Version 3.30.03 and new Android Software Remote

[ScottBot]

A new Android software remote has been released and is avaiable from the Google Play store. You can download it for free from the link below, or search for it in the Google Play app.


HouseBot version 3.30.03 has also been released and is recommended for use with the Android remote, although older versions will still work.
For a list of changes in this version, refer to the new change log page.

[incoronado]

Fantastic work Scott! This has encouraged me to get back into Housebot after a rather long hiatus.

[Vectrus]

thanx you have saved housebot, the very best automation software is now running to the future. Have you any possibility to develop a ios compatible swremote, i am happy now, tanks a lot...

[ScottBot]

Have you any possibility to develop a ios compatible swremote, i am happy now, tanks a lot...

I would say that the possibility of an IOS version is now much better than before.

[Steve Horn]

This is truly a game changer.! I've purchased, received an Android tablet, downloaded the SWRemote app from the play store and installed it. Launched it, put in (what turned out to be) the incorrect remote name, the IP of the server. The SWRemote attempts to login and fails, attempts to login, fails, etc. Etc. No way that I've found to reenter the configurations. And the login retries don't appear to "time out" unless I close the app. Am I on the bleeding edge, I.e. the proverbial early adopter?

[ScottBot]

You should be able to just swipe right on the status page and then hit the setting button to enter new remote name.

[Steve Horn]

Deleted the data file in the app's setup and retried, entering the correct SWRemote name and SERVER IP. Same result. Tried again this morning, first making sure I could ping the HB server. Entered the same SWRemote name and server IP and it loaded the theme just fine. Go figure. Of course, now I have to create a new theme to match the aspect ratio of the Android tablet I bought. But that's ok - this is so cool! Hopefully, it will open up HB to a new set of users. WELL DONE, SCOTT!

[Steve Horn]

I love this Android Software Remote enhancement to HB. I've only run into two issues, and only one is software remote related. I created a new theme to match the 1024x768 screen of my new android tablet (Ematic 7" w/4.4 KitKat) by copying panels from my main floor theme (800x600). No troubles encountered that could not be easily addressed by sizing things to the smaller but "pixelier" screen. But I have sliders on one panel used for Winamp EQ. On the source theme, the slider's "knob" is center mid way between min and max. On the Android the "knob" is at the top. Properties are identical to the source theme - both accessing the same Winamp app on the HB server.


The only other issue that I've encountered is either OS or tablet related. There is no way to blank the screen without putting the tablet to sleep. And doing that drops the wifi link. Waking the tablet up, going into settings, turning off wifi and turning it back on forces it to reestablish the wifi connection (get IP ADDRESS, etc.). Usually, the Software remote will pick up where it left off. If not, I close the app and reopen. Not a major headache, but it's not like my iPad's handling of sleep mode. (Using an iPad Remote Desktop app to access HB.) The iPad never drops the wifi connection.

Edit: found a screen blanker app that works fairly well to address the second, non Housebot, issue.

[ScottBot]

...On the source theme, the slider's "knob" is center mid way between min and max. On the Android the "knob" is at the top. Properties are identical to the source theme - both accessing the same Winamp app on the HB server.

I've tried to reproduce here and the sliders I have setup are working fine. Can you either send me a simple theme that shows the problem, or just give me the specific property setup for the slider that isn't working the same?

...There is no way to blank the screen without putting the tablet to sleep. And doing that drops the wifi link. Waking the tablet up, going into settings, turning off wifi and turning it back on forces it to reestablish the wifi connection (get IP ADDRESS, etc.). Usually, the Software remote will pick up where it left off. ...

I have a Dell Venue and Samsung S5 that will blank the screen automatically after timeout, or by clicking the power button. On these devices, the network connection stays active (you can see the remote "in session" at the server) even though the screen is blank. This allows it to wake up without having to re-establish the connection. Not sure if there is a setting for this somewhere.

The "Screen Blank Button" wasn't implemented in Android. I think I just lost track of that feature, since it was going to be a little more involved to implement. I'll revisit it and see if I can get it working.

[Steve Horn]

Slider issue: Comparing XML files of the Android theme against the theme that the panels were copied from, I found that the Android version had CDRAG parms specifically set/stated in it for the sliders and set to 0. Presumably this parm reflects the "Change While Dragging" property. The "source" theme XML did not have those parms in the file for the sliders. Regardless, when I edited out the CDRAGs it made no difference. But I did notice in the Android theme that the sliders are at the top of the slide, even though the min and max values are -20 to 20 and the actual property values are set to zero. I have a control button on the panel that sets the sliders Winamp EQ property to 0 (intended to set EQ flat). When I press it, the sliders go to the top of the slide instead of the middle, like they do in the non Android theme. Its gets better. If I open the Android theme with a nonAndroid device (Win7x64) it acts as it should. And changing the slider positions affect the positions of the same theme opened on an Android device. Expected. But on the Windows version, a zero property value is in the mid slider range while the same property is reflected at the same time on the Android slider at the top of the slide.

Regarding the screen blank issue, I thought I had found a blanker app ("Flick Screen Off") that worked properly, without killing the WiFi. Sadly, the Wifi still drops after 5 minutes. But it is a nice little blanker app - just swipe the left edge of the screen to the right to blank. Push the sleep/wake/on/off button to unblank.

[ScottBot]

I think I fixed your slider issue. I certainly fixed "a" slider issue when using negative range values.

It might be a few days before I release it to the play store, but it won't be long. I'll try and add the screen blank button in also, but if your device is disconnecting wifi on sleep, then this button probably won't help much.

[ScottBot]

Steve,

Also, check your wifi settings. Depending on the version, you might have (I have) a setting in the advanced wifi page for 'Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep'. You may need to hit the small menu dots inside the wifi settings to get to the advanced page.

[Steve Horn]

Thanks for "a" fix!

I had already set wifi to be on during sleep. So that points to <maybe> an access point parameter. Funny that the iPad has no problems staying connected to the same AP. Regardless, not an issue with HB. May just have to live with it.

[ScottBot]

Let me know how the latest version of the Android remote works with your sliders. It should be available in the Google Play store now.

[Steve Horn]

That fixed it!