Related
I'm looking for a simple application that will run in the background, and send the current GSM/UTMS cell-id to a web server on a periodic basis (via HTTP GET).
Basically a program like cellGPS (http://www.vikinggames.hu/product.php?id=11) but for Windows Mobile. I don't really care about GPS info, since that just sucks power (and doesn't work indoors).
What I'm trying to do here is enable my home automation system to know where I am, without sucking my phone's battery to death (especially since GPS won't work indoors). GSM/UTMS cell-id is 'close enough' for me.
The application would just hit a webserver on my home machine with the current cell-id (http://webserver.com/receiver.php?cellid=4233-23) on a definable period. My own app on my webserver would record that data into a database. I can then go back and use that data to let my home auto system know "hey, Justin's almost home, turn on the HVAC, lights, etc".
It needs to be able to run in the background, no annoying icons on the screen, and start up on phone reset.
I figure since it's just sending the cell-id (which is always available), it would be rather efficient and not use much battery power (especially since I usually leave Activesync on "instant" so the data connection is usually up anyway).
Other extensions to this would let my server update twitter/facebook/etc with "Justin's at ... home/work/etc now.".
Any ideas?
wow this would be a great aplication
Two programs come to mind.... Comm Mgr Pro and rk-Location Switch.
I have not really played with these two programs much, but they do Cell tower based switching and might include some of the other features you require (but I do have to admit that they do not have all the features you want).
Dale Lane posted some c# code to programmatically get the cellID of the current tower.
The rest is pretty simple - a place to enter the url and then periodically issue HTTP GET requests.
I guess I could try to cook up something when I have some time.
Well I went and coded a sample app anyway. It just reads the current tower info at the specified interval. Is this the information that you require?
Just extract the zip to the device and run the .exe.
Note: It requires .NET Compact Framework 2.0
this sounds pretty cool. remember that cellid information is good for triangulating to about 1000 meters. you can get "justin's on his way home, turn on the AC" but probably not "justin's in the shower, begin youtube upload"
newb5000 said:
Well I went and coded a sample app anyway. It just reads the current tower info at the specified interval. Is this the information that you require?
Just extract the zip to the device and run the .exe.
Note: It requires .NET Compact Framework 2.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works great! even though this topic was supposed to be on logging it to a web database, I am not too keen on that since data charges are expensive. I would be more interested in an internal database where I can simply attach a "friendly name", say the location of the site (ie. corner of main and first st.) to some cell sites (or a group of sites) in the internal database. Similar to what nicetrack used to do on previous WM versions. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=320055
newb5000 said:
Well I went and coded a sample app anyway. It just reads the current tower info at the specified interval. Is this the information that you require?
Just extract the zip to the device and run the .exe.
Note: It requires .NET Compact Framework 2.0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will check as soon as I get my Kaiser back -- I managed to shatter the screen over the weekend. doh. This sounds EXACTLY like what I'm looking for.
Someone else mentioned data charges, which I don't care about, since I'm on unlimited data (AT&T won't even sell the things without the unlimited data plan now).
Actually, I still have my older TyTN somewhere. Let me dig it up and give this a try.
jasonchan said:
Works great! even though this topic was supposed to be on logging it to a web database, I am not too keen on that since data charges are expensive. I would be more interested in an internal database where I can simply attach a "friendly name", say the location of the site (ie. corner of main and first st.) to some cell sites (or a group of sites) in the internal database. Similar to what nicetrack used to do on previous WM versions. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=320055
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a program that sort of does this now, called Trackme -- but it only does GPS as far as I know. Adding DB code would probably add a whole lot of complexity (and CPU power).
I'm sure it's doable, though, but I would hope it wouldn't be in this app. I have enough crap running in the background eating precious CPU cycles.
I wish I had a Windows machine to do development on. I'm Mac/Linux only, and don't have access to Visual Studio anymore.. I wrote an app to do this for the iPhone, but it can't run in the background due to SDK limitations. It's annoying that Microsoft hasn't made the WinMo SDK work on other platforms (although I guess Apple is doing that with the iPhone, so I don't have much room to talk).
The "goal" of this desired application is to be as lightweight as possible and offload all processing to a real computer. My phone doesn't need to do all of the work.
