03 Evolution of the Hearing Aid

Programming Device

Serial Hi-Pro:

Once upon a time there was an ancient/wired programming device called a serial Hi-Pro. It had a
separate power cord and a serial cable for data communications. Few ppl still use this old obsolete
device (look at the back end). Please don’t bother with this device. It’s too old. Be careful about
accidentally buying this serial device. Sellers may disguise the fact that it’s not a modern USB device.

USB Hi-Pro:

Ah progress; The serial cable/separate power cord was replaced by a single USB cable, much easier to
use!
Chinese counterfeit USB Hi-Pro:

The supply-chain counterfeiters in China brought this device to the masses. It looked exactly the same
as the real McCoy/USB Hi-Pro. I think this is a picture of one;

NOAHlink:

Lets do away with the hearing aid wearer being tethered to a computer by long cables. NOAHlink uses
Bluetooth wireless to connect from the PC to NOAHlink and uses special short versions of programming
cables to connect to the hearing aids. This allowed your Hearing Aid wearers to not be tethered by
cables attached to your computer. OMG, what a frigging nightmare. Try to be careful with names of
programming devices otherwise newbies may end up buying this old junk on EBay mistaking it for a
Noahlink Wireless. Speaking of old junk; take a look at NOAHlink’s buddy nEARcom with that wireless
hook worn around your neck. Though some Widex self-programmers may still use this because they
have limited choices?
Whoops, Hold Everything:

GN ReSound put the kibosh on Chinese Counterfeits!! What followed was a persistent takedown of
these products from EBay, AliExpress, and other retail sales platforms for Trademark Infringement
involved with use of the name Hi-Pro. This was not an easy (or cheap) endeavor! Each individual listing
had to be reported to the platform on which it was posted so that the platform could delete the listing.
If you were fast and you offered a great price, then you could list and sell quickly before the minions
could complete their flagging procedure. After a while they got weary of the cat-n-mouse game and
things went back to normal (or abnormal) depending on how you look at it.

Mini Pro:

Not to be suppressed, the supply-chain counterfeiters in China manufactured a new device (the mini
Pro). I am assuming this was to get around GN ReSound’s Trademark infringement takedown. It works
same as a USB Hi-Pro. Currently/2020; these next two devices (mini Pro and Counterfeit USB Hi-Pro) is
your wired programming device sweet spot for price/performance.
Modified versions of the Counterfeit USB Hi-Pro reappear:

The other/older Chinese Counterfeit USB Hi-Pros reappeared on EBay with the HI-Pro words on the front
blacked out (or whited out). Noteworthy is they could not call it a Hi-Pro at the time so they named it
mini Pro or some other Hearing Aid Programmer name. Currently/2020; this Counterfeit USB Hi-Pro and
the previous mini Pro device is your wired programming device sweet spot for price/performance.

Hi-Pro2:

The black Hi-Pro2 is faster/USB 3. But the speed has dependencies on your fitting software to optimize
that speed. Very expensive. Meh?
Proprietary Wireless Programming Devices:

Wireless, let’s get rid of cables entirely, Yay! Well not so fast… There was no single wireless protocol. So
each manufacturer designed their own proprietary Wireless Programming Device. Proprietary meaning
it worked only for that manufacturer’s hearing aids/fitting software and no other hearing aids/fitting
software. OMG: What a Zoo! Phonak had iCube, Oticon had FittingLink, Gn RESound had AirLink, etc,
etc. Worse yet, the initial wireless devices were replaced by newer/better/faster versions (iCube vs
iCube II seems to be most talked about versions). Phonak’s iCube was bricking some hearing aids until
they added a factory reset to the fitting software. Also some manufacturers/Oticon still requires a wired
programming device for Hearing Aid Firmware updates, so there’s that.

Newsworthy; these devices are starting to become obsolete. Here’s a couple of images from Phonak
and Oticon as examples. You wear them around your neck;
Industry Standard Wireless Programming Device:

GN ReSound’s AirLink 2, aka Noahlink Wireless was selected as a standard wireless programming device.
Don’t ask whether to use Airlink 2 or Noahlink Wireless. You can use both, or either. They are the same
device, that is, a readily available firmware update will cause a proprietary Airlink 2 device to become an
industry standard Noahlink Wireless device. You use a USB cable to connect Noahlink Wireless to your
PC and set Noahlink Wireless on your desktop. You don’t have to wear it around your neck.
How To Choose:

So how do you choose a programming device for your hearing aids? You need to find the manufacturer’s
documentation stating which programming device/s will work for a specific model hearing aid. Find it.
Read it. Heed It. Don’t assume that a newer fitting device is better. For Example, Noahlink Wireless is a
new programming device that is based on new technology, namely Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) so it will
only work for newer hearing aids that have the BLE technology.

Note that some Oticon hearing aid firmware updates (before Oticon’s Polaris/More) cannot be
performed wirelessly so you will need a wired programming device for some Oticon firmware updates.
Also noteworthy is that beginning with Oticon’s Polaris/More, only Noahlink Wireless can be used as a
fitting device and as the firmware updater. This is another indication that Noahlink Wireless is
cementing the title of the industry standard programming device.

Note that Widex did not adopt Noahlink Wireless as a standard, and is still using their own/proprietary
wireless programming devices.

Don’t guess about which programming device to use for your model hearing aid. Find the
manufacturer’s documentation. For help with that, find a Shared PDF file named (Help with Connecting
Hearing Aids to Fitting Software). You might also find a Shared PDF file for How to Program your
manufacturer’s hearing aids. Both of these will help you find Fitting specifications like this (one of many)
Phonak model Fitting specs below;

FAQs/Frequently Asked questions:

1. Do I need a Hearing Aid Programming Device to Program my hearing aids? Yes you do. Aside
from Remote Fitting (see #3 below) there is no other method to program your own hearing aids.
2. Can I connect my Bluetooth Wireless hearing aids directly to my computer/PC/SmartPhone App
without using a Hearing Aid Programming Device? Yes, but only for simple things like volume
up/down or similar. You cannot change the settings that match your hearing loss. Though this
may be changing somewhat? Some manufacturers (ReSound/Widex) recently allowed hearing
aid firmware updates to be applied with a cellphone app.
3. Can I use the Remote Fitting options that my audiologist uses to create new settings that can
then be applied to my hearing aids using a smartphone App? No, you cannot use this feature. It
requires a professional account with the manufacturer to use or enable remote fitting.