AI Companion hanging (using a Chromebook)

[CALUM MUNRO]

Hi all,

I have seen this issue on various other posts, but can't get a reliable solution. I have a set of 12 identical tablets and a class of students using Chromebooks, connecting via the school wifi network.

Several of the tablets hang when connecting using AI Companion at a range of percents, varying from 50% to 92%. The problem is that there does not appear to be a consistent reason for this. I have watched students fail to connect, pass the device on to another student, and it works. I have connected the same device on my Windows 10 laptop, and it works too. They try on another tablet and it will work.

I have tried deleting the AppInventor folder from the tablets, restarting both devices, but can't find a way of solving this problem. I feel it is not a network issue, but related to the size of images students are adding to their apps.

Can anyone help with this annoying issue?

Many thanks, Calum

[SteveJG]

Actually, it does sound like a network issue dependent on total usage of the school's network perhaps although it could be other things.   Here is some stuff to try to discover the issue.

Yes, this could be an issue of students loading large image or sound files and/or loading large images and depending on the UI to scrunch the images to the right size. 

• Using Images with App Inventor

This hang could be a hardware issue on your chromebooks and depend on the cpu in use and how much system memory is available on the tablet. Chrome books do not perform as well as real PCs and some chromebooks have issues using AI .   Here is a haystack of Forum discussions about chromebooks  https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/mitappinventortest/chromebook%7Csort:date   Some of these describe unsolvable issues and other are success stories.

If the hang is a network issue, discuss with your IT staff, your institution might need a router with more capacity.  Somewhere you possibly have software that monitors maximum network usage.  If usage spikes, think network. This could be usage by others outside your classroom. When a Project does not load and hangs and another student gets to try and it works sounds like network (or a very different student project).  When the second student tries, overall usage may be less than when the first student's project hung.

If this hanging  is related to Projects using large files, use smaller files... images can be resized .   If very small projects with out images or sound files do not seem to be affected, you discovered part of the culprit.

You might take a chromebook home to try on your home network with a variety of student's aia fles.   Do some or all of the student Projects still hang? 

Regards,

Steve

[Abraham Getzler]

Also inquire as to the WiFi setup in your classroom.

Though there may be many channel numbers available,

there are only a few frequencies shared by the student connections.

ABG

[HarryM]

I have had the same problem using AI2 for an edx course I am taking from Trinity College.  Using my surface book and Chrome, with a Galaxy Tab S2 as an emulator.  Yesterday everything worked fine.  Today nothing works.  I can use the web site, but communications hangup at the 75% point on the progress bar.

If anyone knows of a solution I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Harry

[SteveJG]

@Harry   Your issue may or may not be Calum's issue.

What you guys have in common is using a Chrome operating system and both seem to be using a school network.  Chrome is not formally supported by App Inventor but it can be made to work.  Here is a haystack of Forum discussions about chromebooks  https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/mitappinventortest/chromebook%7Csort:date   Some of these discussions describe unsolvable issues and other are success stories.

You did not provide much information Harry that would allow anyone to propose a solution to your hang. You said you are using a  a Galaxy Tab S2 as an emulator ... guess you mean you use the Galaxy as the live development device? Chromebooks cannot currently use the Android emulator.  Are you using it with WIFI or USB?

Your app's hang could be either a programming issue related to your code (something you changed in the last day) or a hardware issue or something else in your case  .  

Your Project:   You did not share anything about your app.  A guess is you may have large image or sound files.  Post an aia and someone might test it.  Is this the only Project that hangs or a smaller project does too,That is, is this the ONLY project that hangs.  "Yesterday everything worked fine.  Today nothing works.'".  OK, so what changes did you make to your Project between yesterday and now?  Even small changes can affect performance.  What is the exact error message you get when "communications hangup at the 75% point on the progress bar."  ... a screen capture would be useful.

Your Hardware  the hang up could be related to your chromebook and the cpu in use and how much system memory is available on the tablet to run both your browser and access the AI2 live development. Chrome books do not perform as well as real PCs and some chromebooks have issues using AI .   Here is a haystack of Forum discussions about chromebooks  https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/mitappinventortest/chromebook%7Csort:date   Some of these describe unsolvable issues and other are success stories.  Chromebooks come at a huge cost in performance and a large price saving.  Chromebook hardware is generally not a sophisticated as on a Windows pc as the manufacture saves both on the Win10 license and the processor and memory chips.

PCs and Macs also occassionaly hang.  The hang up is usually a slowdown on the Internet or a coding/asset issue.  Those issues both apply to chromebooks too.   Chromebooks  deal with being 'under powered' with respect to the hardware in the device which could cause hang ups.

Something Else.  This hang could be an issue of real time virus checking or timing out the Google server or simultaneously streaming music or many open browser Tabs.  What happens if you run your Project on the code.appinventor.mit.edu server ?  This server does not have the one minute time out restriction that is on the main App Inventor server.  

What happens if you try again later today on the main server, perhaps at a time when the school network is not busy?

@Callum and Harry   .... guys, to get a solution, you need to answer questions we propose so someone can propose a specific solution. The questions are there to provide information that may help to resolve your issues, so please test and try some of the things proposed.

Regards,

Steve