I can't imagine this would use much bandwidth, anyway. Even if you updated every five minutes, that's far less than 50kb per day, assuming a 64 byte URL + all HTTP and TCP headers. It'd add up to around 1.5 megabytes a month. I'd bet it'd be closer to 800-900kb/month. That's nothing compared to email/etc traffic. I would hope EU/etc carriers aren't so bad that 1.5mb a month would put you over a limit...
jasonchan said:
Works great! even though this topic was supposed to be on logging it to a web database, I am not too keen on that since data charges are expensive. I would be more interested in an internal database where I can simply attach a "friendly name", say the location of the site (ie. corner of main and first st.) to some cell sites (or a group of sites) in the internal database. Similar to what nicetrack used to do on previous WM versions. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=320055
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested it yesterday when driving home from work. Tower changes were very frequent during my drive home. But lets say that a HTTP GET request (depending on the length of the URL) is on average 100 bytes. Lets say in a day you switch towers 200 times. That would result in just under 20 kilobytes of data usage in a day. I actually calculated this for myself because I also initially thought that one would get a large bill at the end of the month for data usage, but it would seem that this isn't the case.
One could also limit the web requests to only "bookmarked" Cell IDs.
I like the idea of the original poster even though I cannot see how I could use it personally, since I do not have a home automation system.
Regarding more friendly names - I remember that I had set it up on one of my first phones to receive cell broadcast messages from the towers which included the tower friendly name. Haven't tried since, though.
The data that is made available in Windows Mobile is the following:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa921533.aspx
Don't see any friendly names of towers though
I thought of adding a "bookmark" button so that one can bookmark the current Cell ID (and possibly assign a friendly name) but this would be very awkward while driving (and the frequent tower changes).
Google has a database with Cell IDs and uses them in Google Maps but good luck getting a copy of their database
norelidd said:
this sounds pretty cool. remember that cellid information is good for triangulating to about 1000 meters. you can get "justin's on his way home, turn on the AC" but probably not "justin's in the shower, begin youtube upload"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hah!
I only need 1000 meter resolution. GPS is definitely more accurate, but it would kill the battery in 6 hours flat.
Maybe when the third generation of GPS sats start going up in a few years, GPS receivers will use less power (since the sats will be much more powerful and supposedly will reach inside most buildings).. but that's 2015 at the earliest. Who knows what HTC/etc will come out with by then.
jmat said:
I will check as soon as I get my Kaiser back -- I managed to shatter the screen over the weekend. doh. This sounds EXACTLY like what I'm looking for.
Someone else mentioned data charges, which I don't care about, since I'm on unlimited data (AT&T won't even sell the things without the unlimited data plan now).
Actually, I still have my older TyTN somewhere. Let me dig it up and give this a try.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only saw your post after I posted mine.
There aren't any web requests yet though, I just wanted to confirm that I was on the right track (through you testing it ). I'm willing to give it a bash because I'll learn something through the process.
Some questions arise:
Should the app dial a connection automatically, or just not send out requests if there is no active connection?
Still need to figure out how to get it to run in the background properly
I'm wondering how it should function if the phone is in standby
newb5000 said:
I tested it yesterday when driving home from work. Tower changes were very frequent during my drive home. But lets say that a HTTP GET request (depending on the length of the URL) is on average 100 bytes. Lets say in a day you switch towers 200 times. That would result in just under 20 kilobytes of data usage in a day. I actually calculated this for myself because I also initially thought that one would get a large bill at the end of the month for data usage, but it would seem that this isn't the case.
One could also limit the web requests to only "bookmarked" Cell IDs.
I like the idea of the original poster even though I cannot see how I could use it personally, since I do not have a home automation system.
Regarding more friendly names - I remember that I had set it up on one of my first phones to receive cell broadcast messages from the towers which included the tower friendly name. Haven't tried since, though.
The data that is made available in Windows Mobile is the following:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa921533.aspx
Don't see any friendly names of towers though
I thought of adding a "bookmark" button so that one can bookmark the current Cell ID (and possibly assign a friendly name) but this would be very awkward while driving (and the frequent tower changes).
