Signal Strength App

[Rojma]

I have Android devices that work in the Android ecosystem, so I have been missing the HDHomeRun Signal app. I vibe coded the following to fill the gap. Run it in docker somewhere on your network (like a Raspberry Pi) and then you can tune from anywhere.

https://github.com/Petelombardo/hdhomer ... /README.md

Thanks for the great Docker image. It's working great in my environment. I have a question. In your docker compose example, you have a parameters/variable that I am wondering what it's for:

NODE_ENV=production

Also, you have a volume mapping (/etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro). What is that volume mapping used for?

Thank you for the feedback!

Both of those settings are extraneous at this time and can be safely omitted from the docker-compose.yml.

Thanks for the reply. I did omit them and it worked so that's why I was wondering what they were for. BTW, I am running it on UnRaid. UnRaid doesn't use Docker compose and instead uses some Docker templates that are unique to UnRaid. I created a template for this app. I will see if I can get it added to the UnRaid app store.

[petelombardo]

Works for me. Let me know if I can help with anything related to your publishing attempt.

[KeithAbbott]

I noticed a change that was recently made to the Signal Strength app:

Code: Select all

Add HTTP fallback discovery for HDHomeRun devices; switch Docker to bridge networking

After I updated the docker (within Unraid), I tried modifying the docker Network Type to Bridge (from Host). After the docker was restarted, I was unable to connect to access the app via web browser. I must be doing something wrong, any suggestions?

[petelombardo]

I noticed a change that was recently made to the Signal Strength app:

Code: Select all

Add HTTP fallback discovery for HDHomeRun devices; switch Docker to bridge networking

After I updated the docker (within Unraid), I tried modifying the docker Network Type to Bridge (from Host). After the docker was restarted, I was unable to connect to access the app via web browser. I must be doing something wrong, any suggestions?

When using bridge mode, you need the port mapping added to the config. The config should include a line like:
-p 3000:3000

I just pushed an updated template. The new one should use bridge mode by default with the correct port mappings.

[KeithAbbott]

I just pushed an updated template. The new one should use bridge mode by default with the correct port mappings.

Hmmm, I just removed the docker and then installed it again. It's still installing as a "Host" Network Type. Maybe I need to try again later?

[petelombardo]

I just pushed an updated template. The new one should use bridge mode by default with the correct port mappings.

Hmmm, I just removed the docker and then installed it again. It's still installing as a "Host" Network Type. Maybe I need to try again later?

It might take a couple hours to show up, so I would try again in a bit.

[rikd]

I just pushed an updated template. The new one should use bridge mode by default with the correct port mappings.

Hmmm, I just removed the docker and then installed it again. It's still installing as a "Host" Network Type. Maybe I need to try again later?

You will need to delete your local 'user template' for the app
IF memory serves - under Community Applications -> Previous Apps, select and clear

[KeithAbbott]

It still does not seem to want to install with Bridge as the default. Here are the steps that I performed:

• Stopped the docker
• Removed the docker (with the 'also remove image' checkbox checked
• From the community Apps screen, clicked on 'Previous Apps', then 'Docker'
• Checked the checkbox next to the small docker image (Moby Dock) for HDHomeRun-Signal-Web, then clicked 'Delete', which responds by confirming the template deletion
• From the community Apps screen, searched for HDHomeRun-Signal-Web, then clicked 'Install'
• Clicked 'Apply' on the Add Container screen
• Once the docker container has been added, I can see that the Network Type is set to 'Host' instead of 'Bridge'

It seems to run fine in Host mode, maybe I should just leave well enough alone.

[rikd]

It still does not seem to want to install with Bridge as the default. Here are the steps that I performed:

• Stopped the docker
• Removed the docker (with the 'also remove image' checkbox checked
• From the community Apps screen, clicked on 'Previous Apps', then 'Docker'
• Checked the checkbox next to the small docker image (Moby Dock) for HDHomeRun-Signal-Web, then clicked 'Delete', which responds by confirming the template deletion
• From the community Apps screen, searched for HDHomeRun-Signal-Web, then clicked 'Install'
• Clicked 'Apply' on the Add Container screen
• Once the docker container has been added, I can see that the Network Type is set to 'Host' instead of 'Bridge'

It seems to run fine in Host mode, maybe I should just leave well enough alone.

fwiw - default is host for me too as of this morning. Might take some time for the template update to make it's way through.
just remember also to specify the devices with the variable if you do switch to bridge mode as autodiscovery will stop working.

