iPhone (any phone?) wifi connection issue solution

[phils2um]

I'm pretty sure I've got a solution (or at least, a reasonable work around) to the biggest issue I was having when using my phone as a controller. The problem was being instigated by the phone display shutting off going to sleep to save power. Unfortunately this also severed the phone browser app's wifi connection to my central station, a Märklin CS3. When the phone was "awakened", the existing browser window more often than not would not properly update when it tried to reconnect and some touch controls would no longer operate. The only way for me to solve this situation was to close the browser app completely and reopen it. Needless to say this is not desirable in an emergency situation and has resulted in more than a few crashes on my RR.

What I've been doing the last few weeks is changing the display "Auto-Lock" setting on the phone to "Never" shut off. The "Auto-Lock" is found under the "Display & Brightness" options of the "Settings" menu on an iPhone. This seems to allow the browser app to maintain its wifi connection to the central station. I've still had the occasional derailment do to operator error but none caused by an inability to hit STOP. It does eat up my phone's battery charge rather quickly so I've taken to plugging the phone into a 4200 mAh portable charger I happened to have on hand when it is doing railway duty.

The only real downside is that I've got to remember to change the phone's "Auto-Lock" setting again when I'm done using it as a controller.

Edited to clarify "Auto-Lock"

 

[Greg Elmassian]

depending on the phone type and operating system version, you may be able to let it dim the screen, not shut it off, searching the app store might find something.

also, did you try a different browser? also there might be settings on the browser itself (a long shot)


Greg

 

[dunnyrail]

I'm pretty sure I've got a solution (or at least, a reasonable work around) to the biggest issue I was having when using my phone as a controller. The problem was being instigated by the phone display shutting off going to sleep to save power. Unfortunately this also severed the phone browser app's wifi connection to my central station, a Märklin CS3. When the phone was "awakened", the existing browser window more often than not would not properly update when it tried to reconnect and some touch controls would no longer operate. The only way for me to solve this situation was to close the browser app completely and reopen it. Needless to say this is not desirable in an emergency situation and has resulted in more than a few crashes on my RR.

What I've been doing the last few weeks is changing the display "Auto-Lock" setting on the phone to "Never" shut off. The "Auto-Lock" is found under the "Display & Brightness" options of the "Settings" menu on an iPhone. This seems to allow the browser app to maintain its wifi connection to the central station. I've still had the occasional derailment do to operator error but none caused by an inability to hit STOP. It does eat up my phone's battery charge rather quickly so I've taken to plugging the phone into a 4200 mAh portable charger I happened to have on hand when it is doing railway duty.

The only real downside is that I've got to remember to change the phone's "Auto-Lock" setting again when I'm done using it as a controller.

Edited to clarify "Auto-Lock"

The other method of saving power to get you phone to last longer on such apps is to have as much closed down as you can. So turn off Blue Tooth, location services and ensure that all other apps have been closed. You do this by pressing the big button on the screen twice, this will show all apps that are ‘open’ throw them away by wiping them upwards. This is actually a good option to do every day or so, surprising how many apps get left in use in the background. Sorry if you knew this but worth saying just in case you did not.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

For Android, look up "greenify" to do this for you automatically, turning off some of the really pesky apps.

 

[Jim Prior]

Hi Phil,

The following article seems to have a couple of suggestions.
Auto-lock is something you've already tried, but there is some advice for preventing apps being "put into the background" when the screen times out (Background App Refresh can be set per individual app to keep it active, so flip the option On for your browser app I guess).

How To Keep An App Open On Iphone? [Solved] 2022 - How To's Guru

The article mentions "Greenify" (suggested by Greg and Dunnyrail for housekeeping to improve battery life) which sounds like it is available for iPhone besides Android (I'm an Android guy so not sure about the iPhone, I couldn't locate Greenify in the Apple App Store, but maybe using your iphone store app to search would be more fruitful?).

You said "any phone", so have you tried the Android apps called RemoteCS2 and RemoteCS3 (for use with their respective Marklin central stations)?
These are discussed in the DCC section of the forum.
They specifically have an option to "Keep screen on" while the app is open in foreground, which means when you use it you don't have to remember to set or revert any system settings.
I use RemoteCS2 with my CS2 and prefer it to the Marklin Mobile Station app.

Over the years I have accumulated a couple of spare Android phones and a tablet and like to utilise one of the "old" ones for remote control in the garden.

Cheers
Jim

 

[dunnyrail]

Hi Phil,

The following article seems to have a couple of suggestions.
Auto-lock is something you've already tried, but there is some advice for preventing apps being "put into the background" when the screen times out (Background App Refresh can be set per individual app to keep it active, so flip the option On for your browser app I guess).

How To Keep An App Open On Iphone? [Solved] 2022 - How To's Guru

The article mentions "Greenify" (suggested by Greg and Dunnyrail for housekeeping to improve battery life) which sounds like it is available for iPhone besides Android (I'm an Android guy so not sure about the iPhone, I couldn't locate Greenify in the Apple App Store, but maybe using your iphone store app to search would be more fruitful?).

You said "any phone", so have you tried the Android apps called RemoteCS2 and RemoteCS3 (for use with their respective Marklin central stations)?
These are discussed in the DCC section of the forum.
They specifically have an option to "Keep screen on" while the app is open in foreground, which means when you use it you don't have to remember to set or revert any system settings.
I use RemoteCS2 with my CS2 and prefer it to the Marklin Mobile Station app.

Over the years I have accumulated a couple of spare Android phones and a tablet and like to utilise one of the "old" ones for remote control in the garden.

Cheers
Jim

For the sake of clarity I was referring not only to iPhone but my tricks work for iPad and older iPods as well.