Google has a database with Cell IDs and uses them in Google Maps but good luck getting a copy of their database
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tower switching will happen quite fast in big populated areas. That's why I was just going for every few minutes and not "as the tower changes".
It's too bad the towers don't "advertise" their GPS coordinates along with the other tower data. It seems like that would have been really easy to stick in the UMTS standard.
I'm surprised Google hasn't open sourced that database, or at least made an API library for it. Afterall, their users are the ones who discovered it all, not them -- Google Maps just records GPS coordinates + cell IDs and uploads them when you run the Google Maps location. I've seen that app upload several hundred kb during some runs.
Going back to the 'post on switch' thing. That might be a neat option -- to send a GET on every tower switch.. I'm going back and forth in my head on if that's a good idea or not. It'd be interesting to see how that hits battery life, though. (Since I have ActiveSync with "always push" enabled, I bet it doesn't make much of a difference).
First beta
Hi guys,
Apologies for the delay - I've been terribly busy.
I managed to create the app so it's ready for testing.
Attached is the cab file. The app consists of two components - the configuration utility and the service. The service is responsible for making the web requests and is launched at startup. You can use the configuration utility to adjust the settings as well as monitor what the service is doing.
The service will automatically dial your data connection when a web update is necessary, but it can also work via WiFi - although I don't see why you would use it via WiFi. It also supports websites that require Windows Authentication (Kerberos or NTLM should work, but do test it).
I think the app should be pretty self explanatory, but please do post if you have any questions or experience any problems.
FIY - the last error (if there is one) is stored in a log file located in:
Program Files\CellID Updater\cidlog.txt
Hope you like it!
EDIT: An update is available on the next page. I'm leaving this attachment as is just for reference purposes, but you should download the one on the next page.
CommMgrPro is creating a very big database automatically with operatorID-Cell/LAC-GPS coords sent (automatically) by the users (they can track their movements in realtime with googlemaps). Obviously GPS coords are only sent by GPS enabled devices. You can change the URL where the data is posted (HTTP GET) to point your site and I can give you a free license. Currently 3000 cells registed with gps coords and growing as the users moves....
Dani
newb5000 said:
Hi guys,
Apologies for the delay - I've been terribly busy.
I managed to create the app so it's ready for testing.
Attached is the cab file. The app consists of two components - the configuration utility and the service. The service is responsible for making the web requests and is launched at startup. You can use the configuration utility to adjust the settings as well as monitor what the service is doing.
The service will automatically dial your data connection when a web update is necessary, but it can also work via WiFi - although I don't see why you would use it via WiFi. It also supports websites that require Windows Authentication (Kerberos or NTLM should work, but do test it).
I think the app should be pretty self explanatory, but please do post if you have any questions or experience any problems.
FIY - the last error (if there is one) is stored in a log file located in:
Program Files\CellID Updater\cidlog.txt
Hope you like it!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey all - my first post.
I must say, it's outstandingly honorable that you share your skills with us. So good.. (haven't installed the tool yet, hope it's no virus or tv-on/off-switcher)
One question @jmat: How do you process the cellid once it is http'd to your server? Is there a webservice that maps cell-ids to gps?
Frouk
frouk said:
I must say, it's outstandingly honorable that you share your skills with us. So good.. (haven't installed the tool yet, hope it's no virus or tv-on/off-switcher)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks and no, it's not a virus / trojan / <insert something bad here>
One thing I forgot to mention is that if the device goes into standby, the service will be "paused". Then, when the device comes out of standby, the service will resume where it left off. I'm not sure whether this is acceptable behaviour for the app, but I considered the alternative - preventing the device from going into standby will drain the battery very quickly. So you would choose when the service should send out updates by taking your device out of standby.
Another thing: you can configure how often the service checks for a new tower and whether it should send out an update if the tower is different or the same since the last check.
I'm still wondering how I can put this app to good use, personally. I don't have a home automation system and I don't need to be tracked by anyone at home. Any ideas on what other uses this app could have?
newb5000 said:
Thanks and no, it's not a virus / trojan / <insert something bad here>
One thing I forgot to mention is that if the device goes into standby, the service will be "paused". Then, when the device comes out of standby, the service will resume where it left off. I'm not sure whether this is acceptable behaviour for the app, but I considered the alternative - preventing the device from going into standby will drain the battery very quickly. So you would choose when the service should send out updates by taking your device out of standby.
