New FAQ: Synchronization and Backup Methods

We have added a new FAQ for Roomie 1.8 that details the Backup and Synchronization methods in Roomie:

roomieremote.com/faq#sync

Wifi sync seems to work nicely among two of my devices that share the same iTunes account, but my wife's 1.8 Roomie isn't picking up the configuration or state changes. How might I troubleshoot this?

To sync up, the devices must be based on the some configuration. So if you just took two devices, configured the same basic stuff on each one, and used them separately, those would never sync. At some point you need to put the same configuration on each one (generally via a Dropbox Restore). From that point they'll recognize they're part of the same "home" and sync everything.

Confirmed, thanks. They were running derivatives of the same config but using dropbox to lock 'em up again did the trick.

Ah yes, interesting point. To get a bit more technical about it, Roomie 1.8 upgrades your configuration to contain a unique "Home ID". So any prior configuration technically doesn't count. Your devices need to be using a configuration that has been introduced to Roomie 1.8 on each device.

Thanks. I had the same issue with wifi sync but after reading this thread I backed up to Dropbox and restored all devices from Dropbox. Wifi sync works now - its fast too!

Wifi sync is half working...I did upgrade to 1.8 on all devices, and then used Dropbox to make sure all iOS devices were using the same config to start.

on one ipad I added a new pop up activity called Options - this activity did appear on all other devices...but when I added a few commands to the activity, they are not appearing in the other iOS devices - when I access the Options activity on other devices, they are empty - on the device I created them on, they are there and working.

not sure how to fix this...

Sounds like they haven't sync'd up. Just restart all of them. Assuming they're all on the same config now and all running 1.8, that should take care of it.

Do you mean force quit them all? What's strange is an activity created on one devices immediately pops up on all the others, but any commands created within those activities are not syncing via wifi.

i did an initial dropbox sync after the 1.8 upgrade (uploaded a config from one devices and downloaded that config to all the other devices)

For me, what WiFi syncs automatically between my devices:

1 - Creation of an Activity

2 - Activity icon

3 - Ordered placement of activity in list

This all happens instantly.

What does not WiFi sync at all:

1) Any creation or editing of commands within the activity.

I'll have to look into this more tomorrow, but any help to troubleshoot would be appreciated.

thanks

The sync of an added/removed command or any edits to the command list does not commit until you Save the Activity. Just adding a command does nothing until you Save it.

With the release a moment ago of version 1.8.2, there are a few additions to Roomie Sync that have taken place worthy of note here:

• Wi-Fi Sync now includes your configuration, all Remote Designs, and your Guide/Channel favorites.

• The 'Reset Configuration' button in Settings will now put Roomie into a promiscuous mode if Wi-Fi Sync is turned on. If there is a local configuration on another running instance of Roomie, the reset device will immediately inherit that configuration. This makes it very easy to bring up new devices without even configuring Dropbox.

• Note: Wi-Fi Sync does not currently sync custom devices. If you have those, use Dropbox to restore on each device and Wi-Fi Sync from there.

Using Dropbox backup and restore is critical information. I had always assumed iCloud synchronization would do the same thing, But after doing the Dropbox restore they sync up very well.

When both devices are on they sync instantly. If one is off while a change is made in the other. The other device takes a while to switch over. But it's still just great to have the synchronization feature.