I’ve contacted Biolite about their app showing only 18-36 mins remaining while the actual lantern shows it’s fully charged. They said they are aware of it and hope to fix it on their next app update. well it’s been 11 months since their last update. Also they said to trust the unit leds to show how much power is left. well I drained and fully charged it 3 times so far and the unit only gives me only 4 hours on high and nowhere near 7.5 hours as advertised on their website and or packaging. They also removed the bpm feature that used to sync with your music. btw I’ve tested two new units so far. the first one only gave me 3 hours of light on high. tech support answers once a week if you’re lucky. so not much help there. It’s a nicely put together lamp with nice features. just wished the co spent a little more time fixing the bugs. almost a year later and no updates to their app? ridiculous.
I’ve had the Base Camp Lantern XL for 5 years and use it sparingly. The lamp works ok, but the app is supposed to tell you how much life is left on the battery charge and it does not even come close to how much the lantern says it does. This wasn’t always the case… when it was brand new it worked. It’d be nice if BioLite would update the app or offer a fix but it looks like they have a habit of abandoning their products and discontinuing support for them.
Not sure why there are so many negative reviews, as this worked perfectly for me with the FirePit and iPhone 11 Pro. One time setup for Bluetooth connectivity and it’s worked flawlessly ever since. Connects right away! One suggestion for the developers if they read reviews: please make the UI for the fan speed slider a bit more user friendly. It’s sometimes hard to “grab” the slider, so perhaps you can just expand the touch zone? Something to think about!
I used this app with my firepit and it worked flawlessly. I just got a base lantern xl and now the app won’t even open after it crashes. I found out that if I delete the app and re-download it I can use it shortly. Although as soon as I set an alarm and save it the app crashes. Then I retry to open it and it doesn’t last 2 seconds before it re-crashes. The app refuses to stay open long enough to pick what to connect too.
I do Apple iOS public beta updates. Just recently I was using my Biolite FirePit I left the app to play a game on my phone then when I went back on the app then it just kept crashing when the app starts up I had to delete the app twice that day but the way I figured out how to keep it from crashing is to force close the app please fix this bug it’s getting annoying!
I’ve spent a lot of money on Biolite products only to realize they offer zero support. The app to the base lantern xl hasn’t been updated in YEARS! What started as a great idea, company with excellent products is fizzing out and letting their customers down. There is a lot of other products out there that I’d rather buy now. Nothing the app is supposed to do works. The lamp is nothing more than a heavy brick with light. I’m not buying from these charlatans ever again.
By looking at the dates of updates, it appears this app is not supported anymore, which is a shame because there are serious pairing/syncing bugs where the app must be uninstalled/reinstalled to restore functionality after it starts crashing on the device selection screen. I feel somewhat mislead on my purchase of the lantern when the associated app clearly needs more work to deliver the advertised functionality. Happy to update my review with future app fixes.
super buggy. 8/10 times the app crashes and won’t launch. extremely annoying. proximity sensor feature is essentially useless. app won’t connect to the light until you’re basically back next the light and standing there waiting for like 1-2 mins. useless. also. doesn’t return to the mode you left it on. just goes straight back to white. please fix the app. lantern XL is great.
This rating is for the app; it needs lots of work guys so keep working at it. The main 4 issues with the app is Bluetooth connection lags, proximity sensor doesn’t work well, battery life time doesn’t display correctly, and light controls need fine tuning. The product itself (BaseLantern in my case) is well designed physically and works well.
Unusable app crashes when trying to use simple features.
Once it crashes, you have to completely remove the app and re-download. This usually isn’t an option when I’m using these lights as there is no way to re-download in the woods. I really had high hopes as the light is great and wanted to show off the features to camping buddies. The app has had a fatal crash 3 times in the first 48 hours of use.
I have so much trouble getting my lantern paired with my phone. I have tried deleting and re-installing the app, turning off Bluetooth and turning back on, searched multiple times with the app and lantern on. Nothing. Says it can’t find any BaseCamp lanterns. So frustrating. And the FAQs and tutorials offer no advice on this. What’s the deal? I have held my phone right on top of the lantern and the app says it still can’t detect a lantern.
