Take another look at GrooVeIP - Nexus 4 General

I tried GrooVeIP in January with my Nexus 4 and had all sorts of problems with call quality and connection.
I went back and had another try recently and noticed new settings related to audio APIs for Jelly Bean.
For me, this now works better than the various VOIP apps, even though the G711 codec used by GrooVeIP should not do as well as the other codecs available for the other apps such as G729.
One more point and then I will describe my setup.
I understand that using TCP to connect to a VOIP provider should allow for a setup that is less of a burden on the battery. My experience is that there are so few providers offering this option, and so little testing/refinement of the VOIP apps when used with TCP that it is a struggle to enjoy this benefit. It is easier on one's mental health to carry a backup battery, car charger, etc.
I can add that personally, I did not notice a big difference in battery life when using TCP or UDP.
My setup
Nexus 4, not rooted.
Android 4.2.2
T-Mobile $30 plan
typical cell signal at home: HSPA -95dBm (weak)
wifi: off
Google Voice account
GrooVeIP Feb 9, 2013 version
GrooVeIP settings:
Y = checked
Allow 3G/4G calling Y
Accept calls on answer Y
Native Dialer Options
Built In Dialer Preference - Always use GrooVeIP
Inclusion, Exclusion options - ignored
Audio/Echo Settings
Echo Cancellation - Basic
Speaker Volume 0
Microphone Gain 4
Bluetooth - not using this
Ringtone Override - None
Use Contact Ringtones - N
DMTF Feedback Y
Troubleshooting
Keep Screen On Y
Accept Call Time 30
Audio Processing N
Wifi Tablet N
Synchronize Voice Y
Audio Mode Fallback N
Audio Routing - N
Mic Buffer - Small
Mic Source - Auto detect
Partial Wake Lock - Y
High Perf Wake Lock - N
Disable JB Audio APIs - Y
Starting Audio Port - defaults
Audio Port Count - defaults
Reconnect Interval 1 minute
Override Stun Server N
Miscellaneous
Accessibility Settings - default
Notification Settings - all Y
Startup Autostart Y
Startup Use Time Settings N
Auto-answer N
Allow Rotate N
Default area code- none
Disable Bluetooth - Y
Google Talk Status (managed by GrooVe Forwarder app)
Invisible Status N
GrooveIP Call Log Y
Native Call Log N
Show Invisible Contacts Y
Of course many of these settings have no impact on the problems I had in January. Still, I took a few minutes to create a template that others can copy, edit and paste for other purposes.
Since calling over 3G/4G is never perfect, I recommend adding an app to your home screen that provides real-time cellular signal info, such as
Network Signal Info from Kaibits. At home where I have a weak signal, GrooVeIP works just fine. Moving anywhere else, especially inside buildings and I need to pay attention to the signal. (Not that conventional GSM from T-Mobile is sure to be any more reliable in those situations)

Thanks a lot for this amazing profile. I had some of the options you mentioned, but the "accept call time" was the best. I had this problem and I did't know what to do. Now I know...

hotelalfa said:
For me, this now works better than the various VOIP apps, even though the G711 codec used by GrooVeIP should not do as well as the other codecs available for the other apps such as G729.
One more point and then I will describe my setup.
I understand that using TCP to connect to a VOIP provider should allow for a setup that is less of a burden on the battery. My experience is that there are so few providers offering this option, and so little testing/refinement of the VOIP apps when used with TCP that it is a struggle to enjoy this benefit. It is easier on one's mental health to carry a backup battery, car charger, etc.
I can add that personally, I did not notice a big difference in battery life when using TCP or UDP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Glad to hear that GrooveIP works for you. Unfortunately, 3g here can't support GrooveIP. Where do you live?
2. If you have the bandwidth, G711 will always be better than G729. G729 is only good under slow connection such as 3g here.
3. If TCP consumes the same battery as UDP, you didn't set up TCP properly. My TCP battery consumption is 50% of UDP's.
I wish everybody could use GrooveIP reliably over 3g. Then life will be so much better.