Another thing: you can configure how often the service checks for a new tower and whether it should send out an update if the tower is different or the same since the last check.
I'm still wondering how I can put this app to good use, personally. I don't have a home automation system and I don't need to be tracked by anyone at home. Any ideas on what other uses this app could have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The configuration is just perfect - that way one can decide when to update just by letting the device go to sleep or not. Another thing: am I right that this app will never be as accurate as Google maps "my location"? It uses triangular approximation with more than one cell-id, right? I experienced it to be very accurate, even being on the train it exactly locates my position, amazing.
I personally intend to use such kind of app for reality/virtuality games where website visitors can track something or someone on the web and then go outside into the real world and do something or meet someone.
But jmats' idea is also amazing.
Cell name
Years ago I had Ericsson R320 (BTW great phone). It showed cell name e.g. "city centre" on the screen besides op name. I dug up my eric from the closet and this option still works. It would be great to have this as a today plugin Do you know something like that?
Handy Use of App
newb5000 said:
I'm still wondering how I can put this app to good use, personally. I don't have a home automation system and I don't need to be tracked by anyone at home. Any ideas on what other uses this app could have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you could mount a web server in your home pc (pretty simple) and track your device if it gets lost or stolen... It would be nice to recover your $700dlls phone right.
In need of help again, very sorry.
using froyo 2.2 on an ATT vers Nexus One.
Problem:
So with using the default browser (mozilla?), as well as Dolphin HD browser...there are a few important sites I cannot load (no matter what) via 3g or 2G data.
It tries to load at first but just quickly stops leaving me at a blank page.
However, if i switch to my wi-fi network, these same problem pages will load without issue. Not a problem.
But switch back to mobile data 2G or 3G...these sites will not load.
All other websites I visit (so far) load fine either wifi or 3g/2g, it's just some specific ones. This is a constant and consistent problem with specific websites.
The sites are
- hotmail
- ebay mobile
* but I'm sure I'd find others.
So it's strange...perhaps this is best asked in the dev section?
I have no idea what to search on this problem (here or google).
It's as if something is out of whack at the browser end, like it's reading some form data that I could fix/edit/delete and resolve this problem. Or perhaps it's some security bug/issue...
Either way, I need to get this fixed so I can check hotmail if I need to while on the road, ....problem is I don't know where or what to do here for a fix. Any suggestions?
Certain config file, or the like I can edit or del for a fix?
I've DEL the cache, form data, cookies, etc...everything. No fix.
Can the default browser on the nexus one be uninstalled/reinstalled?
I know I can uninstall/reinstall Dolphin HD, I'll try that.
I also like the default browser though...any way this can be fixed?
man, this problem is getting worse...and it's happening in other browsers too.
dolphin and opera.
it's as if there's a glitch that occurs if you once viewed a site via wifi...then when using 3G it has hang ups (blank load screen).
Is there anyone who might have an answer here?
Can the built in browser be reinstalled (froyo 2.2) to try and fix?
Works fine for me.
?
I'm sure it does, and that's great. Most pages load fine too here...but...
As mentioned it seems to be more of an odd or rare "glitch" here...like something that goes awry under special circumstances (won't load a certain page under 3g/2g data - but will load same page using my wifi).
Now it's happening with facebook in default browser and dolphin. Seems to be happening due to usage at home (wifi)...then accessing same via 3G/2G (not at home). Some hiccup...causing a no load scenario with cell data (no problems via wifi though).
Can we please only reply if this is something you also encountered or may know what's going on here?
I'm no expert but the sites you described seem to be https sites, a secured version of normal webpages. And you're trying to acces those sites through an unsecured data connection 3G/2G.
So I don't know exactly what https does but I assume it won't allow you to send/receive your data over an unencrypted network.
But as for your hotmail problem, you can configure your stock e-mail app to receive your hotmails.
This definitely is the wrong section to post this, you might get a lot of flack for posting here!
Try installing a new rom, your issues are not normal. Try Enom's newest -- it has a stable kernel, and offers perhaps an updated apn file. Short of that, you need to call your cellphone provider, and find out the apn settings from them (double check), and/or why they are restricting access...
