Continuing my series of posts on the Uniden 536.....
Found another integration "challenge" for mobile operation. Use of the WiFi.
The Wifi adapter runs, as I think ive posted before, in 2 modes:
Infrastructure Mode - Uses your WIFI Access Point (AP)
Access Point Mode - Acts as its own AP with your devices attaching to it
I had the bright idea that I would run it as follows:
Code: Select all
(wifi) (bluetooth)
536HP---wifi_dongle /\/\/\/\/\/\ Android phone /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ Car Stereo
Well it wasnt to be - for two reasons:
Firstly - the two wireless technologies (wifi and bluetooth) both run in the 2.4GHz band. and whilst generally
they share happy enough - in the case of the android device (galaxy Note 3) they didnt - resulting in intermittent
choppy audio in the siren app.
I cant say yet whether this is a limitation of Siren or the 536 - I know that I am able to stream music from the android to
the stereo flawlessly in the presence of external wifi so I am confident that the Note 3 itself wasn't the issue (tried it on 2 other
androids with the same issue) I expect unidens adoption of .AU format streams is - perhaps - an acknowledgement of their shortcomings.
Fortunately, I found space for an external speaker and the siren app controls the scanner volume as well as supports muting of
the audio coming out of the software (thereby preventing echo).
But the main problem is AP mode operation.
If you enable AP mode, and then you attach your mobile phone to it - the mobile phone assumes that the internet is connected via
the Uniden 536 - which it isnt - and re-directs the default route to point away from the 2.5/3/4G connection , to the Wifi
Why is that an issue ? well if you use google maps for live traffic , or indeed any apps that rely upon an internet connection for their
correct function (e.g. waze or iplayer radio / subsonic) then you're a bit stuffed !
The only solution is to put your phone into AP mode (known as tethering) and then get the 536 to attach to it in infrastructure mode.
Well for me, on a pay monthly business tariff where tethering is 100% supported - there is no issue, but if you are on a giff-gaff or other
low cost MNO service, then tethering is expressly forbidden and you will not be able to inter-work with the 536 and be on the internet without
2 mobile devices.
Hope this helps someone down the line - particularly if uniden produce a euro version of the 536 in the future.
regards
BB