Thank you for your efforts i will give it a shot

acegolfer said:
1. Glad to hear that GrooveIP works for you. Unfortunately, 3g here can't support GrooveIP. Where do you live?
2. If you have the bandwidth, G711 will always be better than G729. G729 is only good under slow connection such as 3g here.
3. If TCP consumes the same battery as UDP, you didn't set up TCP properly. My TCP battery consumption is 50% of UDP's.
I wish everybody could use GrooveIP reliably over 3g. Then life will be so much better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. I am in Richmond VA. The signal varies widely from place to place here.
2. For some reason GrooVeIP likes the bandwidth I have better now than in January. Your point about the merits of the codecs is well taken.
3. I did notice some difference in battery drain, just not enough to push me to a solution more complicated than using an off the shelf app. The off the shelf apps each had their limitations when it comes to addressing this issue (going direct to a VOIP provider). Between the elaborate solutions written up here using pbx intermediaries, and GrooVeIP, I am now content with GrooVeIP.

Related

Battery life?

Dear all,
With a small 900mAh battery, What is the real world usage time? I mean making up to 2 hours of calls per day does it last at least 12hours before the need to recharge battery and this is assuming that 3G is on all the time. Thanks.
French network technical support say 60 hours with GPS on !!!!
I think it's joke.
Well, I've been watching the battery life on mine for a couple of days now in a reasonably scientific way and here are the early rather speculative results:
With just GPRS and nothing else on and very light use the battery drops from 100% to 80% very fast - less than an hour of light use.
Leaving it running on these settings will run it down to about 20% by the end of the working day - the drain seems to ease off aftert he first sharp drop
Powering up wifi and music for short time doesn't seem to make much difference.
Turning 3G on also doesn't seem to make the difference you would expect either.
So basically I would feel the need to take a charger with me if I left the house for the day, which will probably mean that I have to send the thing back. I've seen the coolsmartphone video review and mine isn't performing anything like that one - I would say I am loosing charge at about twice the rate.
Now the only issues that could be at work here is that I live in a lousy reception area. But could this really make such a difference?
What I would find really useful is a list of other tweaks you can make to cut power use so I can try them out. But at the end of the day it's looking like too many compromises would be needed to make this thing practical for me.
Reception would make a reasonable difference if normal network messages are being sent/received (general scans of BCCH channels, authentication with the network) - i.e. the radio isnt being used for data/voice, and only to keep registered to the network. But during those times the rest of the phone would also be in low power mode, so i would say an absolute max of 5 to 10%.
It would make a significant difference if you are transmiting data/making calls in a low reception area. I would say easily upto 20%.
It sounds to me like if you plan to use the phone much at all during the day you need a second battery. Then that turns into the hassle of how to charge the second battery every night, and i bet the desktop stand can't charge a second battery
My conclusions exactly. Impractical to say the least.
The puzzle then is why my last phone, a Nokia E51 with a 1050 mAh battery, under the same conditions, managed to last 2-3 days?
Is WM6 really that much of a power grabber compared to S60?
moonlanding said:
My conclusions exactly. Impractical to say the least.
The puzzle then is why my last phone, a Nokia E51 with a 1050 mAh battery, under the same conditions, managed to last 2-3 days?
Is WM6 really that much of a power grabber compared to S60?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Short answer - yes.
There's all these power saving features in new app processors like being able to leave the screen on while powering down the main CPU. You can use an interupt from the radio to wake up the processor etc.
Windows doesnt support half of these features, thats why find windows phones save all their power by turning the screen off. Other phones with screens just as big are alot less regimental about turning the screen off at any opertunity.
I was involved in a project once to design a smartphone and it was a really surprising how much difference there was between the windows version they suplied and an ARM version of linux.
I have HTC Touch Crouse and i have problems with battery (GPRS always on and Bluetooth) ... now with Diamond i have VERY BIG Problem. Battery Keeps less than one day ...
The experiment continues.
Disabling "GPRS auto attach" in Advanced Configuration Tool has made a big difference - still 90% after 6 hours now.
Now this is a surprise to me because I thought that you did this when you set the network seek to GSM only and not hunt for 3G. Or maybe I'm getting my GPRSs and GSMs mixed up...
