I wish the app (Android beta version, but I had the same experience with the non-beta) would not require me to turn on Bluetooth every time I want to connect with the table.
It takes time, is a slight hassle, and I can't see the use for it. If I connect through my web browser instead ([hostname/IP#]:3001) there is no waiting time at all.
I can understand Bluetooth being useful the first time you wnat to get the table on a new wifi network, but after that?
I've wondered about this as well. The requirement for BT makes sense as a second factor when discovering the table the first time. But once the table has WiFi credentials and an IP address, the app should be able to locate it by simply remembering the address it was last using and trying that first before doing a more exhaustive search.
I'm not sure what is involved in getting the app to use mDNS/Bonjour, but attempting to resolve the tables most recent name in the .local domain could be the next fallback from a cached IP address if it is supported in iOS and/or Android.
It isn't even clear what value was added by the Bluetooth connection during setup since the Sisyphus SSID is an unsecured network.
In the current app we opted to require Bluetooth on connection because it has better/quicker discovery protocols.
As you both alluded to, once the table is on your local wifi and the IP is known, Bluetooth is no longer needed. However, with dynamic IPs we'll need to adjust our connection method to avoid issues if the tables IP is re-assigned. Currently, we use Bluetooth to send the new IP. Bonjour also solves this issue but is not supported on Android so we're not currently using it on iOS either.
Coincidentally, I just had a meeting with our new QA developer who suggested doing away with Bluetooth except on initial setup. This is one place where Bluetooth appears to be the best solution. On setup a user is unlikely to be on the Sisyphus network so Bluetooth is able to identify the table and direct the user on the steps required to connect.
Thanks for taking your time to explain! Good to hear about the future plans for change.
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