[KeithAbbott]

just remember also to specify the devices with the variable if you do switch to bridge mode as autodiscovery will stop working.

According to comments on a recent commit (in github),

Code: Select all

This adds an HTTP fallback using the HDHomeRun cloud API (ipv4-api.hdhomerun.com/discover) when UDP finds no devices

So if I am understanding this correctly, I should not have to specify my devices if bridge mode eventually starts working for me. Correct?

[petelombardo]

It still does not seem to want to install with Bridge as the default. Here are the steps that I performed:

• Stopped the docker
• Removed the docker (with the 'also remove image' checkbox checked
• From the community Apps screen, clicked on 'Previous Apps', then 'Docker'
• Checked the checkbox next to the small docker image (Moby Dock) for HDHomeRun-Signal-Web, then clicked 'Delete', which responds by confirming the template deletion
• From the community Apps screen, searched for HDHomeRun-Signal-Web, then clicked 'Install'
• Clicked 'Apply' on the Add Container screen
• Once the docker container has been added, I can see that the Network Type is set to 'Host' instead of 'Bridge'

It seems to run fine in Host mode, maybe I should just leave well enough alone.

fwiw - default is host for me too as of this morning. Might take some time for the template update to make it's way through.
just remember also to specify the devices with the variable if you do switch to bridge mode as autodiscovery will stop working.

It used to be true that you would have needed to specify the devices in bridge mode, but not anymore. Auto discover should still work now in the latest build even in bridge mode (default networking mode).

[KeithAbbott]

Might take some time for the template update to make it's way through.

The template update finally arrived, I'm running successfully in Bridge mode.

[KeithAbbott]

@petelombardo, I have run into situations in the past where the developer of a piece of software/freeware discontinues support and enhancements, for whatever reason. Unless there is another developer with the coding skills required to pick up where the original developer left off, it becomes "use at your own risk", never-to-be-enhanced-again software.

But with vibe coding (I notice you are using Claude for some or all of the code generation), the actual code generated from the AI tool seems less important than the human-language specifications fed into the AI tool. For open source software, it seems like saving the human-language specifications to a code repository like GitHub would be important to ensure long-term support for the software, regardless if the original developer moves away from a support role.

I have no idea whether you consider this app open source or not, I am just bringing up this question for better understanding around the latest technologies in use today. Is my thought process correct, and are there best practices around source code storage when AI coding tools are used?

[petelombardo]

@petelombardo, I have run into situations in the past where the developer of a piece of software/freeware discontinues support and enhancements, for whatever reason. Unless there is another developer with the coding skills required to pick up where the original developer left off, it becomes "use at your own risk", never-to-be-enhanced-again software.

But with vibe coding (I notice you are using Claude for some or all of the code generation), the actual code generated from the AI tool seems less important than the human-language specifications fed into the AI tool. For open source software, it seems like saving the human-language specifications to a code repository like GitHub would be important to ensure long-term support for the software, regardless if the original developer moves away from a support role.

I have no idea whether you consider this app open source or not, I am just bringing up this question for better understanding around the latest technologies in use today. Is my thought process correct, and are there best practices around source code storage when AI coding tools are used?

Thank you for the thoughtful question. The source is in github, so, yes it open source. Everyone is welcome to contribute.
https://github.com/Petelombardo/hdhomerunsignal

For the most recent commits, I have been adding verbose messages to the repo so that anyone interested can know what changed. With the core functionality stable, my focus lately has been on making the app more robust.

As for the prompts - in traditional development, the internal planning conversations (whether with a PM, team members, or just working through ideas solo) aren't typically published. The valuable asset is the product itself. With AI-assisted development, those planning conversations happen with the AI as a tool, but the principle remains the same: the code and commit history are what matter for collaboration and maintenance. The prompts represent the thought process, which has always been internal to development.