Next step - leave this setting in place and turn push back on. Watch this space.
GSM digitises your voice and slots it into a time divided channel on a frequency, and marks it as voice. On the network side, it converts this back to voice and sends it on the PSTN network (for a landline call).
GPRS takes data you want to send and inserts it directly in the same time divided channel and marks it as data. On the network side the network transfers this onto the internet (or other network) through the GGSN (its essentially a router).
So GSM and GPRS use the same technology. Setting the phone to GSM only, just stops it connecting to 3g networks.
Anyway, when you turn your phone on, the tower tells it its capabilities eg GPRS. This give you a GPRS available icon. When you actually want to send data, you need to 'attach'. This is like logging into the network.
To do that you need to open a data channel and send your login details.
Normal phones will do that i.e. attach, and then go idle. The network will only log them off if they move to a new cell and do not reauthenticate.
Anyway, if you are not attached:
- When you send data, the phone will need to attach first (milliseconds delay) - unoticable.
- You will NOT have an IP address so incoming data can not reach you.
If you use pop3 with regular pull of email, it'll make less difference the more frequently you pull your email - because every time you do, the phone will attach.
If you use PUSH email, it'll make no difference because you have to remain attached (have an ip address) for push to work.
I'm sure most people didn't care to know all that but i'm sure some did!
Wow. Thanks. Impressive.
Let me try to summarise. With auto attach off the phone isn't trying to attach to the 3G network all the time which saves power. But it is also disconnected from GPRS and data networks. However this won't affect push email because it will attach when it needs to, ie when the network tells it that there is mail or I send something out. Is this right?
What about internet? Will the phone automatically attach to the data netowrks when I fire up Opera? Presumably to attach to 3G I will need to reset to automatically seek WCDMA.
moonlanding said:
Wow. Thanks. Impressive.
Let me try to summarise. With auto attach off the phone isn't trying to attach to the 3G network all the time which saves power. But it is also disconnected from GPRS and data networks. However this won't affect push email because it will attach when it needs to, ie when the network tells it that there is mail or I send something out. Is this right?
What about internet? Will the phone automatically attach to the data netowrks when I fire up Opera? Presumably to attach to 3G I will need to reset to automatically seek WCDMA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're still a bit confused i think. Ok on a phone you have voice or data. Data covers mail, internet, weather updates etc etc, voice covers phone calls.
There are two distinct protocols here, and we need to talk about them diferently...
GSM:
With GSM calls are sent over 1 timeslot and singalled as voice.
To make a call you need to have a signal, that takes a very short few messages which are sent every 20 minutes or so, or if you move around between towers. The Radio in the phone can do this all by itself without waking the phone up.
If you want to send ANY data (emails, internet, anything) you need to use GPRS. GPRS uses the same channels but inserts data into them instead of voice. Before you can send or receive any data you need to 'login' to the network. To login you need to actually open the channel and make a connection. Logging in is called 'ataching'. When you attach you get an IP address and the network can send stuff to you and u can send stuff to the network. Attaching needs to wake up the phone.
Once attached the phone can go into a sleep mode saving power, but any data send or received will wake up the phone.
UMTS/3G
UMTS is different in that everything is sent code divided. There is no 'login' or attach as such. In this mode all your voice gets converted to data and sent across.
---
With auto attach on:
If you use 3G mode, every time you switch between a 3G and GPRS area the phone will atach (GPRS) again, this will drain power.
Every time you move out of GPRS and come back into GPRS the phone will attach, even if you have nothing to send.
With autoattach off:
The phone will only attach if it has something to send AND is on GPRS (no 3G available or 3g turned off)
The upside is that you save power when you move between cells. The downside is that you can't receive any data from the network untill you decide to attach.
For push email for example you would never end up detaching as it would hold the connection open.
Anyway i hope that clear, but i'm quite sleepy so it might not make any sense lol
That makes sense to me. When I get my Touch Diamond, I'm definitely turning 'GPRS auto attach' off, because I don't think I need it on.
someone1234 that`s really useful info.I guess autoattach off is the best option for me too. WHEN the phone arrives.