I understand your frustration with not getting a response in the Q&A section, but the dev section is for devs and testers. Maybe look at what distribution of froyo you are running (cyanogen? enom? kang-o-rama? leo?) and post in their respective threads. and if this is just a stock updated froyo, you definitely need to call your cellphone provider.
Good luck!
Also, note the rules: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=614062
verify your APN settings. Same thing happened to me & proper APN settings fixed it.
Not sure the proper ones for AT&T, however.
edit: make sure to clear anything that ought to be cleared -- an asterisk isn't the same as cleared
Delete your Proxy IP and Port under APN settings and try to reload the page.
As mentioned above, 1) this is wrong section, 2) if you're on a custom ROM - try another ROM, and if you're on stock FRF91 or any custom ROM does the same - then it's definitely a problem with your cellular provider and/or your APN settings.
It may pay to check that it's not your carrier.
Can you access those sites with your SIM in another phone?
Merged threads ... please do not create duplicate threads as it clutters up the forum and invites flamming/trolling responses.
Regards,
Hi,
I've been looking thru the net, however couldn't find anything useful for what i'm trying to do:
Consider this scenario: You're in and out of your homeland (ie. roaming often), and there are certain things that would make life easier, if there was network access despite roaming.
However, allowing data access system wide will create a bit of an issue in this case. Imagine you're abroad for a few days, and you just HAVE to check that one email account that's important. So you turn on the data-while-roaming switch and...VROOOOOOM... 20 applications urgently MUST have their updates right then and there, no questions asked. Also all unimportant email accounts come running to check whatever spam they can gather from the server. You get the picture.
So the idea is: I'd like to set per-application permissions for allowing data access while roaming. Meaning, i can leave my trusty data-while-roaming switch turned on all time, because any application i have installed must first be allowed to access the network.
I can imagine, this would firstly save the expensive bandwidth, and secondly also save battery power.
The question is: Is there any application out there that lets me do this? I know it sounds like an ordinary firewall, but the distinction between roaming/non-roaming is the essential one.
If i had to write it in pseudo-code, i'd probably go for something like
Code:
OnApplicationNetworkAccess
{
if(datamode == roaming && applicationpermission = onlinewhileroaming)
allowNetworkAccess();
else
blockNetworkAccess();
}
Has anyone ever seen anything like this?
Yes there is, 'droidwall' in the market. SGS has to be rooted though.
It allows to block per app, per 3G & Wifi. Only thing it doesn't do automatically is become active when roaming, you'll have to press one button for that...
The app is simple ,:
- inicio.java: will only show a screen loading and do a check that you are connected or not the internet.
- carregando.java: will display a web page, using myWebClient;
- sem_conexao.java: will display a screen showing that is not connected and also a button to reload and make another check that you are connected or not the internet;
Everything ok ... But then This web page shows only news ... I wanted to make show the number of new notifications ... I thought of pulling of a page, the id of the last posted news, and this information would be saved in memory, whatever .. And it would be done a check every 3minutes eg ..
If, when pulling the url would be sent the latest id displayed .. And it would to do a check of the amount of new news, subtracting the values.
Does anyone have any idea how I could do that? I've been searching, but the most difficult being to make the app run in the background to keep doing this check.
Help me please !!
Greetings everyone,
https://youtu.be/T9aKmLTujik
What you see above is a "Control Panel" for my own Galaxy S7 Edge. I host this on my own website.
This means it can be seen and accessed from anywhere in the world, on any browser and/or device.
For privacy and security, I will implement a login system in the near future.
It has a couple of neat features, but since they are written in Dutch I will translate them to English:
Information:
Check battery level/percentage and check if your phone is being charged or not
Warns the user from the control panel if the battery is low.
