Training and Troubleshooting

Connecting to a wireless network on your Victor Reader Stream

The wireless network connection on your Victor Reader Stream can be configured either directly on the Stream or via a settings file that can be created with the HumanWare Companion software on the PC. To configure a wireless network connection directly on the Stream:

1.    Tap the ONLINE key located above key 2 on the keypad to navigate to the online bookcase. Tapping this key will toggle between the bookcase with the bookshelves on the SD card in your Stream and the online bookcase in the internal memory of the Stream.
2.    If airplane mode is on, press and hold the ONLINE key to turn it off. Pressing and holding the ONLINE key again will toggle airplane mode between on and off. Airplane mode needs to be off in order for the Stream to send and receive wireless signals, but can be turned on when you do not want the Stream to send or receive any wireless signals. You may need to turn on airplane mode if you are on an airplane, or if you are not in range of your wireless network or are not using any online services, in order to conserve battery power.
3.    Press the number 7 key to enter the Wireless menu. If you do not hear the words “Menu, wireless”, then you are not in the online bookcase as described above so you may need to tap the Online key again.
4.    Navigate the wireless menu with the 2 and 8 keys to locate the option “Scan for available connections” and press the Confirm key.
5.    Review the available connections with the 2 and 8 keys and select the desired network by pressing the CONFIRM key.
6.    The Stream will prompt for the wireless password if one is required. Enter the wireless password using the multi-tap text entry method on the keypad and then press the CONFIRM key
7.    Once the connection has been established, the Stream will prompt for an optional nickname for the network. Enter a short name for the network and press the CONFIRM key to save the network, or you can just press the Confirm key without entering a nickname, and the connection will be automatically named using the SSID name of the network you chose to connect to.

When you have selected the network that you wish to connect to and the Stream prompts you to enter the wireless password, you will need to enter the password using the keys on the keypad of your Stream. Click here for instructions on how to use the keypad of your Stream to enter the text of your wireless password and optional nickname.

Using the multi-tap text entry method to enter text on the keypad of your Victor Reader Stream

Any time you need to enter text into the Victor Reader Stream, either to enter a password or a search string, you need to type letters and numbers by pressing the numeric keys a certain number of times repeatedly to get the desired letter, number or special character. Letters and numbers are found on the 2 through 9 keys, and other symbols are found on the 1 and 0 keys. The Rewind key can be used as a backspace to correct a mistyped character and the Fast Forward key will read back what has been entered. The Bookmark key is used to toggle between upper case, numeric, and lower case entry. The Sleep key can be used to access a key describer help mode that will speak the characters associated with each key on the keypad. Below is a complete list of the characters on each key, with the letters, numbers, and symbols listed in order, so that you will be able to determine how many times to press each key using the multi-tap input method.

bookmark key: Upper case/numeric/Lower Case – This key acts as a caps/number lock key, and needs to be pressed to switch back to lower case after entering upper case letters or numbers.

1 Key: 1, period, comma, question mark, minus, /, colon, semi colon, apostrophe, quotation mark, \, <, >, open bracket, close bracket

2 Key: a, b, c, 2

3 Key: d, e, f, 3

4 Key: g, h, i, 4

5 Key: j, k, l, 5

6 Key: m, n, o, 6

7 Key: p, q, r, s, 7

8 Key: t, u, v, 8

9 Key: w, x, y, z, 9

0 Key: space, 0, exclamation mark, at sign, pound sign, $, %, ^, &, asterisk, open parenthesis, close parenthesis, _, +, =, £, euro, ¥

Authorizing Victor Reader Stream to play NLS books

To obtain an authorization key for your Stream, you need to submit the request form through your NLS BARD account. Note : A separate request must be submitted for each player, as the requests are managed by serial number so it is not possible to use a key previously obtained for another player.

1.    Log in to your BARD account and click on the “Update Account Settings” link.
2.    Click on the “Add a Purchased Player” link.
3.    Fill in the form, selecting “HumanWare Victor Reader Stream” in the dropdown/combo box when you get to the field to select your player, then click the ‘Next’ button.
4.    In the serial number edit field, enter the 12 digit serial number of your stream with no spaces or dashes. You can get the serial number directly from your Stream by pressing the 0 key to access the information menu, followed by the 4 key to access the “About Victor Reader” information.
5.    click the ‘Submit’ button to submit the form, and you should be directed to a confirmation page advising that your request has been submitted.

You should receive an e-mail message from NLS confirming the acceptance of your request within 2 business days, followed by an e-mail from HumanWare with the authorization key file attached and instructions to install the key directly from your Stream using Wi-Fi, or to copy the file to your Stream manually using a computer.

Adding NLS BARD and Bookshare accounts on the Victor Reader Stream

You will need to use the same e-mail address and password that you use to log into NLS BARD and/or Bookshare on your computer and other devices to add these accounts to your Victor Reader Stream, and your Stream must be connected to Wi-Fi in order to complete this process, as the account must be able to be validated after it is entered. Please note that the instructions below apply to adding both NLS BARD and Bookshare accounts.