Thanks again senior1234. I'm getting there. But this is more complex that I thought so I've gone back and checked what really makes a difference to the battery life.
The big difference for me is having the phone band set to GSM only (phone, options). Disabling auto attach makes a difference but not as much as I thought. I had changed both of them at the same time, thinking that they were more or less the same thing. Sorry folks. Very unscientific.
But if you feel like trying these bear in mind that I don't move between cells very much and have awful reception. I'll leave it to others to explain whether this is important.
HTC told me that with the screen on full brightness and phone turned on the GPS would only last about 2 hours befre the battery died, looks like we'll need the extended battery or several normal ones!
moonlanding said:
Thanks again senior1234. I'm getting there. But this is more complex that I thought so I've gone back and checked what really makes a difference to the battery life.
The big difference for me is having the phone band set to GSM only (phone, options). Disabling auto attach makes a difference but not as much as I thought. I had changed both of them at the same time, thinking that they were more or less the same thing. Sorry folks. Very unscientific.
But if you feel like trying these bear in mind that I don't move between cells very much and have awful reception. I'll leave it to others to explain whether this is important.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GSM will use alot less power, so that is whats definatly making the difference
Why? Well.. GSM uses time division, which means the phones in an area take turns 'speaks'/'listening' with the tower. This ensures that no two phones are talking at the same time, and the tower can 'hear' what was sent. Because of this the power the phone transmits with can be controlled to be just high enough for the tower to listen, but not too high as to waste battery.
The down side of this scheme is that even if a phone has nothing to 'say', the other phones will wait in case it does. This means you're wasting bandwidth - or time that could be used by another phone to send data. Bottom line, data throughput is slower!
With 3G, all phones can talk at the same time. The data they send is tagged with a code, so that the data doesnt get mixed up. The advantage here is no time is wasted waiting for phones that may have nothing to send. The down side is that you need to be 'talking' loud enough to 'talk' over other people sending. This is why the data rate over 3G drops off really rapidly as you move away from the tower.
The disadvantages are a phone far from the tower using 3G will use more power than one using GSM because its having to 'talk' louder to get over other phones 'talking'.
Also, signals that get lost because they were drowned out by other phones have to be retransmited, which doesnt happen with GSM as much.
Yeah 3G or CDMA based channel access methods are a real power hog!
As for Auto attach you would expect it to only make a real difference if you have programs holding channels open.
With regards to low reception, it will make a significant difference because power disipation is not linear. Like all radiation it follows the inverse square law. For every meter distance the power drops of by a square of the distance.
Don't forget, when comparing uptime with other phones, with the diamond you have 4x the amount of pixels. VGA (640 x 480) devices will always chew up more Battery that QVGA (320 x 240) . This is one of the main reasons that HTC and the others delayed shipping VGA devices until now.
If you want longer battery life, you are going to have to stop using the display so often.
There is no way a vga machine can compete with a qvga machine on battery life... when all other factors are equal.
I think if you discount 3G, the battery is a little too small for the phone. With 3G its wholy inadequate.
The screen does make a huge difference, but these screens are more efficient, and HTC have used every opertunity to turn the screen off - a bit excessivly if you look at how fast it turns off when you make a call.
I don't understand why they don't use the iphone method of turning it off when the light sensor shows its dark (in a call).. i.e. the earpiece is next to your head!
moonlanding said:
The experiment continues.
Disabling "GPRS auto attach" in Advanced Configuration Tool has made a big difference - still 90% after 6 hours now.
Now this is a surprise to me because I thought that you did this when you set the network seek to GSM only and not hunt for 3G. Or maybe I'm getting my GPRSs and GSMs mixed up...
Next step - leave this setting in place and turn push back on. Watch this space.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've disabled gprs auto attach and set my band to GSM. When i connect to net with opera will it still turn on 3G etc?
nokmond said:
I've disabled gprs auto attach and set my band to GSM. When i connect to net with opera will it still turn on 3G etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good question.
i only use my phone for normal phone stuff ans sometimes for some internet browsing.
should i turn anything on or off?

