Just don’t forget to switch back when phone is back home 
I agree, user’s won’t like to change URL format every time they go out and back.
BTW, rakstar, are you planning to put your app on the Market?
I would think you would not have to go back to the LAN once the WAN is picked
because:
Every time you open the app, you want to check the access and make a determination.
With an android device, I really don’t think you want to keep the link to findvera.com
open all the time you are away. I would think you would open the app, do sometihng,
and then go off and do something else. When you do something else, the findvera
connection should close. I have found with air4vera this setup time is not really a problem
and that way you are not sucking up findvera capacity when you don’t really care.
every time you open, you check LAN, if not avail, check and get findvera.com. It takes
a couple of seconds to make the connection.
Initial connection over 3G with with 7.2 mbps takes few seconds on my HTC Magic. Large chunk of data can be passed very fast, but connection to the server takes time. If you use mobile app often, it becomes a nuisance, so I would naturally want to reduce amount of required transactions to get to the desired screen with Vera’s controls. So when connection to findvera.com is closed, it would be nice to have session authentication token (or whatever it is there) cached, leaving a chance next time I open the app I won’t have to wait while it logs in…
Thanks so much for the input.
@chairman_bubba: LAN <-> WAN switching might have to be manual initially but I do have a plan in place for automatic switching. Thanks for offering your source, I’m sure I’ll have questions though, hope you don’t mind if I ping you one of these days.
@325xi: Yes I’ll put it on the Market, just signed up as a developer today
Quick update: In it’s current state, it’s fairly usable. I’m able to auto-detect local IPs, activate scenes, and get some basic information about some devices – currently only thermostats and dimmable light switches because that’s all I have, but hopefully with the community’s help I can add more. I’ll polish it up a little more and hopefully by this weekend upload it to the Market. I’ll keep you guys posted.
I’ve release the first version of Home Buddy so if you have an android device, please give it a try. To install, you can search for “Home Buddy” in the Android Market or scan the barcode on my Home Buddy site: http://sites.google.com/site/rakstar/homebuddy. Feel free to email me with any feedback at homebuddy.android@gmail.com.
Strange - can’t find it on market (in Canada)…
I tried the original version I downloaded, it logs in, but in Vera with .616 is just showing nothing (no scenes found), n Vera with .958 is says ash:MessageSend not found, and then the same empty tabs
I’m on Cupcake (1.5)
I wonder if it’s because you’re on Cupcake… I checked right after publishing and was instantly able to download it. If you want, I could send you the apk, email me at homebuddy.android@gmail.com.
@325xi - I just released a new version which supports Android 1.5 - 2.0. Please check the Market now and let me know whether it appears now or not. Thanks.
It is there, but gives error message that module is not signed properly
Darn… I wonder if it’s because I upgraded my OS and used an existing keystore to sign it. I upgraded from the Market and it works on my phone running Cyanogen 4.2.3.1… I’m guessing you’re running stock firmware?
Sorry about that, I’m new to this. I’ll regenerate the keystore and upload an updated version tonight.
I just tried it on my G1 and I set it up to log on remotely then when I went to restart the app while it’s trying to log on remotely it locks up and says “The application Home Buddy (process org.rakstar.homebuddy) has stopped unexpectedly. Please try again.” Then the Force close button.
@reiserx: could you try hitting the following url in a browser substituting and with the proper values:
https://ra1.findvera.com///49451/data_request?id=user_data2&output_format=json
make sure that comes up, and if it does, would you mind sending me the output? I don’t think it contains sensitive information (anyone please correct me if I’m wrong), but that’s the only way I can diagnose the problem. You can email me at homebuddy.android@gmail.com.
Also, have you tried Local mode? Btw, what Vera firmware version are you running?
I tried signing with a new key but the Market didn’t allow me to publish it so I just re-signed with the same key and published that. I didn’t do anything different so I’m not sure if that will resolve the issue. Were you able to install it anyway?
Has anyone else seen this problem?
[quote=“rakstar, post:32, topic:164210”]@reiserx: could you try hitting the following url in a browser substituting and with the proper values:
https://ra1.findvera.com///49451/data_request?id=user_data2&output_format=json
make sure that comes up, and if it does, would you mind sending me the output? I don’t think it contains sensitive information (anyone please correct me if I’m wrong), but that’s the only way I can diagnose the problem. You can email me at homebuddy.android@gmail.com.
Also, have you tried Local mode? Btw, what Vera firmware version are you running?[/quote]
The browser returned {“ReturnString”: “error”}
I’m using .616 still until they get the wifi client mode working with remote access with the newer firmware and out of beta.
I haven’t tried local yet because I live about 20 miles from my Vera’s.
@reiserx: Thanks for the feedback. I’m not sure how to handle this scenario… other than upgrading to the latest firmware, one way to get it working with the current version of Home Buddy is to give your Vera a public IP, switch to Local mode, and manually enter the IP. NOTE though that this is not secure – this will allow anybody to potentially view/control your devices.
Does MCV have any suggestions on how to approach this?
@reiserx, sorry, i should have realized sooner that it’s not a connectivity problem. looks like it connects fine but because you have an older version of the firmware, the URL that i use to pull information is probably different. unfortunately, to be able to use Home Buddy, you’ll have to upgrade your Vera. again, my apologies – i don’t know what i was thinking :-[
hi guys! i just released v0.4 this morning adding home screen shortcuts. you can now activate scenes directly from your “desktop”. enjoy!
Only Scenes seems to work. Devices do not work. i see my devices, but i can’t contole them. i have a HTC Hero
@Maartenvt, thanks for installing my app. Home Buddy is a work in progress and I have yet to implement the ability to control specific devices – that’s close to top priority in my list of things to do though. When I do get to that, I’ll need the community’s help… since I can only test with devices that I own (currently dimmers and thermostats), if you need support for other devices, I’ll need some information from your Vera – or please consider helping me buy more devices by making a donation. You can do so from my Home Buddy site:
Thanks again!