Warns the user from the control panel to pull out the plug out of charging when it is fully charged
Check if your phone is in a light or dark place. I have optimized the light sensor as best as I could, The results are pretty accurate
Clipboard of your current copied content on your phone
Shows the phone model and the date and time of the last update sent from your phone
Check if Bluetooth is enabled or not
Check if Wifi is enabled or not
Show the current WiFi name, Wifi Speed, Wifi Channel & Wifi Signal Strength
Show the current Data Carrier / Mobile Signal strength (Weak, Normal, Strong)
Shows the current Call Volume percentage
Shows the current Media Volume percentage
Check if the screen of the phone is turned on or off
Check if GPS is enabled or not ( There is also a Live Google Maps on the right side, showing where the phone is right now )
Checks if the phone in call / calling / or getting called. ( in other words, it shows the user is busy with a phone conversation )
Checks if the user is browsing on the internet on the phone or not. ( It will check if a browser is open, needs more adjustments for more accurate readings )
I am surprised at the speed of the operations.
It takes a total of 3 to 4 seconds after clicking on "take a picture" button to take a picture from the front-camera and Upload it to my google drive.
It also removes the picture from my phone after it has been uploaded. WIth combination of SMS control this can be a great anti-theft option.
The "Record Audio" function works great too. after clicking on it on the control panel, it starts recording audio, waits 10 seconds ( records for 10 seconds ), stops recording audio and then uploads it to a special folder in my Google Drive.
The "Send SMS" function is very fast. after clicking on it, it will take about 1.5 seconds to send the SMS from your phone.
For now, the number to send the SMS to is hardcoded, but I will make it a variable so that it will be possible to type in the number on your web control panel and send the SMS to the number from your browser.
The "LOCK your phone" function immediately lock your phone remotely, even when your screen is turned off. You can unlock it with the code that has been set up in the Tasker Event.
Clicking on the Wifi, Bluetooth & GPS icon will toggle them( on / off )
Clicking on the Phone (screen) Icon, Will toggle the phone screen ( turns it on and off )
Clicking on the Clipboard icon will copy all the content to your own clipboard.
Not only the text but the icons also change dynamically.
Grey icons represent a false variable (turned off / dark / not in call & etc ) and the blue icons represent the true variables.
For example, in the screenshot above, Bluetooth is turned off and wifi is turned on.
When the battery gets at 15% or less, the icon will turn red and green when it's fully charged (100%) and the user will get an alert box warning with a notification sound straight from the browser about the low battery / full charge . ( Sound and notification can be turned off if you wish).
I have wrote a script with AJAX (Asynchronous JavasScript and XML) to do all of this in Real-time and without page-reloads. AJAX refreshes the page information every second (or whatever the user wants) without reloading the page.
The controls in this control panel are in many cases and in my experience a lot faster than Android Device Manager or other apps like Cerberus and Airdroid.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- On Tasker, I have used Taskers own variables but also created my own variables to be created/changed on certain triggers.
For example, when the lx level ( light sensor ) gets low, it will set a variable to "false" as boolean, meaning there is not enough light == it is dark.
- Next I use this variable in my HTTP POST Request URL to a very simple PHP script on my website I wrote..
The HTTP POST Request URL will post to my PHP Script.
My PHP script grabs the URL, strips certain parts of it, turns it into PHP variables and then sends it to my MySQL database ( all on my own hosting).
- I again use the wonderful Tasker to do all of this this every 2 seconds.
You can get (almost) real-time information about your phone if it's set to be updated every 1 second.
This will not be very heavy on the database so it's possible.
- I then made another webpage containing another simple PHP script that grabs all the variables ( those we saved in previous steps) from my Database and echo's (shows) it on the screen.
This is the very same page you see on the screenshot, This is the Control Panel.
In the last step, all we have to do is visit the webpage on my website.
It will show the control panel as seen in the screenshot. You will also be able to control your phone from here.
I am making a simple login function where users can login.
this means a single database can hold more than 1 user if you wish to.
This will also protect others to see/control your phone from the web as they will need login credentials.
My script will then grab the corresponding variables of your phone when you login, using your ID and checking it on my database.
I know this may sound complicated for a lot of you who think that this is too much work, but I am planning to finish this and make it a some kind of a Open-Source thing available to every android and (rooted) tasker user.
All you need is:
- My Tasker project files ( all you need to do is import it to your own Android )
- Your own webhosting with MySQL database and PHP.
There are TONS of FREE online webhosting that will offer exact this. I'd love to post all the links here, but i'm not sure if it will be seen as advertising, so let me know.