Not sure what the other reviews expected of the app.. Works awesome and connects quickly with both the baselantern XL and firepit. Particularly useful for lazy guys like myself who don’t like to get up to shut off the lights. Great job biolite!
Connects great to Firepit each time even while simultaneously Bluetooth connected to a speaker. Only issue is it’s very difficult to see app while wearing sunglasses given the very dark background.
Just unboxed for a upcoming backpacking trip. The app continues to crash even though I have tried a dozen times to reinstall. The proximity sensor is useless. You have to reconnect the Bluetooth just to get the light to come on when you are in Bluetooth range. 2 stars out of 5.
Just put the Firelite together and started a fire. Then remembered there was an app so loaded it to see how that would go. Paired painlessly. Kind of simple but it does exactly what it says it does.
I came to the reviews hoping to find a solution that is more effective than uninstalling and reinstalling the app every time I want to adjust the fan, but it appears this has been an issue for a while and many users have experienced it. Please correct the bugs with the app!
The products are great! I have many products from them. The app should work better then it does. We have the access for custom lighting presets, but we also want to be able to keep alarms and timers set permanently.
The Bluetooth never connects to the battery pack and the battery pack never turns off. You can not turn the fan on. Bio lite does not have good products
Very intuitive design and fun to use - when it works. Like other reviewers have mentioned, it has connectiviity issues. I also don't have the BPM (beats per minute) feature on the menu-which would be cool to use. Hopefully biolite works on these because it's nice to show off the base lantern to friends and family when it's working!
Constantly have to re-pair which means that the proximity control is virtually worthless. Gives completely inaccurate readings as to remaining battery life.
Update to the app only review I am at this point giving the app 1 star as it is no longer working on apples latest update just crashes on opening 😢 I too was having the issues with Bluetooth and some weird flickering other than that it has worked fairly well I have had some connection issues when I leave and come back One of the things I would like to see and I'm sure this can be fixed with both A firmware update to the device and an app update this for the flickering issue to get resolved another suggestion for the app is I would love to see the ability to view either a percentage meter or the time left on the base Lantern from the app ( A little more personal customization would be nice )also have not tried the proximity sensors yet to see how well they work but the sleep and alarm settings don't work for me at all not a big deal since it's not something I would typically use especially not while camping because who wants to be woken up while having a good night sleep outdoors every time I set the sleep timers they don't work (just was trying to test them) and if you go back in to see the timers they reset to the current time... would I recommend the product heck yeah!!! Would I recommend the app yes? Needs to be updated with issues being resolved Update to the review I am enjoying most of the updates in the app but I have noticed one thing that really bugs me and it’s the battery monitor it lags it is sometimes minutes after you change a setting before it updates to the new time remaining also the flickering is still very noticeable. Overall happy but also disappointed since the update was supposed to fix the flickering issue 😔
(This review is specific to the app and not the light itself.) The latest update removed a few features, which I wasn't too happy about, such as the the light flashing variations, proximity, and choosing which side to light (front/back). Other than that the app works. Pairing is slow, which I can see why they removed the proximity sensing. Slow re-pairing makes adjusting the light slow while it re-establishes the link; I would imagine rendering the proximity sensing useless or incredibly slow. I sometimes run into issues when trying to alter the color schemes and it stalls or switches the light to white or vice versa. I have also run into experiences when these unexpected changes happen the brightness changes leaving you with an unexpected blinding light when you're in a small room or close to the unit. I suspect this is all a software issue as the hardware itself seems do what it's told as long as the right setting are pushed to it. I would currently rate this as "usable", but there are some obvious bugs they still need to work out. As a control for the light, it simply works, but the many features to really make this product and application shine are not quite there yet. This of course is the first run of the product and application, so this is expected. I also expect this to improve as this app gets vetted by users and shared with their development team.