Simultaneous Voice & Data connections - behaviour?

I have enabled simultaneous connections for Voice & Data in my ROM by editing the 'ContextNumber' values in the registry.
Code:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\OEM\\RIL\OperatorContexts\23415] ;Vodafone UK
"GPRSContextNumber"=dword:3
"UMTSContextNumber"=dword:3
This seems to work, to a degree but I am not sure about some of the behaviour. I have my data connection set to permanent as I use Exchange ActiveSync for work as well as MS Office Communicator Mobile 2007 R2. I have a 2nd data connection for MMS but this is hardly ever used and only for MMS anyway.
If I am on a call and an email arrives I hear a notification and if I quickly look I can see an email has been received whilst the call is still in place. If the call is short then everything seems fine, however if the call is for a few minutes or more then typically my OCS presence status gets messed up and the connection to the OCS server gets broken. The data connection is still in place but there seems to be some breakdown of sending/receiving data whilst the voice call is connected for more than a few minutes.
I am struggling to troubleshoot this and was wondering if anyone else has issues with simultaneous voice & data calls?
Andy
generally it's not a phone thing class A gsm phones all support it
but if your phone operator don't have full support in their end
there is not much you can do
read about it here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Packet_Radio_Service#Hardware
every htc phone I had supported it fine without any reg changes
Rudegar said:
generally it's not a phone thing class A gsm phones all support it
but if your phone operator don't have full support in their end
there is not much you can do
read about it here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Packet_Radio_Service#Hardware
every htc phone I had supported it fine without any reg changes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, that's the thing it does work and I can receive emails via the data connection when I am on a voice call. It just seems after the voice call is active for more than a few minutes then there is some communication breakdown, however the data call remains active.
Andy

