GlobalCache iTach with Android not working

[Felipe]

Hi guys,

I have 2 iTachs on a system: 1 WF2IR and 1 WF2SL.

Both work fine on simultaneous connection with 1 iPad and 1 iPhone (both on iOS 7.1.1 and latest iViewer 4).

But when I try to use a Motorola MotoX (with Android 4.4.2 and the latest iViewer) it won't work.

The MotoX can control the Lutron system correctly, but the iTachs are non responsive.

In iPad and iPhone everything works correctly and simultaneously.

On gui Designer, the systems are set to "Always On".

Any idea what could be the problem?

Thanks,

Felipe.

[Felipe]

An update to this issue:

The iOs devices are showing the same issue as the Android device. It is very random.

The test gui is simple and commands are valid, since when we get the connection it works perfectly.

It seems to be an old issue with no direct solution:

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/commandfusion/wf2ir/commandfusion/rFfyKcXMvBI/fLnq-z1RSJkJ

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/commandfusion/itach%7Csort:relevance%7Cspell:false/commandfusion/mIYcSSL4ujc/04ddI6IIUXMJ

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/commandfusion/itach%7Csort:relevance%7Cspell:false/commandfusion/O9py2jBZStY/TRHquFktOU0J

I am using commands in the systems to send IR or serial data, not CF.send(), if that make any difference...

Thanks,

Felipe.

[Jarrod Bell]

Sounds like an issue with the Global Cache side to be honest.

You can debug whats happening with the communications using our debugger in Chrome browser on your PC:
http://commandfusion.com/docs/scripting/debug.html#remote_Systems

Make sure the GC units have the latest firmware as well.

Regards,

Jarrod Bell
CommandFusion
www.commandfusion.com

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[Felipe]

Hi Jarrod,

This would be to debug JS, right? I don't think there's anything to debug on the test gui. It has no JS, the connections are set to always on, buttons execute a valid command.

The only thing I could try is to use wireshark to see what's going on on a lower level, but I'm afraid I don't have the skills to dive that deep.

I wouldn't know what to look for...

[Jarrod Bell]

The debugger is not just for JS. The page I linked to explains how you can view system connection status and connection attempts, as well as bytes sent and received counts.

Regards,

Jarrod Bell
CommandFusion
www.commandfusion.com

[Steve]

I believe the problem is not to do with CF nor the iTach's. It is most likely your WIFI network.

Have you tried with a non WIFI iTach? I had the same kind of problems and moving to an ethernet iTach fixed everything for me. I could have troubleshooted the WIFI network but it was much cheaper just to get the iTach.

[Felipe]

Hi Steve,

The thing is that I'm getting some weird behavior that I don't see as being from the router...

Here are tests results debugging iOS and Android devices:

iOS (iPhone and iPad):

"Always on" only works with WF2IR. WF2SL connects 1 user only (despite the specs saying otherwise). If I use only 1 device it works perfectly on both iTachs.

"Dialog" works flawlesly on both iTachs

Android:

It won't connect. In "Always On", "transitory" or "Dialog", same behavior: no connection.

It is the same test gui on the 3 devices, and Android is the only one that doesn't want to work.

Is there any difference between iViewer for Android and for iOS that could justify this difference?

I've searched about Android blocking network ports, but found nothing. It will block ports only with specific apps and on this MotoX there are no such apps installed.

Meanwhile I'll try migrating to JS and see if I can fix this problems from there.

Thanks,

Felipe.

[Steve]

In another thread here this week I found out that the iTachs have a setting to allow multiple connections. Apparently the default is for this setting to be off. Although, why would you want two users using a serial link at the same time? This could lead to all sorts of problems.

I would think that there would be all sorts of differences between Android and IOS versions of CF. They would have completely different API's and coding. I believe the CF folks have tried to abstract a lot of this stuff but there is obviously lots of low level differences.

There have been quite a lot of anecdotal evidence pointing to problems with WIFI. I would not dismiss that out of hand. As I said, I swapped my iTach's to ethernet and all of my problems disappeared. Other people changed their network hardware to fix the problem.

On Thursday, May 15, 2014 10:46:36 AM UTC-4, Felipe wrote:

Hi Steve,

The thing is that I'm getting some weird behavior that I don't see as being from the router...

Here are tests results debugging iOS and Android devices:

iOS (iPhone and iPad):

"Always on" only works with WF2IR. WF2SL connects 1 user only (despite the specs saying otherwise). If I use only 1 device it works perfectly on both iTachs.

"Dialog" works flawlesly on both iTachs

Android:

It won't connect. In "Always On", "transitory" or "Dialog", same behavior: no connection.

It is the same test gui on the 3 devices, and Android is the only one that doesn't want to work.

Is there any difference between iViewer for Android and for iOS that could justify this difference?

I've searched about Android blocking network ports, but found nothing. It will block ports only with specific apps and on this MotoX there are no such apps installed.

Meanwhile I'll try migrating to JS and see if I can fix this problems from there.

Thanks,

Felipe.

Em quarta-feira, 14 de maio de 2014 15h40min28s UTC-4, Steve escreveu:

[Felipe]

Hi Steve,

I got the multiple connections working now.

I need to make multiple connections, because the feedback from iTach is only received if you are connected to it.

So in order to update the Denon receiver status on all control devices, all of them have to be connected to the iTach when Denon's feedback is sent.

I saw another thread that a guy was able to control a serial iTach (IP, not wifi) from 2 android tablets, so I am focusing on finding why this particular Android phone is not working.

Maybe you are right about the IP iTach, but I'll have to try everything before buying a new unit. They are not that cheap in my country.

Thanks,

Felipe.

[Florent Pillet]

The iOS and Android versions of iViewer are internally very different, yet we abstract things in a way that provides the same platform to your GUI.

On the other hand, details like low level WIFI behavior (at system level) are different because the underlying operating systems are not the same. Also, we identified some quirks in TCP behavior in iViewer on Android that have been resolved and are undergoing testing. We'll have an update soon that brings better network reliability.

Florent

[Steve]

Now that's why I have an intermediary server. The Denon (Or pioneer in my case) is connected to my server which always has the latest data. The iPads get their data from the server.

A Raspberry Pi would do for a server.

[Felipe]

Florent,

I used wireshark to analyze the connections attempt. Attached is the result. If you need it in other format please let me know. 

The IP ending in .101 is the Android device (MotoX).

The IP ending in .232 is the iPhone.

The IPs ending in .202 and .205 are the iTach units.

You can see that the 101 is asking who is 202 and 205. They reply but 101 doesn't understand the reply and keeps asking who is 202 and 205...

When 232 asks who is 202 and 205, they reply and the connection happens right after.

Android version is 4.4.2 kitkat.

iOS version 7.1.

Both have the latest iViewer 4.

The gui used is the same for both devices and was programmed with guiDesigner 2.7.1.124.

Hope that helps to find a solution.

Thanks,

Felipe.

[Felipe]

Florent, Jarrod,

Did you see this post?

Can this point to a solution?

Thanks,

Felipe.

[Felipe]

Anyone?

[Florent Pillet]

As I mentioned earlier, besides Android devices' TCP/IP stack specifics (which we can't change, and what you're seeing on your network is certainly typical of android devices), we have an improved TCP/IP support in the next version of Android iViewer that will go into public testing soon. We've just been crazy busy with iViewer 5 development on iOS.

Florent

[Felipe]

OK, looking forward to that update.

Thanks.