1.    Make sure you are in the online bookcase.
2.    Press the number 7 key to access the menu, and continue pressing 7 until you get to the menu for the service you wish to connect to.
3.    The first item in the menu for each of these services is to add the selected service. Press the Confirm key to activate it. (Note that if you already have an account in your Stream for that particular service, the first item will be to remove the existing account for that service.)
4.    The Stream will prompt you for your email address. Use the multi-tap text entry method to enter the email address associated with the account for the service you are adding, then press the CONFIRM key.
5.    The Stream will now prompt you for the password. Enter the password for the account, then press the CONFIRM key. Note: You can use the BOOKMARK key to switch between lowercase, uppercase, and numeric entry.
6.    If the e-mail address and password were entered correctly, the Stream will announce that the service has been enabled, and a bookshelf for the enabled service will be created in the online bookcase. You may access the bookshelf for the service you just added by pressing the 1 key to navigate to it.

Searching for NLS BARD and Bookshare books on the Victor Reader Stream

To search for and download books using the NLS and/or Bookshare service(s), your Victor Reader Stream must be connected to Wi-Fi, and your account for that service must be configured in your Stream.

Make sure you are in the online bookcase.
Press the number 1 key to navigate to the bookshelf for the service you want to download books from.
If there are currently no books in the bookshelf for that service, the Stream will announce 0 books and give you an option to search for books. You can press the CONFIRM key to start a search in this case.
If you do have books in the bookshelf for that service, the Stream will announce the number of books on the bookshelf, and should be positioned at the last book you were reading.
You can either use the 4 or 6 keys to navigate to the search option, or press the GO TO key (the square button above the number 1 key) to access the search option, and press CONFIRM.
The Stream will announce the first search option in the list. You can use the 2 or 8 keys to navigate up or down the list of search options, and press the CONFIRM key to select the desired search option.
Any of the following actions can be performed within the list of results:

Press the 4 or 6 keys to go back and forward through the list.

Press the 5 key to hear a short description of the book.

Press the BOOKMARK key to save the book to your wish list, to be downloaded later(NLS BARD only).

Press the CONFIRM key to download the selected book.

Press the PLAY/PAUSE key to begin reading the selected book.

Press the PLAY/PAUSE key to pause reading of the book.

Press the 1 key to return to the current bookshelf.

Searching for Internet Radio stations on the Victor Reader Stream

You can search for Internet radio stations in the ooTunes radio service database directly from the Victor Reader Stream. You can also add Stations to a Favorites list for easy access in the future. To use the Internet Radio service, your Victor Reader Stream must be connected to Wi-Fi.

1.    Make sure you are in the online bookcase.
2.    Press the number 1 key to navigate to the Internet Radio bookshelf.
3.    You can either use the 4 or 6 keys to navigate to the “Search on ooTunes” option, or press the GO TO key (the square button above the number 1 key) to access the “Search on ooTunes” option, and press CONFIRM.
4.    The Stream will announce the first search option in the list. You can use the 2 or 8 keys to navigate up or down the list of search options, and press the CONFIRM key to select the desired search option.
5.    If you select the option to search by genre, you will be presented with a list of several genres to choose from. Again, use the 2 or 8 keys to navigate through the list, and press CONFIRM on the desired genre.
6.    If you select the option to search by name, you will be placed in an edit field. Use the multi-tap text entry method to enter the text for your search and press Confirm. It is best to search for a specific station, such as “WXYZ”, or a type of station not included in the genres, such as “Old Time Radio”, rather than searching for a specific frequency. If you search for “101.1”, for example, you will be presented with every radio station in the ooTunes database that is on the 101.1 frequency.
7.    Any of the following actions can be performed within a list of results:
Press the 4 or 6 keys to go back and forward through the list.
Press the 5 key to hear information about the selected station.
Press the PLAY/PAUSE key to begin playing the selected station.
8.    If you want to save the selected station to your Favorites, press the BOOKMARK key (the diamond-shaped key above the 3), followed by the CONFIRM key.

Playing Internet Radio stations on the Victor Reader Stream

To play Radio stations using the Internet Radio service, your Victor Reader Stream must be connected to Wi-Fi.

1.    Make sure you are in the online bookcase.
2.    Press the number 1 key to navigate to the Internet Radio bookshelf.
3.    The Stream will announce the number of Internet Radio playlists you have, and should be positioned at the last playlist you accessed. If the announced playlist is not the desired playlist, press the 4 or 6 keys to navigate back and forward through your playlists and press CONFIRM to open the selected playlist.
4.    Any of the following actions can be performed from within a playlist:
Press the 4 or 6 keys to go back and forward through the list.
Press the 5 key to hear information about the selected Station.
Press the PLAY/PAUSE key to begin playing the selected station.
Press the PLAY/PAUSE key to pause playing of the selected station, then the PLAY/PAUSE key to resume playing the station.
Press the 3 key followed by the CONFIRM key to delete the selected station.
Press the 1 key to return to the Internet Radio bookshelf to select another playlist.