Tasker (or Locale / SetProfiles): Automatically switch to 2G only

Goal: Automatically switch to Use only 2G networks without opening Mobile Networks Settings dialog and checking the box manually
I know that this is not possible on stock, but is there any way to accomplish this for root users or with any of the mentioned apps or otherwise:
I do not want to disable APN, and I've already used APNdroid to much dismay. There is a bug for Nexus One users when restoring APN settings that leaves mobile data disabled.
I've used the apps mentioned in the thread title to automate my phones settings (ringer volume, GPS on/off, bluetooth on when phone ringing, data syncing, etc.), and now I simply want to disable 3G radio connection whenever certain conditions are met and have my network type as "GSM only"
I've searched through different forums here and sorted through a litany of Google search results, so please no lmgtfy because "2G only" returns no results in this section and no relevant results elsewhere; "2g only auto" nothing; "2g only automatic" nothing, but you can flame if you post a solution
fourinthoughts said:
...I simply want to disable 3G radio connection and have my network type as "GSM only" whenever I'm connected to WiFi, and I want to automate this so that I don't forget to do it manually at night when I'm not using my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't mind me asking - what is the reason for it? When you switch WiFi on, the data is turned off anyway. So why?
Jack_R1 said:
If you don't mind me asking - what is the reason for it? When you switch WiFi on, the data is turned off anyway. So why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, when your device is connected to WiFi the GPRS service for data is disabled. However, the 3G band radio in your phone is still being used which consumes more power than the global GSM band radio that is used when connected to the EDGE network type. This is always true whether you are connected to WiFi or not. (correct me if I'm wrong)
Regardless, the answer to this would help a lot of android users. This is not specifically tailored for me, because the entire OP relates to battery performance which should be an important issue for all Nexus One users. If this task could be automated it would dramatically improve battery performance during off-peak use (nighttime, work, meetings, etc.) by improving execution and eliminating forgetfulness. Automating this adds to the user experience and would just make your phone that much more enjoyable, period.
I'm simply amazed that I can't find a resolution to accomplishing this.
fourinthoughts said:
Yes, when your device is connected to WiFi the GPRS service for data is disabled. However, the 3G band radio in your phone is still being used which consumes more power than the global GSM band radio that is used when connected to the EDGE network type. This is always true whether you are connected to WiFi or not. (correct me if I'm wrong)
Regardless, the answer to this would help a lot of android users. This is not specifically tailored for me, because the entire OP relates to battery performance which should be an important issue for all Nexus One users. If this task could be automated it would dramatically improve battery performance during off-peak use (nighttime, work, meetings, etc.) by improving execution and eliminating forgetfulness. Automating this adds to the user experience and would just make your phone that much more enjoyable, period.
I'm simply amazed that I can't find a resolution to accomplishing this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The cellular standby / talk time power doesn't vary much between GSM and UMTS, the difference is less than ~20% in both modes in case of Nexus, judging by official specs. I'll check your assumption that UMTS connectivity isn't dropped to GSM when WiFi connects (most probably correct), but the power gain isn't significant in places that have proper UMTS connectivity (which is not the case for the whole world, I know).
The easiest way I can think of would be to use SwitchPro widget, for example (or any other free widget that has the same functionality), and instead of pressing only "WiFi On" button, press 2 buttons - "WiFi On" and "2G/3G connection" (the same as pressing the "Use 2G networks only" checkbox).
I would suppose that such a plug-in or setting might be available for Locale/Profiles/etc.
2 things that I've found:
1) The connection indeed stays UMTS.
2) Android system prevents the programs from toggling 2G/3G mode, it's only allowed manually. The widgets I've seen only take you to the correct Settings submenu, but you have to click the checkbox yourself.
Thank you Jack_R1,
I appreciate the replies and the confirmation. That is the conlussion that I have been stuck with for a while. I had assumed that there may be a way to control this with superuser permissions.
I guess I'm going to have to dust off my Java, contact some app developers, and start exploring how to come up with a solution myself.
I apreciate your feedback.
You're welcome.
I suppose that this thread might be useful:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=736095
What you're looking for might also be one of the lower level system functions, requiring system permissions, not only root.
Might be worth contacting Cyanogen's team or Enomther, to make an option for it on ROM level and incorporate in the next AOSP-based ROMs.
Jack_R1 said:
You're welcome.
I suppose that this thread might be useful:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=736095
What you're looking for might also be one of the lower level system functions, requiring system permissions, not only root.
Might be worth contacting Cyanogen's team or Enomther, to make an option for it on ROM level and incorporate in the next AOSP-based ROMs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks again. That post helped. The settings are not accessible in the current framework. When I get enough time this week I think I can start on getting this fixed for root users. I will take your advice and will contact some of the masters here who would know the libraries well.
in addition, one scenario could be:
At home, I do have pretty poor 3G connection with my service provider, so I would like to switch when I am near my WiFi to 2G mode
PseudoReal said:
in addition, one scenario could be:
At home, I do have pretty poor 3G connection with my service provider, so I would like to switch when I am near my WiFi to 2G mode
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ditto for me.
Surprised that it is so difficult to toggle 2g/3g with tasker...
dew.man said:
ditto for me.
Surprised that it is so difficult to toggle 2g/3g with tasker...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And ditto again.
I have the same desire as the op. It must be possible to do since one can easily toggle 2G/3G from the power control widget in cm6. Maybe if there was an intent that was published tasker should be able to launch an app with that intent to accomplish this.
on a recent trip overseas, I was presented with a very weird situation. I bought a local sim and got a 3g data plan which was 3gb of 3g data and 200mb of 2g data (dont ask i have no idea why they are different). When I plugged it in i could do 3g data no problem but if 3g was turned on i could not make or receive calls. so like the op I wanted an automated way of switching between 2g only and 3g
I was able to do it on my nexus one and tasker with
Toggle 2G/3G
hope this helps you
-208
^ +1 best toggle I've seen and used.
Search for Toggle 2G in the main android forum.

