App won't detect decoder (and solutions)

[ukpooky]

Just fitted my TT William Whitelaw and the app (android) is just not picking it up in the scan. I know it got power because I can hear the motor buzzing a bit. App is working with other engines. Any tips? Or shall I try fitting it again - maybe a loose connection or something?

[SteveM6]

Power off the layout and the phone/tablet. Remove all other locos from the track apart from the one you are trying to link.

Power up the tablet and app, then power up the loco (just the one).

Rescan and take it from there.

[96RAF]

Sounds as if the decoder isn’t fully fitted. Try pressing firmly on the plug until it clicks.

[Andrew-361440]

Hi,

I've tried to get the app to detect 2 different HM7000 sound decoders in a class 50 and a class 56, both Hornby, and the app won't detect the decoder, but if I look at the Bluetooth scan for my phone, a Samsung A52S, it shows them as being functional.

I'm using an NCE Powercab controller and the locos both run on address 3.

I've uninstalled and reinstalled the app (definitely the DCC app) to see if that was an issue, set all the permissions to on but I still can't get it pair.

Any suggestions?

[Fishmanoz]

Have you followed all the troubleshooting advice to be found from the link in this sticky: https://uk.hornby.com/community/forum/hm-dcc-manuals-profiles-faqs-and-troubleshooting-guides-on-this-site-348308?ccm_paging_p=1#end-of-replies

Then further to Steve’s above, power up just a short piece of track with a single loco in a strong wifi area with the phone adjacent to the loco.

[96RAF]

You say ‘...shows them as being functional...’.

What are you talking about - the phone Bluetooth is switched on or the decoders are shown in the app somewhere.

Run the troubleshooter as suggested. Scan from within the app will pick up any decoders not allocated to another control device. The scan will say if a decoder needs a reset or can be linked to (not paired as they join a mesh of many). Select each decoder thus found and follow it through.

Tell us step by step how far you get along that road.

[Andrew-361440]

Firstly thank you all for your replies.

I have followed the troubleshooting steps, and even set a test track up next to my wifi router and on my Samsung A52S the app wouldn't detect the decoder, however on my Uncle's iPhone it detected the decoders instantly, so I have at least been able to get the sounds set up on the decoders. As an aside I found that to be very simple, great work by the designers.

What I meant by my phone detecting the decoders was, if you go on the Bluetooth connections option on the Settings page within the phone, not the app, which I did to see if my phone was detectable to other devices, the decoders show in the list of bluetooth devices that it has detected in the area.

As a step by step to what happens, on the app, if I press Link Device, then start scan, in the scan results box, there are no decoders, just the headings Ready to Link and Resettable Devices. It's like my phone isn't "seeing" the decoders for want of a better phrase.

[Andrew-361440]

Yes, all permissions are turned on.

[P-Henny]

Your A52 will never be able to see your decoders whilst they are still linked to your uncle's IOS Phone. You will have to unlink them from the IOS Phone first before trying to link them to your Android. When a decoder is linked to a DCC APP (i.e your uncle's IOS) it is blocked from being seen by any other DCC APP (i.e your Android).

[Andrew-361440]

Noted, thanks for your reply P-Henny.

The issues with them not detecting the decoder were all before the iPhone saved the day.

[96RAF]

Having tried to pair the decoder from the phone Bluetooth area you have blocked the app from seeing it.

You link from the app not the phone.

All you do with the Android phone is switch Bluetooth on and enable every permission under the sun. An iOS phone is smart enough to request permissions if they are needed, Android does not depending upon the phone and it’s version.

I suggest you go back into your Android and dump any apparent pairing it has set up, then after following the iOS escape advice, follow the standard instructions in the several how to guides on the Hornby site. They will work.

[Andrew-361440]

I did not try to pair the decoder outside of the app, through the settings page.

I have every permission going turned on and have checked through the Apps Permissions page as suggested earlier in the thread.

Having got the decoder to pair so easily to the iPhone, I suspect that the A52S is the issue. I notice the previous model, the A51, is shown as being incompatible on Hornby's latest list dated 21/06/23.

[Andrew-361440]

Nearby Device Permission is on but I'll give it a try.

Thanks.

[Rallymatt]

I don’t assume any expertise in Bluetooth, however there is a practical limit to the number of connections that can be realistically supported, varying from device to device. If your phone is connected to a number of BLE devices, it could potentially block the App from using BLE to communicate with the HM DCC decoders.

[ateshci]

An acquaintance of mine having had the issues with the app not detecting the decoder finally found that it is mandatory to enable the Android smartphone's location services at least with the Hornby app. This solved the problem for him.