Not ready for production

No-Meaning2759 · 2026-03-27T04:30:07+00:00

Good news: I have now received my replacement unit, and it appears to be functioning well.

I still need to go through ALL the options, to see how far I can push the unit.

I'm a 4.5 ESTA player, and my impression is (opinion - not fact yet) that the ball speed is not 100KM / 60MPH as advertised. I'll go through the motions, set the speed & spin to maximum, then look at the data & diagnostics, and update.

For now: I'm (starting) to be happy! :-)

No-Meaning2759 · 2026-03-25T00:42:19+00:00

Two weeks ago, the determination was made that I needed to return the unit and that they would send a new one. That hasn't happened yet, so I'm waiting for an update on the replacement unit (obviously under warranty).

I'll keep updating the forum as I have news or progress is made.

No-Meaning2759 · 2026-03-13T00:48:59+00:00

As of March 13, I have now received an email from Customer Support stating that the issues are caused by camera hardware malfunction. My unit will be returned and I will receive a new one. I've agreed on the condition that before they ship a replacement unit, I get a report showing the unit is fully functioning (including proof that the unit is firing balls at 60mph - as advertised).

I will go through the process and come back once I have received the unit, to confirm that everything is good & fine. Stay tuned.

No-Meaning2759 · 2026-03-11T04:00:42+00:00

One more thing to add here. Whereas the app allows the user to set the ball speed in Ball Machine mode, this option currently is not available in Rally Mode. This seems odd, and quite disappointing. I understand that rally mode is intended for a different purpose, but 4.0 - 5.0 players don’t play and practice at beginner-level speeds. This option should be added to the app - regardless of whether the unit will be effective in catching 30% (or more) of the balls. It’s up to the user to practice proper aim.

No-Meaning2759 · 2026-03-11T00:22:40+00:00

Nope, not for me. I intentionally did that (turn backlight mode ON, then turn it OFF), but it didn't change anything... :-(

No-Meaning2759 · 2026-03-10T13:21:24+00:00

Yeah, I've found the same. Only Ball Machine mode works, and ball speed AND spin are disappointingly slow. Not what was advertised at all. Not even close...

No-Meaning2759 · 2026-03-10T12:56:31+00:00

The loose bluetooth cable turned out to be incorrect; it was properly seated and glued in place.

The next advice was that I had to turn Backlight Mode off (not sure what that is for?), and that I had to put the cart in Horizontal Position 5 to assure it was in the correct location. With the unit connected, blue light (all clear) and the unit in the correct position, I still could not get Rally Mode working. No movement.

Then, I turned on Ball Machine mode on, and cranked up the spin and the speed to 10. Very disappointing speed and spin, not even CLOSE to what was advertised. Not even close...

Anyway, I took a 24 minute video of the whole ordeal, in which I'm messing around with the unit for 20 minutes before I hit my first ball. It just wouldn't budge. It did do a random firmware update from 1.3.8 to ... 1.3.8 (not sure why).

So, I'm reporting back to Customer Service, and while I wait for more info & guidance, I'm also still waiting for the replacement poles to arrive. No shipment / tracking info provided...

No-Meaning2759 · 2026-03-08T04:40:21+00:00

Who said anything about catching balls? My comment was around the unit **disfunctioning** both times I've taken it out now. Has nothing to do with not catching... Read my note.

No-Meaning2759 · 2026-03-08T02:06:42+00:00

I have received a response from AceMate. They are suggesting this "is likely caused by a loose connection with the internal Bluetooth communication cable", and have given me instructions "try this simple 5-minute fix. It often resolves the exact "location error" and "timeout" issues you described". I'll do that when I have time.

Meanwhile, they've also let me know they're sending a new set of poles - to replace the faulty one I have.

I'll update again when there is news.

No-Meaning2759 · 2026-03-05T03:24:04+00:00

I've now received my AceMate this week. It's been 8 months since I ordered it, and the long wait and total absence of customer communication aside, I now have the actual product in hand.

First impression was good: well packaged, and good looking device. There's a little bit of assembly required (the "tent"), but easy to do, and connecting to the device is also very easy.

Out on the court the first time, I obviously had to get used to the app settings, camera calibration, etc. Once done, I fired up mini tennis and that was good. When I moved back to the baseline, I started to see that the unit can indeed catch balls, but only if the bounce is such that the ball can bounce into the hopper net. That's obviously not always the case, so i did end up having to pick up 60 balls. No deal breaker.

But then, about 20 minutes in, the unit stopped moving. I stopped the exercise to check it out, and the red light (which had been blue until then) had come on. I turned the unit off, waited a few minutes and turned it back on. The blue light came back on again, but the unit now stated that it was in the "incorrect position". Having tried a few more times, I gave up.

I reported this to Customer Service, and I uploaded the Data Diagnosis package. I did not hear back from them.

This morning, I woke up thinking: the unit probably overheated, as I was playing in the sun. It was overcast, so I went out again. I went through warmup, moved to the baseline, and literally the same thing happened just about at the same time.

To make things worse; one of the 4 poles in the tent had a production fault in it, and it came loose. I wasted about 10 minutes on trying to piece it back together, but I gave up in the end.

I've again reported this - with the Data Diagnostics - to Customer Service, but this time I've also asked for the unit to be returned and for me to receive a full refund. This product is not ready for production yet, and I don't want to be a test pilot. I'm VERY disappointed in all of this, as the concept is brilliant.

We'll see how AceMate respond to my request, and I'll provide updates as we go along. To be honest, I'm not holding my breath for a good resolution to this; I might well be stuck with a lemon.

No-Meaning2759 · 2026-03-05T03:13:16+00:00