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Feature proposal - Temporary offline mode
🕑 Added 2022-12-02 19:51:35 +0000 UTCHey there! So as we get more and more feedback on how the system works, I'd like to propose some features to get initial feedback before we run off and code them to try to dial in how to best deliver an experience that solves some of the pains and gaps that have been expressed recently.
Here are some of the (currently broken) scenarios we'd like to deliver:
1) A technical user would like to put the frame at a relatives house who isn't technical, and have it just show pictures..without having to be online.
2) A user would like to setup a frame to take to a trade show, wedding/funeral/event and have it 'just work' without needing to connect to wifi.
Bonus: Ability to manage the images/playlists that show up on the frame remotely.
Right now for remote management, we rely on rclone, which I'd like to stick with for now, but I need to better document, and will see if I can automate some of that away.
For 1 and 2, I have the following proposals:
1) We can have an option to set 'offline mode' in the settings...you'd have to configure this while at home, but on the next boot up if wifi isn't found, the frame would just go into whatever playlists are setup. To get back 'online' you'd have to have it back on the wifi it was on and it should 'just work'. Basically when the wifi goes out on the frame, we have a bunch of code that tries to depserately help the user to reconnect (the IP shows up on the screen, it goes into pairing mode, etc). This would disable all of that and just..show pictures. If for some reason it can't get back on the original wifi and is in this mode, a keyboard/mouse would be needed to hit a key combo to turn that setting off.
2) Another possible option is we can have a button that you hook up say between a pin and ground on the pi...this button would send a signal to a background script that could toggle the modes...offline would hide the infobar and not look for wifi, and online would show the IP address. Another option here would be to support number keys to set modes, then a cheap remote that acts as a keyboard could help control the frame basics.
Longer term - MQTT support would allow for control of the frames. I have this slotted in for January currently as part of my 'automation push' to help make things better in that space.
Please let me know thoughts on the above features. I think the first one would be fairly simple to implement and I can try to have it into alpha by Christmas.
We are still working on the overlays and first run experience (setting timezones, password, wifi setup), but this has been coming up several times and I want to see if we can respond to our feedback in a more timely manner.
Thanks for reading, and let me know if this is helpful, I can do it monthly with gathered feedback to help ensure we design a solution that works for all.
Comments
Here's my guess about the workflow: enable the 10.41 internal server. User can connect and gets 2 options... Link to a wifi network as currently shown, or enable the UI. The settings option in the UI adds an option to discover and connect to wifi. I'm not sure how to reverse that to UI mode since the frame now knows the WiFi connection.
I have been using Dynaframe for several weeks now and I'm very pleased with both the PC/Ethernet and Phone/RF interface capabilities. Most of my applications will involve these communication methods. However, the keyboard interface is still a bit clunky. It would be nice to have a handheld remote type interface similar to TVs and DVD Players. Basic functions should include power on/off, previous/pause/next, volume/mute, info on/off, QR code on/off, and playlist selection. Two applications come to mind which require this type of low-tech interface. My elderly mother is no longer able to do complicated tasks and she doesn't have a smart phone. She does get on the computer to check her mail and surf the web but that's about it. She would absolutely love to have a digital photo frame with family photos/videos and her travel scenes. But she needs a handheld remote to be able to operate the device. I work at a government facility where cybersecurity is critical. There are no personal devices allowed on their network. I would like to have a small monitor in my office to show personnel photos. There are other areas (i.e. lobbies and conference rooms) were promotional images are enjoyed. However, there is no possibility of a Raspberry Pi computer having permission to access their network.
