Siren App Tips

Before Running Siren

Before you run Siren the first time on any platform, you need to make sure you are using the latest version of Sentinel and have updated the scanner and wi-fi dongle to the latest versions. To do so, follow the instructions at BCD536HPFirmwareUpdate.

Connecting To or Creating a Wi-Fi Network

Once you've updated to the latest firmware on both the scanner and wi-fi dongle, you are ready to either connect your scanner to an existing network (infrastructure mode) or create a wi-fi hotspot using the scanner (access point mode). In general, follow these guidlines for selecting the type of network to use:

Connecting in Infrastructure Mode

  1. On the scanner, select: MENU --> Wi-Fi Setup --> Set Connection --> Infrastructure Mode
    After a few seconds, the scanner will make a list of all detected wi-fi networks.
  2. Scroll to select the network you want to connect to, then press E.
  3. If the network uses security, enter the password for the network. Use the scroll knob to select a letter, number, or symbol and 4 and 6 to move the cursor left or right. When you finish entering the password, press E.
The scanner connects to the network and returns to the Wi-Fi Setup Menu

Connecting in Access Point Mode

  1. On the scanner, select: MENU --> Wi-Fi Setup --> Set Connection --> Access Point Mode
  2. Input the desired SSID for the access point (this is the name of the hotspot as it will appear on your mobile device), then press E.
  3. Select either OPEN (no security for the access point) or WPA/WPA2 (password protected access point).
  4. If you selected WPA/WPA2, then enter the password you will use on your mobile device to access the hotspot and press E.

Determine Your Scanner's IP Address

On the scanner, select MENU --> Wi-Fi Setup--> Show Wi-Fi Information. The scanner displays the name of the access point used, the IP address of the scanner, the scanners MAC address, and the wi-fi dongle's firmware version.

Make a note of the IP address, then exit the menu back to scanning mode.

Get and Run the Apple App

  1. In the App Store, search for Uniden Siren. Get and install the app.
  2. If necessary, connect to the same network the scanner is connected to, or to the scanner's access point.
  3. Tap the Siren logo to launch the app.
  4. When you first launch the app, you are prompted for the IP address of the scanner. Note that there will already be a number in this field. Normally, this is the last IP address you entered, but upon first run, the IP address needs to be entered. Backspace to erase the existing IP address, then enter the IP address of your scanner, as noted above.
The app should run, displaying the items on the scanner's screen. Any audio from the scanner will be played by the app (typically with several seconds of delay).

Using the App

If you've ever used a Uniden HomePatrol-1 or HomePatrol-2 scanner, then the interface should look pretty familiar. Here are some quick tips:

Running Siren w/Access Point Mode w/o Losing Internet Access on your iPhone

Dan (wise871) over at RadioReference has offered the following solution:

By nature the when connected to 536 AP WiFi connection, the iPhone is trying to funnels all requests through the scanners Wifi connection. Some apps are programmed to switch to cellular if the connection times out but if it's not designed too then your connection times out.

The work around is as followed.

1. Connect your iPhone to the Scanners AP connection like you normally would. Verify your connected.
2. Tap the blue arrow next to the name of the BCD536HP _XXXX WiFi network to view more options.
3. Select "Static" as the type of IP address, and then enter the following IP address and Subnet Mask :
IP Address : 192.168.1.2
Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0
4. Make sure you leave Router, DNS, and Search Domains blank!

This tells the iPhone that it should use its cellular network to route internet traffic rather than trying to do it via the scanners WiFi.

Troubleshooting

On some devices, audio playback is stopping after some time. To restore audio, in most cases you can simply Settings --> Connection --> Accept without changing any settings and audio will resume. We are looking into why this is happening and will provide an update when we've got a fix.