- My PHP script(s), all you need to is simply upload it to your own website.
- My MySQL database configuration file - After importing this single file, the whole database will be created automatically on your website. ( using MySQL on your hosting )
After that, and when my Login function is complete, you could create an account for your self and/or others where they can login from anywhere in the world, on any browser or device and check their phone status and control their phone in Real-Time.
Sicariux said:
Greetings everyone,
i63.tinypic.com/20jsimh.png
What you see above is a "Control Panel" for my own Galaxy S7 Edge. I host this on my own website.
This means it can be seen and accessed from anywhere in the world, on any browser and/or device.
For privacy and security, I will implement a login system in the near future.
It has a couple of neat features, but since they are written in Dutch I will translate them to English:
Information:
Check battery level/percentage and check if your phone is being charged or not
Warns the user from the control panel if the battery is low.
Warns the user from the control panel to pull out the plug out of charging when it is fully charged
Check if your phone is in a light or dark place. I have optimized the light sensor as best as I could, The results are pretty accurate
Clipboard of your current copied content on your phone
Shows the phone model and the date and time of the last update sent from your phone
Check if Bluetooth is enabled or not
Check if Wifi is enabled or not
Show the current WiFi name, Wifi Speed, Wifi Channel & Wifi Signal Strength
Show the current Data Carrier / Mobile Signal strength (Weak, Normal, Strong)
Shows the current Call Volume percentage
Shows the current Media Volume percentage
Check if the screen of the phone is turned on or off
Check if GPS is enabled or not ( There is also a Live Google Maps on the right side, showing where the phone is right now )
Checks if the phone in call / calling / or getting called. ( in other words, it shows the user is busy with a phone conversation )
if the user is browsing on the internet on the phone or not. ( It will check if a browser is open, needs more adjustments for more accurate readings )
I am surprised at the speed of the operations.
It takes a total of 3 to 4 seconds after clicking on "take a picture" button to take a picture from the front-camera and Upload it to my google drive.
It also removes the picture from my phone after it has been uploaded. WIth combination of SMS control this can be a great anti-theft option.
The "Record Audio" function works great too. after clicking on it on the control panel, it starts recording audio, waits 10 seconds ( records for 10 seconds ), stops recording audio and then uploads it to a special folder in my Google Drive.
The "Send SMS" function is very fast. after clicking on it, it will take about 1.5 seconds to send the SMS from your phone.
For now, the number to send the SMS to is hardcoded, but I will make it a variable so that it will be possible to type in the number on your web control panel and send the SMS to the number from your browser.
The "LOCK your phone" function immediately lock your phone remotely, even when your screen is turned off. You can unlock it with the code that has been set up in the Tasker Event.
Clicking on the Wifi, Bluetooth & GPS icon will toggle them( on / off )
Clicking on the Phone (screen) Icon, Will toggle the phone screen ( turns it on and off )
Clicking on the Clipboard icon will copy all the content to your own clipboard.
Not only the text but the icons also change dynamically.
Grey icons represent a false variable (turned off / dark / not in call & etc ) and the blue icons represent the true variables.
For example, in the screenshot above, Bluetooth is turned off and wifi is turned on.
When the battery gets at 15% or less, the icon will turn red and green when it's fully charged (100%) and the user will get an alert box warning with a notification sound straight from the browser about the low battery / full charge . ( Sound and notification can be turned off if you wish).
I have wrote a script with AJAX (Asynchronous JavasScript and XML) to do all of this in Real-time and without page-reloads. AJAX refreshes the page information every second (or whatever the user wants) without reloading the page.
The controls in this control panel are in many cases and in my experience a lot faster than Android Device Manager or other apps like Cerberus and Airdroid.
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- On Tasker, I have used Taskers own variables but also created my own variables to be created/changed on certain triggers.
For example, when the lx level ( light sensor ) gets low, it will set a variable to "false" as boolean, meaning there is not enough light == it is dark.
- Next I use this variable in my HTTP POST Request URL to a very simple PHP script on my website I wrote..
The HTTP POST Request URL will post to my PHP Script.
My PHP script grabs the URL, strips certain parts of it, turns it into PHP variables and then sends it to my MySQL database ( all on my own hosting).
