This seems like the most likely community to have a sensible answer to my question. Is anyone able to successfully connect to a Theta V via WiFi while maintaining an active mobile data connection?
I have tested it on two different Pixel 4s and the same outcome on both, yet on a Pixel 2 the mobile data works fine. The main issue being if I am using Google Street view it is preferable to be connected to the Theta V AND maintain an Internet connection via mobile data.
Google Pixel support has deemed it a āRicoh hardware bugā so there isnāt much more digging I can do with them at this point.
I have a Pixel 2 using Android 10. I cannot connect to both WiFi and mobile at the same time. I have heard that some iPhones can connect to mobile data and WiFi at the same time. I do not have an iPhone.
Other people may be able to give better reports back of using Android mobile and WiFi
@craig I actually havenāt tested my Pixel 2 with Android 10 but I am 99% sure that I was able to connect to the Theta V and open the Street View app with no connectivity error. I also noticed that the option for selecting mobile data connection options in advanced preferences is now gone in Android 10.
In theory it shouldnāt be a hardware limitation as we can use the Pixels for a mobile hotspot while connecting other incoming devices via WiFi. The only difference being one incoming connection and one outgoing, vs. two outgoing.
Thatās my understanding as well. I believe this is a security feature of Android. The unfortunate side effect of the increased security is that most Android phones canāt use mobile data and Wi-Fi at the same time. I am unable to use mobile data and Wi-Fi from my Pixel 2 at the same time.
this also indicates that Android devices needed to either use Wi-Fi or mobile, not both Wi-Fi and mobile at the same time, though itās possible to switch back and forth.
It doesnāt appear to be a security feature, it just appears to be poorly designed architecture. I see a lot of threads about developers that have to hack together a working functionality (where IOS seems to have functional logic in place).
The issue appears to be only 1 default gateway is valid at a time, if a wifi device you are connected to uses DHCP (like the Theta V) you are automatically assigned and IP and gateway.
In Android 10, you can switch to a static IP connection and manually enter the IP you wish to use but you canāt leave the gateway blank. On the Theta connection I am assigned the gateway of 192.168.1.1 and I can delete it character by character, all except the last character. The moment I delete the final character, the original gateway IP is autofilled in the field again.
I tested with a gateway of 0.0.0.0 and that makes it so the wifi connection just bounces on and off over and over again.
I guess Iām confused as to why Google created an app (Street View) that doesnāt work with the underlying architecture of their own OS?
I also think that the current restriction is due to security.
When running ancient Andrioid versions, I was able to download images from the THETA to the phone and then directly post it to theta.com via mobile connection.
In order to enable this dual interface utilization, the THETA app has to change the routing table.
But this is considered harmful as a malicious app could direct all traffic to an unwanted destination.
This security hole was fixed some versions of Android ago.
@CorLeone in the case of an app having the ability to redirect traffic, yeah I can see the vulnerability there.
But in the case of people that connect via wifi to a device that happens to have DHCP but no valid Internet connection (as is the case of Theta cams), how would that be more āsecureā to give that gateway with no route to the Internet the priority?
Sorry, I canāt answer your question without more insight into this.
When digging into security issues, it is usually quite tricky to consider all implications and side effects of the relevant use cases.
But there seems to be a solution to this as it is implemented by Insta360 for their cameras and app!
Their app also connects via WiFi to their camera (One X, EVO, etc.) and enabling a mobile connection in parallel will usually break the WiFi link - same as for the THETAs.
However, the following option in their app will enable parallel connections via WiFi to the camera and via mobile to the Internet:
I have no idea what this option actually does, but it does fix the problem for my S7 running the current vanilla Android.
Perhaps Ricoh should have a look at this in order to implement it for the THETA app as well?!
@CorLeone, can you confirm that you have access to a Insta360 and that you can actually use Wi-Fi and mobile at same time with the Insta360 mobile app.
I donāt have an Insta360 camera and canāt test this myself. Have you seen any other information online about this feature? Iāve been searching for additional information to send to my contact at RICOH.
Yes, I have an Insta360 EVO and running the current versions of app and firmware, I can confirm that:
When connected to the camera via WiFi (e.g. for live preview), other apps can access the Internet via mobile connection.
Note that the Insta360 app itself can not access the Internet then.
@CorLeone, thanks again for your help. Iāve sent your information to people I know at RICOH. Just to confirm, the route table is on your Android device, right?
When connected via WiFi, the interface rmnet0 is usually not included in the kernelās routing list, even with mobile activated.
There is an option āmobile data always-on while on wifiā (or similar) in the developer section of the Android settings. When this option is activated, rmnet0 is included in the routing list.
My normal WiFi router has IP address 192.168.178.1, so that the network address of 192.168.178.0 is used as destination address for wlan0.
In the above screenshot, the network address 192.168.42.0 is used as destination address for wlan0.
Thank you for the additional information. I will pass this along. I believe the āMobile data always activeā is enabled by default on most Android phones, right? I think this is the feature that allows the phone to switch back and forth between mobile and Wi-Fi automatically? Maybe itās disabled on some phone models or data plans?
Was it enabled by default on your S7? Or, did you have to enable āDeveloper optionsā and then go into the panel and toggle the āMobile data always activeā switch? Mine was enabled by default.
Hi, just wondering if there any work around for this. We have developed an app that uses the theta V but the app is used in environments where we dont have access to a router. Does the mobile hotspot facilitate CL mode, thanks
Thereās no way to use mobile data and Wi-Fi at the same time that I know of. You must disconnect your phone from the THETA to use mobile data.
If there is a different device that is supplying mobile data, it should work. In this configuration, there are three physical devices:
dedicated mobile hotspot supplies Wi-Fi access to THETA
dedicated mobile hotspot supplies Wi-Fi access to phone
dedicated mobile hotspot connects to Internet with 4G mobile data
I have not tested how the mobile app on the phone finds the THETA on the W-Fi network with discovery. You may be able to test it with another mobile phone.
Although you may not be able able to eliminate the extra device, you might be able to as you are building your own mobile app.
Using my phone as the hotspot, I can get this type of setup working.
On Android, I am using ip neigh to get the IP address of the THETA Z1 from the command line of my Pixel 2. This is just for testing.
