.

If your hörbert does not yet have the Butterfly firmware, an Internet radio recording works as follows:

You can either upgrade to the Butterfly firmware if you want to use the simple method via the Browser Set Mode (see above). Or you can proceed as follows:

• If no Butterfly firmware or newer is installed on your hörbert, you will need a computer and the hörbert software to edit the memory card. You can find the latest hörbert software on our website in the ‘Service’ section under ‘Software Downloads’.

• Download the software and install it on your computer.

• Start the hörbert software. Select the correct hörbert model without toggle switch.

• The hörbert software recognises the card and displays it as a drive. Select the SD card as a drive in the hörbert software and click on ‘Read card’.

• Click on the coloured button on the screen that you want to share for Internet radio recordings.

• Select ‘Save Internet radio recordings here’ at the bottom of the content window.

• Click on the green plus sign to the right of the word ‘URL’.

• You will now receive a new text line in the track list at the end and can enter the streaming URL of your radio station there by double-clicking in the line. You must know the URL, there is no search for a suitable URL here. Save with ‘Enter’.

• Close the window by clicking the green tick.

• In the hörbert software main menu, go to ‘Extras’ and then to ‘Configure Wifi connections’.

• You can now save up to 5 WLAN networks by entering the WLAN name (without spaces) and the password and saving them.

• Eject the card properly using the green ‘Eject card’ button and wait until the hörbert software says that you can now disconnect the card from the computer.

• Insert the SD card back into hörbert.

• Turn hörbert on and wait until he plays.

• Then press the SET button inside of hörbert.
• Now press the orange button on the front of hörbert for approx. 10 seconds to read the WLAN data into the device. You will hear a confirmation tone when hörbert has done this.
• Then you can press the SET button inside again and wait for hörbert to play.

• Switch on hörbert and select the button with the radio station. Navigate to the station.

• hörbert indicates the WLAN and station search with an ascending tone sequence. It may take a few seconds for hörbert to play the station.

• Start a recording by pressing the black and grey buttons at the same time until the red light at the front of the microphone opening lights up. You can then release the buttons.

• To end the recording, press the black button again.

• The recording is saved at the end of the playlist that you have previously enabled for Internet radio recordings in browser set mode.

• If you have an accessible hörbert with only three large playlist buttons, you do not have a black or grey button to start and stop recording. You must first change the recording mode in the browser set mode in the ‘Expert menu’ under ‘Recording settings’ so that a recording starts, for example, when you press and hold a playlist button. And the recording ends when you press a playlist button again. See also our instructions for hörbert with Butterfly firmware from page 40

• However, to be able to use the Browser Set Mode, you must first install the Butterfly firmware on your hörbert. With a 3-button hörbert, the home WLAN can also only be saved via the browser set mode.

• Here you find all information regarding a Firmware Update.