Set Google Voice number based on Wifi connection?

Is there any way to use Tasker or some other setting/app to have my Google Voice ring a different number depending on if I'm connected to Wifi or not?
Here's why:
I have a pretty low minutes limit on my plan, but I also have an unlimited Skype account, so I can have GV forward into my Skype number if I have a wifi connection, so I don't get charged cell minutes. But if I'm not somewhere where I have a wifi connection, I want it to ring my actual cell number.
I've seen the Google Voice plugin for Locale/Tasker, but it chooses based on location, as does the Google Voice Locations app. I'd prefer to use any location, but change the number when I'm connected to Wifi.
Thanks!
Maybe I don't understand how Tasker plugins work, but if there is a Google Voice plugin for Tasker, that should be all you need. You are not forced to trigger it based on location, make a Tasker profile based on wifi connectivity instead.
Good call. I tried it, and it works when using wifi connected as the state that Tasker checks.
Unfortunately, I realized that will be kinda useless if I don't have cell data as well, because when the wifi disconnects, there's no way for the phone to connect to Google Voice settings to change the phone number.
For me the whole point is to get my phone to work in some places I frequently go that don't have cell reception... I did manage to get it to work using Tasker custom widgets, so I can set it manually, but I don't see any way to get it to work automatically unless I have 3G data, which I don't in the locations I mentioned.
So I have single touch access to changing the settings, but not automatic based on location.
Yeah, if you don't have a connection you can't really change the setting. Sounds like you need a Tasker state that can predict the future. "Will lose wifi in 5 minutes"
But seriously, I can't think of a way to get around that problem easily. If you always had a computer online at home or something, you could have Tasker send it a signal every 5 minutes. If your home computer notices the signal is late it can run a script to switch you to your cell number, because it will know you have lost your data connection and couldn't send the regular notice.
When you get connection again, either your computer can switch it back (when it receives the 5 minute signal again), or have Tasker do it because it can talk to Voice again.
Yeah, that might be an option, actually... Hmm.
Time to brush up on some scripting skills. Any recommendations?
Thanks for the input, in any case!
Well, personally, I would set up a web server and script it with PHP, because I know that well.
No clue how to go about hooking it into Google Voice to change the settings, you'd have to look it up, but I do know Tasker can send a call to a web page.
I would make it in two parts, or two scripts.
So set up a PHP page where you would send a signal to and it would then set a 'latest signal' variable, possible in a DB but you would probably want something simpler. You would want to pass in some POST or GET variable unique to your phone, so other people don't access the page and pretend to be the phone, unlikely, but possible if you tell your friends about it
Then I'd have a separate CRON task that runs every 5 minutes, checks the DB or file to see if the phone has sent in a new update, if it doesn't see a new update it then does whatever it needs to do to change your Voice setting.
Then to switch back to Skype, you can have Tasker do it when it detects a data connection again, or just depend on your home script to switch you back when the next signal goes out.
Doesn't gv forward calls to your numbers in the order you want them to ring? If everyone called gv you can make gv forward to skype first and if you don't pick up there it rings your cell right?
I'm not home in the states so I can't test it :/
Actually they all ring at once. So you can switch to skype and pick up there.
If it does, I haven't figured it out yet.
I'm new to GV, but so far I've found that I can set which numbers ring simultaneously, or set them based on either time of day, or contact groups.
If I could have it ring Skype for 2 rings first, then my cell, that would be perfect, but I haven't found that setting yet.
Bringing this thread back to life for a followup question. Before I shell out the money for Tasker, will it enable me to alter GV settings based on WHICH wifi network I am connected to? I.E. set GV to ring home and cell when connected to my home network, office and cell when connected to my office network, and cell only for all other times?
Given it's been a couple of years since this post, is there a better way/software to do this without the expense of Tasker?
Thanks!
Ben