First, I love this. It’s great. Im happy to have gotten it as a gift. A few things could be better. My base lantern does not play well with the app. Proximity is iffy. Light doesn’t dim when told. Color changes come on full brite, even if the previous color was dim. As for the app, I would love it if I could set an alarm and have a repeat option. It’s not convenient to have to reset it each day. And the timers should/could have a countdown function. Also one that could repeat daily. If you set it by a clock, it would be nice if it was that same time every night. Like a sleep setting. Of course, there’s always the chance that it does all these things already, and it is operator malfunction. The lamp feels pretty high tech!
Please update the app. It's been over 6 months since the last update. Which would be fine if not for the fact that hardly any of the functions in the app work correctly. Bug list (app): 1. Unable to set timer and alarm, always just sets back to current time when exiting the screen. 2. App does not dim Baselantern gradually. It flickers while dimming. 3. The last six increments on the dimmer don't do anything. 4. No pulse to the music feature. Which is disappointing because it's one of the features mentioned in the app tutorial. 5. The range of color temperature in the white setting is hardly noticeable. The lantern should be much more capable of showing warmer whites. 6. The pulse setting is just a slower strobe. 7. Lantern won't turn on via proximity. I also can't adjust the proximity. A large selling point of the Baselantern was the app. Please make it useable.
I haven't actually purchased the baselantern yet. The only thing that is hanging me up is that there isn't an Apple Watch app to control it from. When I'm camping I never have my cell phone on me because there usually isn't cell service. I don't want to have to carry my cell phone around with me just to turn the lantern on/off. BUT I always have my Watch on me to track my hikes, know the time, and etc. It would be nice to be able to remain unplugged yet still be able to use this nifty gadget. Just a thought!
This app gives a lot more versatility to the Baselantern XL! I have noticed a small glitch where if I physically turn the light on and use the app to enter "chill" mode it will flicker as it resists. Problem is 100% fixed if light is turned on via app. Otherwise there's been no other issues and works great!
Overall this is a fun app that works pretty well. Unfortunately it is still missing some of the features that were promoted in the Kickstarter campaign. Proximity, BMP, Morse Code,etc. Get those in the next update and it would be 5stars.
I bought a BaseLantern XL and a pair of SiteLights, and wow oh wow, this thing is amazing. I was blown away before I even turned it on by the build quality. Once I turned it on, that was impressive, but then I launched the app! - Bluetooth Pairing: EASY and Simple. The app just engaged with it for an easy pair - Updating Device: It just did it, so simple - The color dial and intensity is so simple - Then comes the awesome "chill" mode that alternates color along the spectrum with differences even between the sides
Good hardware. Flickering fixed. New options like save custom settings. The sunrise/sunset modes STILL don't work with any of my devices. I can't even access the options for because the app doesn't adjust to non-ridiculously sized phones. So disappointing! Proximity is a little flakey.
i'm sure it's an early issue that will be updated in time. colors don't fully illuminate when turning the light on/off via app; shaky settings on color schemes with white showing through most prominently. based on the overall design it seems to be heading in the right direction.
When I go out of range of the blue tooth the app disconnects. When it tries to reconnect it hangs. I have to turn BT off then on to get it to work. Makes the app just about worthless. The app is not very intuitive. Some functions are hard to find, otherwise.
The app is missing some of the things that was promised in the kickstarter. It is still a great light and app and I will be buying more base lanterns from biolite again.
Updated 10/8/16--- Love Biolite gear - this review is for the app. Latest update fixed some issues, but removed features. Proximity controls no longer available. BPM and single side selection no longer available.
Enjoy remote control of BioLite Bluetooth Products with this centralized, easy-to-use app. [Note: this app is free to download but requires purchase of the BioLite BaseLantern or FirePit] In this latest upgrade BASELANTERN users have improved connectivity and can unlock a suite of features including: Brightness & Color Control, Proximity Activation, Real-Time Battery Feedback, Sleep Timers/Alarms, Party Mode & BPM Music Matching, and remote control of BioLite SiteLight integration for overhead lighting. For FIREPIT users, this app enables you to control Airflow Settings right from your phone as well as see real-time battery feedback on your Airflow Back so you can manage your energy according to your needs.
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