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[babgvant]

Observations/Questions:

- WOL works (excellent), but if the server takes a while to wake up fully the attempt to connect times out and a 2" dialog is presented prompting to try to connect again.
- Many times even when the server is up the first attempt to connect fails, and I have to interact with the 2" dialog (always works the 2nd time).
- The "Access Key" mechanism is not user friendly.  I completely understand that for WAN access some sort of authentication is necessary, but I'm not sure why I need this level of complexity on the LAN. 
- Is the media server process that runs in the UI context the server component?  If so, why does it run in the UI context instead of as a service?  Running as a service would make it more robust and able to restart automatically if a crash occurs.
- What component handles scheduled TV recording?
- Why does the client try to access a non-local IP address if it can't connect to the server?

[Hendrik]

- The "Access Key" mechanism is not user friendly.  I completely understand that for WAN access some sort of authentication is necessary, but I'm not sure why I need this level of complexity on the LAN. 

Don't you just enter it once?
 

- Why does the client try to access a non-local IP address if it can't connect to the server?

It attempts to connect through the internet, in case you're trying to connect from off-site. Its a useful feature, imho.

[babgvant]

Don't you just enter it once?

Yes, but I don't think you should have to enter it all if you're on the same subnet.  It's an unnecessary hassle to have to store the access key somewhere and retrieve it when running in a trusted environment.

It attempts to connect through the internet, in case you're trying to connect from off-site. Its a useful feature, imho.

So that 24... IP address is a locator service of some sort?

[JimH]

Yes, but I don't think you should have to enter it all if you're on the same subnet.  It's an unnecessary hassle to have to store the access key somewhere and retrieve it when running in a trusted environment.

You enter it once on each device you use.  I use an Android phone and an Android tablet.  The key is stored there, so if I need it for a PC or another device, I just get it from my phone.

The access keys are stored on our server, and you can use our server to test access from outside your LAN.  There is a test feature in the options in the same place as the access key.

- What component handles scheduled TV recording?

Media Server (which is a small footprint version of MC).  You can set it to start on startup of Windows.

[babgvant]

You enter it once on each device you use.  I use an Android phone and an Android tablet.  The key is stored there, so if I need it for a PC or another device, I just get it from my phone.

Even if I had an Android phone (which I don't), I don't carry my phone w/ me in the house.  There are myriad solutions to this requirement, but that doesn't change that the need to figure out a way to store/retrieve the key is inconvenient.  Even as a technical user I don't see the ROI for that inconvenience.  A dialog that displays all of the servers found on the same subnet, even if it asked me for a password (of my choosing entered during Media Server setup), would be more user friendly and approachable.

Media Server (which is a small footprint version of MC).  You can set it to start on startup of Windows.

Is that the tray app?

[JimH]

You can also get the key from the server.  You can e-mail it to yourself.

[babgvant]

You can also get the key from the server.  You can e-mail it to yourself.

I found that putting it in a text file on my file server was easiest for me.  Doesn't change that I shouldn't have to

FWIW, I don't think that this point is blocking; I mean it only as a suggestion/feature request/etc.  Running the recording/media server in the user's UI session is a bigger issue.

[JimH]

Discussion split to "Service vs. Program"