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Monergy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2011
10
0
Hello

I'm trying to figure out if it is possible to send a push notification to a device when it connects to a certain wifi network? We have a unique situation that we are looking to create a "hot spot" area ... about 1500 sq ft. When a user with our app enters into this zone the app would connect to the network and send a notification to the phone.... more or less asking if they want to use the app..

We've used push notifications before but not really to "mark" and area and not sure if that is possible or not? If not any other solutions you can think of?
 

jnoxx

macrumors 65816
Dec 29, 2010
1,343
0
Aartselaar // Antwerp // Belgium
you want to send an push notification to use an app, so how would you get the users device? because, they didn't get the app yet.. so how can you send them an Push notification? if that's your question. Not possible i'm afraid m:)
 

Monergy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2011
10
0
you want to send an push notification to use an app, so how would you get the users device? because, they didn't get the app yet.. so how can you send them an Push notification? if that's your question. Not possible i'm afraid m:)

Thank you for the reply...

Sorry I should have clarified. This app will be used internally in a company.. so they will distribute it through their own chain of command... Not worried about the distribution at all just about creating this unique network that fires the notification...
 

ArtOfWarfare

macrumors G3
Nov 26, 2007
9,545
6,042
Correct me if I'm wrong, I've never looked into the local notification APIs, but couldn't you set up local notifications that are triggered when the user crosses a geofence, or something like that?
 

Monergy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2011
10
0
Correct me if I'm wrong, I've never looked into the local notification APIs, but couldn't you set up local notifications that are triggered when the user crosses a geofence, or something like that?

I thought of that but we need to identify a very small area inside of a multi story building Geo-fencing isn't this sensitive... we have an alternative that we can use that will give us the sensitivity to deploy something that is closer to a geofencing option... but it requires a few more steps... I thought that if we could just use a wifi network it might be the easiest option
 

MattInOz

macrumors 68030
Jan 19, 2006
2,760
0
Sydney
So you control the network and the client list?

Does you're wifi network have a way to distinguish each client?
Like an individual user name password combo or maybe a lease name within the DHCP system. Set that backend system logging so that writes out each time a client connects. Then you could have a process that watches the log file for new entries and fire off the Push Notification in response to those client connections.
 

Monergy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2011
10
0
So you control the network and the client list?

Does you're wifi network have a way to distinguish each client?
Like an individual user name password combo or maybe a lease name within the DHCP system. Set that backend system logging so that writes out each time a client connects. Then you could have a process that watches the log file for new entries and fire off the Push Notification in response to those client connections.

Yes.. thats what I was wondering... I've never set up a network like this. Yes we will set up the network.. I would say the lease name is probably the best option.. Many thanks!.. I'll start in that direction and see if it works
 

jnoxx

macrumors 65816
Dec 29, 2010
1,343
0
Aartselaar // Antwerp // Belgium
if i'm reading correctly, your setup isn't that hard.
You have to get a distribution profile, only have your people install it who need it.
In the application, you can setup "Zones", or "Boundaries", and when they enter that with their phone, they can activate a LOCAL notification, there is no need to do a push notification.

If you really want push, you can poll a webservice in the back (very very bad solution), and then when their place suffices, send a push notification, like i said, very bad, i prefer the one i mentioned above.
 

Monergy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2011
10
0
if i'm reading correctly, your setup isn't that hard.
You have to get a distribution profile, only have your people install it who need it.
In the application, you can setup "Zones", or "Boundaries", and when they enter that with their phone, they can activate a LOCAL notification, there is no need to do a push notification.

If you really want push, you can poll a webservice in the back (very very bad solution), and then when their place suffices, send a push notification, like i said, very bad, i prefer the one i mentioned above.


Yes I don't really care if it's a push or local notification so long as when they enter the area they do get a notice or pop-up asking if they want to launch the app... The "zones" that your referring to.. are they GPS identified? or do you mean this would be fired with the wifi signal? I'm trying to identify a rather small area about 1500-2000k sq ft so when someone entered that area they would get the notification... I don't think gps will be sensitive enough to tell me when they enter that small of an area...
 

jnoxx

macrumors 65816
Dec 29, 2010
1,343
0
Aartselaar // Antwerp // Belgium
You can set a zone with a center coordiate, then you can check the users coordinate in the background of the app, when your user is WITHIN those bounds (i think it should work, depends on the accuracy of your GPS signal there & what you setted in code).
In the code you can then send a local notification, if you have more precise questions, please ask :)
 

Monergy

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2011
10
0
You can set a zone with a center coordiate, then you can check the users coordinate in the background of the app, when your user is WITHIN those bounds (i think it should work, depends on the accuracy of your GPS signal there & what you setted in code).
In the code you can then send a local notification, if you have more precise questions, please ask :)

Ahh yes ok I understand... the problem is that this is a multi-story building.. so we need to know what floor they are on and only send that notification when they are on the correct floor... The GPS functions would also be a battery drain.. so we're trying to create an environment that will send the notification with out relying on the internal components of the phone
 

jnoxx

macrumors 65816
Dec 29, 2010
1,343
0
Aartselaar // Antwerp // Belgium
Then i'm afraid i'm out of this conversation :)
i'm not 100% sure if it's possible anyways if you want to work with floors too..
You can setup a router, and if something connects on it, send it to a server which responds to it in code, and if it can see it's an iPhone, then try send push notification to it (i'm bad at that kind of stuff, so i'm just putting the idea out there that i would THINK that it should do).
 
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