Frequently Asked Questions

What is sensorMote?
sensorMote is an accelerometer based remote controller for Android phones.

What versions of Android OS does sensorMote run on?
I've tested it with 1.6 and 2.1.I expect it to work fine on other versions too. 
If you find problems with any specific version contact me at [email protected]

I am pressing the "Connect to sensorMote server" button but nothing happens!
Make sure you have entered the correct IP:PORT in the relative text boxes and that the server is actually listening to the specified port (You need to click on "Start Server" button on server's window)

While playing a media I am pressing the controller's on-screen buttons but nothing happens! Only the Play/Pause seem to be working!!
This is the intended behavior of the app in this version. The video is controlled by tilting the phone on the required direction and not by pressing the on-screen buttons. Having said that, the Play/Pause button allows to trigger an "Explicit Pause" command for users who don't want to flip the phone's screen upside down on it's face.

When I Pause the media by pressing the Play/Pause button, my gestures are not recognized anymore.
This is because when an [Explicit Pause] command is sent (this is what I call the tapping of the Play/Pause button) the accelerometer unregisters its listener in order to save battery. You need to tap on the Pause button to resume the media and the accelerometer listener.

What happens if I receive a call while watching a video?
The video pauses automatically so you can pick your phone up without fearing of sending commands to the server.  

My phone's screen never sleeps while watching a video. Is this normal?
Yes. The app takes over while watching a video and does not allow the screen to go to sleep mode. However you can press the phone's power button if you want to turn the screen off. In this case the sensor manager stops listening to tilting commands while the video continues playing normally. If you turn the screen back on, the sensor manager starts listening again.  

Can sensorMote be used with 3G instead of WiFi?
Yes it can.
First you need to find out what your external IP is (google "myip").
Find your local machines ip address: Gnu/Linux type [ifconfig] in a terminal. For Windows type [ipconfig /all] in a Dos prompt.
Then set up port-forwarding in your router's web interface to forward commands to sensorMote's port at your local machines IP. (Set both 'start' and 'end' ports to sensorMote's port).
Start sensorMote on the phone and type in your external IP and the Port to be forwarded to in the respective boxes. You should then be able to connect. If it fails, make sure port-forwarding is set up correctly, make sure you have typed the correct IP address in the IP textbox (i.e. your external IP that your router has) and make sure that you local machines IP has not changed since the last time you set up port-forwarding otherwise commands will be redirected to that old IP.

I can't connect. I am stuck at the home screen with the following message "Getting root directories...".
First of all you can cancel the message by pressing the BACK button on the phone.
This message can appear for a long time in two cases: The first case is if you have too many root directories so it takes a long time to get them. Waiting a bit more might do the trick. To verify this try adding just one root directory on the server's GUI and retrying to connect. It should be lightning fast. If not, then read on.
The second case is if the socket cannot find the server to connect to and retrieve the directories. Makes sure you have entered the correct IP:PORT on the phone. Verify your machines's local IP on your local network hasn't changed. If you are using the app over 3G make sure that your router's external IP has not changed and that port-forwarding is set up correctly. If all looks right, the last thing to check is if a firewall is blocking access to the port you are trying to access.

How can I use a different port than the default 4242?
Just change the port number in the text box provided (both on the phone client and on the PC's server) and press 'Start server'