Vera Alerts Android phone not working as well as I had hoped (Home LAN)

Apps & Remote Access VeraAlerts
1

Hi

I was hoping to be able to use an Android Phone (Samsung Galaxy Y) in the house and have it connected to some speakers for VeraAlerts to speak out etc.

However I am finding it to be problematic, firstly the WIFI is not a stable enough connection and when the phone sleeps it often stops working, I have changed the WIFI Sleep setting on the phone to Never and also setup a static IP on the phone, I have also tried to use various Keep Wifi alive apps, which have improved things a bit.

Secondly the VeraAlerts half the time just do not show up on the phone, even when the phone is in my hand and the screen unlocked. Looking at the VERA UI and the VeraAlerts device, it displays the time and date of the last alert sent out and on here it looks to be correct, but a lot of the time they never appear on the VeraAlerts app on the phone. When in this situation I find turning off the WIFI on the phone and turning it back on makes it start working again.

I am using the Vera Alerts LAN Profile btw and not the Mobile profile.

Overall a bit disappointing. So now what? Maybe an Android MINI PC that has a LAN port and a 3.5mm audio out port, if such a machine exists.

Would love to hear from others using an old Android phone for in house announcements and how well it is working for you?

Thanks

2

I have the same problem with a generic android tablet, the only solution I have found so far is to keep the screen on (option on the debug menu).

3

Hi thanks for the reply,

I did have this setup on my Wife’s Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10" for a while and it seemed to work better on there, but she wanted me to take it off her tablet as I was only testing with it anyway’s. Which is why I bought this second hand phone etc. Also its stock Gingerbread OS I don’t know how to modify the ROMs and all that stuff.

4

If you are going to leave the phone sit in 1 location, you might want to look at using an ethernet dongle on it, not sure if it is supported or not on your Android though. I have set up an older Motorola phone that is always plugged and then plugged in to some wireless speakers. I haven’t had the issue you are talking about yet, but I have been wanting to add a ethernet dongle to it so I can get it off my wireless.

5

Hi

Something like this on eBay here?

I did consider this but as there is only one micro USB port on the phone and this is used for charging it up, I wasn’t sure how I could have the phone powered in to the mains and also use a USB to LAN adapter at the same time.

Thanks

6

You will have to check to make sure you factory ROM supports it. If it has OTG it should Clever adapter connects USB accessories to your Android device - CNET

Or you will have to root and find a rom with support for it. As far as charging goes, you would have to get an OTG that supports it like, http://www.amazon.com/Micro-Cable-Power-Samsung-AtomicMarket/dp/B009YPYORM

7

Gibby thanks, I have found the correct OTG cable with power on eBay UK here.

However doing a quick search on Google most things I have read say the Samsung Galaxy Y doesn’t support OTG. :-\

8

Check on someone out there has a ROM for it with it built in. I have yet to own an Android device that I have not rooted and changed ROMs. Wife’s phones, kids tablet, my tablets, ect… Heck even cheap 7’’ tablets from Woot worked.