Client always prefers local DVR instance?

Channels Android TV
#1

I just setup a 2nd DVR instance at a remote location with remote access enabled. It appears that for the Android client (on both phone and TV) that whether you choose "At Home" or "Away From House", if the local DVR is found, it will connect to the local instance.

Disabling the Bonjour service doesn't seem to make a difference. If I shut down the local DVR instance or toggle on a VPN, then the client does connect to the remote DVR and works as expected.

Is this working as designed? I was under the impression that it was possible to easily switch back and forth between a local and remote instance by making the appropriate selection in the client settings.

#2

Remote access seems to be designed for out of home when traveling and not having LAN access to a server.

There have been feature requests for the client to remember previous connections, which would allow you to switch between servers.

#3

I believe so.

#4

I used to do it like the OP is asking for and expecting, but now I no longer can either. So I do think something changed, and not for the better. Even when I use the QR code to open and authenticate my remote server, it defaults back to the local in-home server. What gives? I would very much like to switch between them easily like I used to.

One thing I did to temporarily fix the issue is to download the plain and free Channels TV app, alongside the Channels DVR app on my TiVo Stream 4K and then authenticate one app for in-home and the other as remote. They both do show all the recordings on their respective servers, etc.

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Dual DVR servers?
#5

Genius!!!

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#6

Thanks! :laughing:

But it isn't so genius since I got the apps confused. :woozy_face: I had a paid app for $24.99 which I believe is the one I downloaded and used as the second app for the remote server. It is the Channels DVR app that I believe is free to download, but you also have to have a Channels DVR Server subscription to use it.

So I think if you're using the DVR app for say your local DVR server, then you'd have to pay $24.99 on the App Store to get the second instance of the app to do this trick. It is up to the user as to whether this is worth the added expense or not.

As a side note, it was just explained to me from @tmm1 that this only works on Android, not AppleTV since he said that they share the same core data on that platform or some such thing, which sucks because ATV 4K is my main streamer.

#7

That's interesting. So the Channels TV app (paid) will allow you to authenticate with the remote instance and connect to it even if you have a local instance running? Doubly interesting that it works like that on Android but not on iOS. I'm wondering how long this will be a viable work around on Android..

I echo your comment that it'd be nice to be able to easily switch between local/remote instances of the DVR without resorting to "tricks".

#8

Yes and no.

  • On Android, each app has its own settings, and they are separate from other apps.
  • On iOS, apps are classified by their developer string, and it is the same for both the paid and DVR app. Therefore, the settings are shared.

Two separate OS sandboxing implementations; comparing them is literally Apples and Googles. :wink:

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#9

Is this still working for you on Android? It was working for me at first (thanks for the suggestion) but after a recent client update the app that I connected to the "Away From Home" instance defaulted back to the local instance. And it now seems to revert to the local instance immediately whenever a local instance is discovered. The steps that I took to test this:

  1. Enable a VPN connection
  2. Clear the app data for the app
  3. Connect to the remote instance using "Away From Home"
  4. Disable the VPN connection

At this point, the app immediately defaults back to the locally discovered instance.