- I again use the wonderful Tasker to do all of this this every 2 seconds.
You can get (almost) real-time information about your phone if it's set to be updated every 1 second.
This will not be very heavy on the database so it's possible.
- I then made another webpage containing another simple PHP script that grabs all the variables ( those we saved in previous steps) from my Database and echo's (shows) it on the screen.
This is the very same page you see on the screenshot, This is the Control Panel.
In the last step, all we have to do is visit the webpage on my website.
It will show the control panel as seen in the screenshot. You will also be able to control your phone from here.
I am making a simple login function where users can login.
this means a single database can hold more than 1 user if you wish to.
This will also protect others to see/control your phone from the web as they will need login credentials.
My script will then grab the corresponding variables of your phone when you login, using your ID and checking it on my database.
I know this may sound complicated for a lot of you who think that this is too much work, but I am planning to finish this and make it a some kind of a Open-Source thing available to every android and (rooted) tasker user.
All you need is:
- My Tasker project files ( all you need to do is import it to your own Android )
- Your own webhosting with MySQL database and PHP.
There are TONS of FREE online webhosting that will offer exact this. I'd love to post all the links here, but i'm not sure if it will be seen as advertising, so let me know.
- My PHP script(s), all you need to is simply upload it to your own website.
- My MySQL database configuration file - After importing this single file, the whole database will be created automatically on your website. ( using MySQL on your hosting )
After that, and when my Login function is complete, you could create an account for your self and/or others where they can login from anywhere in the world, on any browser or device and check their phone status and control their phone in Real-Time.
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It looks like a great project.
Checks if the user is browsing on the internet on the phone or not. ( It will check if a browser is open, needs more adjustments for more accurate readings )
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Click to collapse
What about checking the network traffic to know whether the user is browsing or not?
I know this may sound complicated for a lot of you who think that this is too much work, but I am planning to finish this and make it a some kind of a Open-Source thing available to every android and (rooted) tasker user.
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Even Open Source? That rocks.
XDA's Tasker subforum isn't that popular. You might wanna post your project on reddit too, where the Tasker community is way bigger and more popular:
https://www.reddit.com/r/tasker/. Let us know if you'll post it there too.
I'm looking forward for this project. Personally, I don't think I would use this as I don't think I really need it (although it doesn't hurt to have an anti-theft), but I'd like to see how it is done, if you're gonna make it Open Source.
Good luck!
Hi and thanks for your reply!
What about checking the network traffic to know whether the user is browsing or not?
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Do you mean any random network traffic? in that case, a simple incoming whatsapp message could trigger the browser variable and set it to "true".
I will try reddit ... I have tried posting it in the official Tasker forums, but the my post is still awaiting moderator approval after a long time.
Since i've posted this thread, I've created new functions already like video recording (microphone audio included) the phone screen for 10 seconds and upload it to google drive.
I haven't seen this option on any other anti-theft yet. In a case of emergency, you could literally watch the thief do things on your phone and also hear him talking.
Since it's going be to open-source, it's highly customizable. You could change the icons, add new functions, remove functions , change the styling to your own wishes and improve the "web app" overall.
For those interested, Since the first post, I've added more options and starts looking good
https://youtu.be/T9aKmLTujik
For rooted users, you could make an add-on app that the user puts in the /system partition and, in case of factory reset, installs Tasker and restores it's data.
That way, the user has a chance of finding their phone even if the thief performs a factory/hard reset.
EDIT: Are your files available? I can't seem to find them.
Vagelis1608 said:
For rooted users, you could make an add-on app that the user puts in the /system partition and, in case of factory reset, installs Tasker and restores it's data.
That way, the user has a chance of finding their phone even if the thief performs a factory/hard reset.
EDIT: Are your files available? I can't seem to find them.
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With the new Android versions, this is not a reliable thing anymore. This is the same reason Cerberus App stopped offering a special APK that could be installed in the /system by flashing it.
Also, it would be very difficult to have an add-on app install Tasker, AutoRemote, FolderSync and other plugins it needs automatically and configure them too.
I haven't made my files available yet. I am still perfecting it and awaiting community tips and input to expand the app more before releasing the source-files.