Searching for and adding Podcast feeds on the Victor Reader Stream

You can search for podcast feeds directly from the Victor Reader Stream. New episodes will be downloaded to your Stream automatically when you are connected to Wi-Fi, based on the settings selected in the ‘podcasts’ configuration menu of your Victor Reader Stream. To subscribe to podcast feeds and download episodes, your Victor Reader Stream must be connected to Wi-Fi.

1.    Make sure you are in the online bookcase.
2.    Press the number 1 key to navigate to the podcasts bookshelf.
3.    You can either use the 4 or 6 keys to navigate to the “Add podcast feed” option, or press the GO TO key (the square button above the number 1 key) to access the “Add podcast feed” option, followed by the CONFIRM key.
4.    The Stream will announce the first search option in the list. You can use the 2 or 8 keys to navigate up or down the list of search options, and press the CONFIRM key to select the desired search option.
5.    If you select the option to search by name, you will be placed in an edit field. Use the multi-tap text entry method to enter your search and press Confirm.
6.    If you select the option to search by category, you will be presented with a list of several categories to choose from. Again, use the 2 or 8 keys to navigate through the list, and press CONFIRM on the desired category.
7.    If you select the HumanWare suggested podcast feeds option, you will be presented with a list of several podcast feeds on a range of topics that have been found to be popular with Victor Reader Stream users.
8.    Any of the following actions can be performed within a list of results:
Press the 4 or 6 keys to go back and forward through the list.
Press the 5 key to hear information about the selected podcast feed.
Press the CONFIRM key to subscribe to the selected podcast feed.

Managing Podcast feeds and playing Podcast episodes on the Victor Reader Stream

Your Victor Reader Stream Does not need to be connected to Wi-Fi in order to manage podcast feeds or listen to podcast episodes that have already been downloaded, however, a Wi-Fi connection is required to download new episodes or subscribe to new podcast feeds.

1.    Make sure you are in the online bookcase.
2.    Press the number 1 key to navigate to the Podcasts bookshelf.
3.    The Stream will announce the number of podcast feeds you have, and should be positioned at the last feed you accessed. If the announced podcast feed is not the desired feed, press the 4 or 6 keys to navigate back and forward through your list of podcast feeds. The Stream will announce the number of new episodes in each feed when navigating. Any of the following actions can be performed when navigating through your list of podcast feeds :
Press the 3 key once followed by the CONFIRM key to unsubscribe from the selected feed.
Press the 3 key twice followed by the CONFIRM key to delete all episodes in the selected feed.
Press the 3 key three times followed by the CONFIRM key to move all of the episodes in the selected feed to your SD card.
Press the CONFIRM key to open the selected feed.
4.    Any of the following actions can be performed from within a podcast feed:
Press the 4 or 6 keys to go back and forward through the list of episodes.
Press the 5 key to hear information about the selected episode.
Press the PLAY/PAUSE key to begin playing the selected episode.
Press the PLAY/PAUSE key to pause playing of the selected episode, then the PLAY/PAUSE key to resume playing the episode.
Press the 3 key once followed by the CONFIRM key to delete the selected episode.
Press the 3 key twice followed by the CONFIRM key to move the selected episode to your SD card.
Press the 3 key three times followed by the CONFIRM key to prevent auto-delete of the selected episode.
Press the 1 key to return to the Podcasts bookshelf to select another podcast feed.

General troubleshooting tips for the Victor Reader Stream

If you are having any issues with your Victor Reader Stream, please try a few general troubleshooting steps below that have been known to resolve most common issues.

First, try performing a profile reset . This can resolve many abnormal or intermittent issues with your Victor Reader Stream that may simply be caused by general use. Please note that the profile reset will delete any bookmarks you have saved, and will cause you to lose any places that you currently have held in books that you have started reading. Some of your settings will also be returned to their factory defaults, however, you should not lose any of your user data from the internal memory or your SD card as a result of performing this reset.

To perform a profile reset on your Victor Reader Stream:

Make sure your Victor Reader Stream is turned off and that it has been off for at least 30 seconds.
Press and hold the number 5 and BOOKMARK keys together (the BOOKMARK key is the diamond-shaped key above the 3), keeping the keys held down while powering on the Stream.
Release the 5, BOOKMARK, and power keys immediately after you hear the beep indicating that the Victor Reader Stream has powered on, and the Stream will announce “Creating new profile” Immediately before the welcome message. If you hear the welcome message but the Stream did not announce that the new profile has been created, turn the player off for 30 seconds and repeat the procedure.

If the profile reset does not resolve the issue(s) you are experiencing with your Victor Reader Stream, you may wish to try using another SD card to determine if the SD card you are currently using is causing the problem.

If you are still experiencing problems after trying the recommended troubleshooting steps as above, please contact HumanWare Technical Support for assistance.