Siren App issues

[WeBeCinYa]

I love the Siren App, when it works. Mine will run great for a while, then I'll notice I am not hearing traffic. I found this page below from Uniden. At very bottom it says they are looking into the issue I have it seems, but no clue if they sorted it or not.

SirenAppTips < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

Seems to reason this mirroring of audio shouldn't be so complex. I am using an iPhone 7s with 536HP. My initial thought was the Siren audio was being interrupted when another app produced a sound or noise. Not sure....

 

[Ubbe]

There haven't been any changes since the release 3 years ago. I use iPhone 5 and there have been some loss of audio after a longer period of listening. I normally use a Samsung S4 as that has more information and options in Siren and the audio seems to be fine with it.

/Ubbe

 

[WeBeCinYa]

There haven't been any changes since the release 3 years ago. I use iPhone 5 and there have been some loss of audio after a longer period of listening. I normally use a Samsung S4 as that has more information and options in Siren and the audio seems to be fine with it.

/Ubbe

So a company like Uniden develops an App, says they are working to fix it, and there is no progress in 3 years? Guess the App department was closed up and manpower put to SDS 100...

 

[Gmork]

I completely forgot about that app. I downloaded it, and it works for 8-12 seconds then crashes & crashes background apps in my phone too (Samsung S9). I will have to try with an old phone lying around to see if there is a difference.

 

[garys]

I've had zero issues with the app on two different Samsung Note phones. That being said, I do wish that Uniden would put some effort into updating it.

I've noticed that when in search mode for "tone", the app doesn't display the results while the scanner itself does. Also, the app doesn't display "N48" or "N96", while again the scanner does. It would also be nice to be able to leave the volume muted instead of having to reset that every time. Finally, it would also be nice if the WiFi continued to work in "MENU" mode.

Other than that, it's pretty good and solved the issues I was having with seeing the not quite bright enough display on the scanner in bright sunlight.

 

[Ubbe]

It must be another company that made the app for Uniden as they don't have that kind of phone app knowledge in the house. They even had another company do the WiFi for them. That's why the app never gets updated as it will cost money and perhaps the person that did the app are no longer working for that other company.

Later Android versions do not work with the app as it is outdated so you have to use some old phone or tablet.

/Ubbe

 

[phask]

It must be another company that made the app for Uniden as they don't have that kind of phone app knowledge in the house. They even had another company do the WiFi for them. That's why the app never gets updated as it will cost money and perhaps the person that did the app are no longer working for that other company.

Later Android versions do not work with the app as it is outdated so you have to use some old phone or tablet.

/Ubbe

It runs on a newer Amazon Fire HD10 - no idea the flavor of Droid on it.

 

[garys]

Good to know in case I end up getting a Fire. There are a couple of articles on line that outline the differences between the Fire OS and "real" Android. There is a way to make a Fire work with Android apps without rooting it. I've read through them, but since I don't currently have a Fire, I didn't delve into it.

Whether or not Uniden developed Siren in house or subbed it out, it's in their best interest to keep it current. I don't know what they have planned for a "remote" for the SDS200, so maybe they'll update Siren then and it will work with both series of scanners. Given the size constraints of the x36HP, even a multi color display might not be enough for mobile use with the SDS.

It runs on a newer Amazon Fire HD10 - no idea the flavor of Droid on it.

 

[ofd8001]

The siren app was a great idea until Murphy's Law kicked in. This was something Uniden contracted out - they are hardware manufacturers primarily and not application developers. Unfortunately about the time the app was in development, there was a hiccup with the dongle and it took forever to get it improved (still not sure its perfected). Then the problem of the RTC battery and display dimming reared their ugly heads. I doubt Uniden would ever publicly comment, but I suspect the cost of dealing with these issues gobbled up funds that would have gone to Siren App development. And then if rumors are true, the app developer folded his tent and took the source code with.

So I guess Uniden has washed its hands on this.

However, as I've said before, any of you out there with smart phone app development skills ought to contact Upman and see what kind of bartering you can work out. Looks like another Uniden scanner is in the FCC pipeline so a couple of them and some DMR/ProVoice/NXDN upgrades migh make it work your while.

 

[garys]

I'm surprised that no one has developed a better remote app by now. There are a lot of pretty talented people here and even without much cooperation from Uniden someone should be able to develop something.

 

[Citywide173]

I'm surprised that no one has developed a better remote app by now. There are a lot of pretty talented people here and even without much cooperation from Uniden someone should be able to develop something.

I'm not sure the App API was ever made public, which might have something to do with it....of course, since it is no longer the flagship, I doubt they'll ever finish the plans for it.

 

[WeBeCinYa]

After messing around with the app, it seems to run a little more stable on my iPhone 7 and iPad. I really like the concept, being that my 536 stays in the office and I can listen throughout the house or outside even. It doesn't seem like it would take a lot to make it more stable. Also, the volume needs a boost too as its pretty limited on the app.

Perhaps the new model will bring the updates. Otherwise I cannot see Uniden marketing the WiFi feature on the box like they did with the 536.

 

[ofd8001]

Perhaps the new model will bring the updates. Otherwise I cannot see Uniden marketing the WiFi feature on the box like they did with the 536.

They will either have the issue resolved or decide this was a really great idea that they just didn't have funding to make work and still have a profit for shareholders.

At any rate I do hope there is some kind of remote control "thing" since radio equipment isn't as easily installed in vehicles of this "generation".

 

[garys]

I hope there is a remote control "thing" as well. I'd be good with a physical remote head, but the larger display size option of Siren is even better. At least with a physical remote, I could likely position it better for viewing. My pickup truck has a shifter on the steering column, but newer models have gone to the cheaper and easier to produce console shifter. That makes a radio the size of a 536HP just about impossible to install.

They will either have the issue resolved or decide this was a really great idea that they just didn't have funding to make work and still have a profit for shareholders.

At any rate I do hope there is some kind of remote control "thing" since radio equipment isn't as easily installed in vehicles of this "generation".

 

[wbswetnam]

In Uniden's original announcement of the BCD536HP, it was trumpeted that the Siren app would allow a user to control & listen to their scanner via Siren from any wifi connection. Unfortunately this never came to pass; there have been many complaints about Siren on this forum. I think that Uniden learned a lesson about making promises they cannot keep.

 

[SteveSimpkin]

If Siren does not do what you need there is always ProScan.
https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/proscan-internet-setup.370181/

 

[Gmork]

Out of curiosity, I took an old iPhone (iPhone 5) and downloaded the app. It works without any issues at all, I left it on for over 30 minutes with no crashes. However my Galaxy S9 crashes all the apps in the background. I guess another use for an old phone around the house...

 

[WeBeCinYa]

If Siren does not do what you need there is always ProScan.
https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/proscan-internet-setup.370181/

I downloaded ProScan today and tried it, wasn't for me. The browser on my phone never looked like it did in the PC software, lots of work to get feed. The Siren app seems to be working ok for now, I guess it's as good as it gets as they say.

 

[wbswetnam]

I use ProScan for programming my BCD325P2. I haven't tried it yet for controlling the 536HP remotely.

 

[CAR44]

If Siren does not do what you need there is always ProScan.
https://forums.radioreference.com/threads/proscan-internet-setup.370181/

I’m trying to get the siren ap to work to control a scanner in a car. Would proscan work in that situation?