[Q] Rogue Robots

I am on my second T-Mo LG G4. Both have exhibited a strange behavior that is rather annoying. I've disabled all automatic sync features and the like - in the same manner as I've done successfully with both a Nexus 5 and a LS990 G3.
So here's the issue(s):
1) Whenever I boot the phone - it automatically turns mobile on. e.g. as indicated by "Data Enabled" quick toggle or the Android Setup slider control.
2) Most times when I enable WiFi, the phone (or whatever) systematically turns on mobile data again - and it's damn repeatable e.g. at ~ 15 seconds after I tap the WiFi quick toggle.
3) Most times when I am running off of WiFi, the mobile data will randomly come on by itself even after I hammered it off that first time in response to manually turning on WiFi.
Zero technical assistance from the obvious sources. LG points the finger at T-Mo. T-Mo points the finger at LG.
I'm starting to think this is related to the Lollipop API change crammed down everyone's throat by Google.
I'm on metered service and have grown accustomed to living off of WiFi. With prior phones I was in full control of what I've been charged. With the G4, it's nearly impossible to manage ...
Any thoughts, shared experiences or recommendations ?
Hmm, there is a setting that can automagically use LTE if the Wifi is detected not to have internet access. I can't think of what it's called at the moment but it's in setting somewhere - possibly WIFI settings.
I would also be sure to disable T-Mobile's "diagnostics" setting in the T-Mobile app and attempt to turn off any other monitoring settings contained within. I think there is a setting that monitors the LTE signal strength and that could be making it pop on.
Other than that, it does seem rather annoying for you! You are on T-Mobile though, didn't you get the 10GB data pass and have the unused data rollover? Another note, why not setup the data limiter in Data Usage to automagically turn off the data after X GB usage. I know it isn't a direct solution but if data usage is a concern, it could work as a workaround!
Hey, thanks for the response and suggestions.
To be clear, I'm on Ting's GSM network - which is serviced by T-Mo.
I'm well versed with Android and prior to this phone I was on a Nexus 5 with 5 .1 .1 and it didn't behave like this.
I've tried all the buried settings to get in front of "enabled" data on two different G4's but nothing is panning out.
And yes, I did think of that T-Mo diagnostics app and it's not enabled - at least not on the surface.
And one more thing, my WiFi is solidly connected when data goes rogue robot.
Hadn't considered the data cap setting. Seems clunky but might help until a custom ROM is available.
rockerrock said:
Hmm, there is a setting that can automagically use LTE if the Wifi is detected not to have internet access. I can't think of what it's called at the moment but it's in setting somewhere - possibly WIFI settings.
I would also be sure to disable T-Mobile's "diagnostics" setting in the T-Mobile app and attempt to turn off any other monitoring settings contained within. I think there is a setting that monitors the LTE signal strength and that could be making it pop on.
Other than that, it does seem rather annoying for you! You are on T-Mobile though, didn't you get the 10GB data pass and have the unused data rollover? Another note, why not setup the data limiter in Data Usage to automagically turn off the data after X GB usage. I know it isn't a direct solution but if data usage is a concern, it could work as a workaround!
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