ALP Connect Android vs. iOS vs. HiFi Module
So I've been running the HiFi module since it came out and am very happy with it. @kasher1979 recently lent me his BT module to test with (thank you!) and I've been playing around with it the past few days and am actually more impressed with it than I thought I'd be. Here's a quick look at the alerts and JTK techniques for ALP Connect on Android, iOS, and HiFi module. They're actually pretty different on all three.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_ir1T4Q4RE
The app has been out for quite a while and a number of you are also running it, the HiFi module, or simply the regular control pad, or even a combination of hardwired and bluetooth using the ethernet switcher thing.
After playing with the BT module for about two days (not very long), I'm starting to develop my preferences and am curious what you guys prefer and why.
1) HiFi Module
Pros:
-It ALWAYS works. (Probably the most important thing.) There's no worries about dead batteries on your phone or the app disconnecting in the background. It is dead reliable and just works.
-You get a second LED so if you run your external LED in dark mode (especially important for people with Gen 1 CPU's and can't run their external LED's in dim mode), you always have a way of verifying that your ALP is up and running.
-Physical button to press to JTK without looking (very important in the heat of the moment!)
-You can tweak lots of settings on the ALP that you can't with the BT module and app, oddly enough.
Cons:
-Requires you to connect an ALP mute wire if you want to automatically mute your stereo during an alert.
-Extra doodad in your car.
-Buzzer sound on pro mode after the initial alarm and gun ID announcement is really annoying.
2) Android BT Module
Pros:
-App automatically pops up into the foreground to show you the alert/gun and you only have to press on the screen (big target) to JTK.
-You get both audio and visual alerts of the gun ID.
-You can play alerts over your car's stereo which is much louder than your phone.
-Recent alert history logged so you can look back and see what you were just hit with, not just the total encounters with all guns that have to be downloaded to USB, loaded on the computer, and provide no timestamp as to what you were hit with and where.
-You get a log of how fast you were going when you first got shot.
-Can easily switch between male and female voices.
-Also get frequency information when connected to a radar antenna.
Cons:
-No pro mode to know when you stop getting shot, you rely on the external LED for that.
-Takes time to switch over to playing audio from your phone to your stereo if you're listening to the radio which cuts into your JTK speed.
-App supports GPS but you still need a separate GPS cable for the ALP GPS functionality.
-Potential issue when running with YaV1 and ALP Connect disconnecting in the background (at least on my phone) when another app is also connected to BT, taking a while to reconnect (90 seconds), as well as sometimes struggling to reconnect automatically when you first start up your vehicle.
To give you an idea of how long 90 seconds is, here's a screencap recording of the app going down in the background:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_86z9AcHE8
3) iPhone BT Module
Pros: (Very similar to Android version)
-You get both audio and visual alerts of the gun ID.
-You can play alerts over your car's stereo which is much louder than your phone.
-Recent alert history logged so you can look back and see what you were just hit with, not just the total encounters with all guns that have to be downloaded to USB, loaded on the computer, and provide no timestamp as to what you were hit with and where.
-You get a log of how fast you were going when you first got shot.
-Can easily switch between male and female voices.
-Also get frequency information when connected to a radar antenna.
Cons:
-App does NOT automatically pop up into the foreground when an alert happens and the popup alert requires manual intervention to first load the app and then JTK which isn't the easiest thing to do in the heat of the moment, especially without looking (VERY important).
-Works best for dedicated iPhones due to the backgrounding issue with iOS.
-If you use a less expensive iPod Touch as a dedicated device, it has no GPS so you don't get speed information.
-Takes time to switch over to playing audio from your phone to your stereo if you're listening to the radio which cuts into your JTK speed.
-App supports GPS but you still need a separate GPS cable for the ALP GPS functionality.
That's what I've found so far in my short time playing with the BT module. I really like the idea of running the app, especially since I'm considering adding a 9500ci head to my ALP to get a RD that's always in my vehicle and the app would also give me frequency info which is really important to me. I also like the visual alerts and the way that it works in the background on Android. My main concern is the frequent disconnects which I'm still trying to pin down the reason behind because if I can't trust my jammers to always work when I'm out driving, that lack of reliability would quite honestly be a dealbreaker... so I'm curious if other people are having the same issue or if it's just me.
The iPhone version works too, but the backgrounding thing is pretty sucky on iOS if you're not running a dedicated device with the app always in the foreground.
What are you guys finding with battery drain and leaving the app running in the background overnight, Android or iOS?
The HiFi module isn't as flashy, but the thing is totally reliable and easy to JTK with and that's really what's most important which is why it's currently my favorite.
Lots of you guys have been running these things as well of course and have more experience with the nuances than I do. What's your favorites and why?
