Pretty much useless
Doesn’t work
I’m not so sure about this app
Not what you want
Response from developer
Hi, HomeScan shows exactly what iOS itself gives to it. If it is showing it was weak or bad, that’s because Apple is saying it is so. - Aaron
Irgendwie nicht wirklich brauchbar,
Response from developer
Hi, not all HomeKit devices broadcast their Bluetooth names the same as they do to HomeKit, this causes the name matching algorithm to fail.
Geld ist rausgeworfen
Response from developer
Hi, not all HomeKit devices broadcast their Bluetooth names the same as they do to HomeKit, this causes the name matching algorithm to fail.
Funktioniert nicht
Response from developer
Thanks for the feedback! I'll take your thoughts into consideration for a future update. I am looking into a more friendly way to show signal strength, thinking a option to show in dBm or percentages may be best. The ring design is supposed to help with showing this visually. HomeKit access is used to attempt to match Bluetooth device names to those within HomeKit to help you quickly identify which are HomeKit based, nothing beyond that at this stage.
Garbage
Response from developer
Hi, not all HomeKit devices broadcast their Bluetooth names the same as they do to HomeKit, this causes the name matching algorithm to fail.
very excited to have some more tooling available
it would be helpful to be able to turn on various attribute visibility...
mac addr, type of packets, vendorID etc.
it would also be helpful to be able to associate BT addresses with devices that are airplay/otherwise-home-related, as opposed to JUST sensors. but regardless... Nicely done!!!
Response from developer
Hi, Sadly some of these details aren't available to third party apps such as Mac address. I'll see if I can pull other information in a future update.
Very useful BUT!
Good concept (?) useless execution
Make this app make sense; be user friendly; have some use…
I really do like some of your apps a lot, so clearly you know what your doing.
I’m also IT-literate, but the app description & the actual app —> absolutely unrelated.
I actually purchased the 4 app bundle (which this app is contained in); of the 4 apps: 2 I find actually innovative, user friendly (ish), and super-useful (as I’ve yet to find anything analogous that’s as well designed - aesthetically and practically - and has cross-device comparability (iPad, iPhone, Apple Watch); the 3rd app in the bundle I’m fairly indifferent to (as, how many “replacements” for Apple’s native Home app are really needed).
And I don’t regret purchasing the bundle, as even with only 2 of the apps being to my standards it’s still worth it price wise.
So, thank you, for actually following a good-business pricing practice and not doing monthly subscriptions b/c that’s just evil.
But please, please: whatever you were attempting to do with *this* particular app —— [“if you don’t have something constructive to say, don’t” which I’m following here] —— but please bring whatever this is supposed to be to your usual good-standards.
It promises so much, and delivers only bafflement, confusion, and (inaccurate) doubt in my linguistic comprehension skills… (and that’s a mean thing to do to actual linguists ^_^*) —> description should match the product.
Also, it confuses me why some of your apps are amazing and some are … well ___ [not].
Response from developer
Hi, I’m sorry you feel that way. HomeScan only scans Bluetooth devices which as you should know are freely discoverable by any device. It does not scan any other networks nor claim to do so. It attempts to match HomeKit devices to Bluetooth devices where the names or identifiers of said devices match. That falls on the device manufacturers to maintain correctly. I cannot match up a device if it is returning no name or an incorrect name for example. I am limited by Apple and device manufacturers substantially for this app by them not providing access to the data needed to make identification work 100% of the time. Again, it only works with Bluetooth, not WiFi and has nothing related to network connectivity or how secure your network is. It is using how Bluetooth discovery functions to show the strength of devices. Feel free to reach out via the in app support to discuss this further. - Aaron Feel free to request a refund for the bundle if you are not pleased.
Can’t really tell which are mine
The list doesn’t seem to be sorted by signal strength so the device you are standing right next to likely won’t be at the top of the list. The signal strength numbers fluctuate so rapidly that it’s tough to get a sense of what is going on.
The devices often don’t have any names that describe them. Out of 49 devices, 37 of them say “No Name”. The ones that do show names are my iPad, and HomePods, and Apple TV’s. Sometimes they show an unrecognizable alphanumeric which is probably the serial number of some neighbor’s laptop.
This might be more useful in a location where there are not many extraneous signals. But for me it’s just a waste of time.
Response from developer
Hi, Sadly I am limited by what Apple offers to developers. Sorting by Strength is doable and something I have tested out but given they change so quickly it is impossible to actually reliably use the app when they sort up and down in real time thus making it unable to tap an item. No name devices are simply due to the Bluetooth device itself not presenting a name to iOS when it is requested. Again, I cannot show something I don’t have. Feel free to reach out to me via in app support and I’m happy to discuss any ideas you have to solve the sort by strength issues I’ve mentioned. - Aaron
Junk
Response from developer
Hi, HomeScan shows exactly what iOS itself gives to it. If it is showing it was weak or bad, that’s because Apple is saying it is so. - Aaron
Agree with others—huge potential but not there yet
This app could, one day, be exactly what we all have been needing. I just don’t understand why such basic features that seem simple to add weren’t included to begin with. I see no technical limitation that would impede adding “Sort by Strength”. And also, I could be wrong, but MAC addresses just seem 100% necessary here and shouldn't be too hard to add either. As of now it only tells me how many Bluetooth devices are in range of my phone with no way of telling which ones are which. I really want to love this app and I want it to work out but until those issues are addressed, it's useless to me. I'll be happy if the developer is able to improve it and of course I'm always happy to help support independent developers.
I really hope this app ends up on the 2021 Must-Have Apps list.... it certainly has lots of potential and if improved it could become essential for HomeKit users. One day maybe...?
Update: Turns out there are technical limitations likely due to Apple’s sandboxing which doesn’t allow access to MAC addresses. This particular fault apparently lies with Apple. I do wish there were some way around it to create any form of usable identifier that could help me narrow down which devices are which even if I have to create my own nicknames for each device. The only real way that I know of to remedy this on the user’s end is to manually power-down or physically move BT devices and reenable them one-by-one which is not very practical but would make this app a lot more usable. Just would take more effort than should be necessary due to the iOS sandboxing. I will be giving this a try.
Response from developer
Hi, Sadly I am limited by what Apple offers to developers. MAC addresses are not accessible to developers to show. Sorting by Strength is doable and something I have tested out but given they change so quickly it is impossible to actually reliably use the app when they sort up and down in real time thus making it unable to tap an item. No name devices are simply due to the Bluetooth device itself not presenting a name to iOS when it is requested. Again, I cannot show something I don’t have. Feel free to reach out to me via in app support and I’m happy to discuss any ideas you have to solve the sort by strength issues I’ve mentioned. - Aaron
Almost useless
If they had some way to sort signal strength that would be a huge improvement. At least you could get a better idea of what device is what by moving around your house...
Save your money and buy a pack of gum, you’ll get more enjoyment!
Perfect for diagnosing signal issues!
Get insight into your signal problems
Gute Idee aber nur technisch und damit schlecht umgesetzt
Schaut euch die schöne farbliche Signalpegelanzeige von Amplifi an und dann wisst ihr, was der Anwender erwarten würde 😄
