Heads up regarding DCS WiFi Premium app

Rafa, Agreed.

I am really a DCS newbie, having had the TUI and WIU 3 years at the most. I was delighted when I first got them, and subsequently  loaded up on maybe 15 or so new MTH locomotives, and 5-6 Lionels. Most are PS3, with a couple PS2 that I bought because I wanted the road names. DCS was a dream. Then, the dream began to crumble with all the recent issues as seen on this Forum relative to DCS problems, mainly in the past year or so. Now, I'm shaking my head wondering what my grandsons will ever make of these if they can't count on using their iPads.

@H1000 posted:

There are three variants of the DCS App:

1) Basic - FREE
2) Standard - $4.99
3) Premium - $24.99 ($19.99 when upgrading from Standard)

These are all offered as in-app purchases and each unlocks a new subset of features when purchased.
The Standard App unlocks full engine control and allows you to add more than 3 engines to your roster.
The Premium app unlocks all features of the DCS remote, Track control (conventional) plus Switch & Accessory control through an AIU.

The 3 levels of service is mildly irritating. The app wants you to choose between the explorer or wiu. I just did buy the wiu to add to my rev I tiu(s).

It seems to me, and if you download and read the manual to the wiu, it tells of all the wonderful features available, but there's no mention that these wonder features that are capabilities of the wiu/tiu combo require an upgrade to the app.

I already knew going in that I'd have to buy the premium upgrade, just seems the premium features should automatically be included in the app when used with the wiu, after all, the wiu was a premium purchase over the explorer.

If/when the release the wtiu, I hope they are a little more forthcoming with requirements to achieve the features.

@Rod M. posted:

If/when the release the wtiu, I hope they are a little more forthcoming with requirements to achieve the features.

Don't hold your breath for that to happen!

@JohnActon posted:

Think I will stick with the standard MTH remote and TIU and purchase two more remotes just in case. I'll switch to WiFi when there is no other way to control my trains. Perhaps by then all the wrinkles will be ironed out.          j

Everyone on here seems to use Apple products, I appear to be an exception. Here is my experience with the WIU\APP

I put away my trains ~2013, decided to start doing Christmas layouts a few years back and of course that peaked my curiosity as to what MTH was up to. To my surprise Mike had retired. I used to Beta test the DCS software and actually swapped Jason at MTH my old Rev G for a new Rev I because they no longer had a functioning Rev G to play with. Both my TIU's are Rev I(a3) or something such as that.  I see the explorer and the WIU so I research both because I love tech to an extent.  At the time, a couple of years ago, I couldn't find a WIU. This year I see they are still in production and bought one from New York City. It arrived yesterday, I had downloaded the app when I first started researching, this proved to be a bit beneficial to me.

Fast forward to my WIU arriving yesterday, I promptly hooked it up to my TIU and launched the app.  Easy Peasy! Until.....  I switched to the sounds menu, what?  I have to upgrade to standard to activate sounds (I knew I would be upgrading to premium, just didn't realize such a rudimentary feature.

Thia is where frustration set in. Every time I tried to upgrade I was greeted with no internet connection, make sure I'm logged in to google play store.

Long story short, Moto 5G Stylus 2022 running Android 13 was to new for the app.  Grabbed my previous Moto 5G Stylus running Android 11, purchase went through no issues.  It also worked fine on Moto One 5G Ace UW with Android 12.

My app on Android 13 now shows it is an upgraded app but does not work worth a darn. So I simply use an older phone, which is fine with me. Might not be convenient for someone else though, that app update needs to roll out.

I do find the app more intuitive than the DCS remote.  I like having the sounds and actions spelled out as opposed to abbreviations. I like options, and this is another option.  I am glad I have Rev I TIU's so I can use Remote or app with WIU. It's my understanding the new WTIU will not work with remotes and remotes are no longer made (along with TIU's)

I think it's well worth trying, so far its operating great for me in my limited use.  I also feel more 'modern'!

@Rod M. posted:

Long story short, Moto 5G Stylus 2022 running Android 13 was to new for the app.  Grabbed my previous Moto 5G Stylus running Android 11, purchase went through no issues.  It also worked fine on Moto One 5G Ace UW with Android 12.

Interesting, I have the Samsung Galaxy S21, and it is running Android 14 with UI 6.0.  The DCS app works fine for me, just fired up a locomotive and give it a spin using it.  I have the WiFi unit connected to my router, also the Lionel WiFi.  Both have worked fine on the S21.

One of the things I found. If I logged in to Google Play store on an account that didn't already have the dcs app, when I'd search the store, it wouldn't automatically pop up, when I search mth dcs, it would find the app but tell me it wasn't compatible with my Android OS. This was only happening with OS 13, not 11 and 12(or older, I go back to 9).

However, under my regular Google account that , it would show up and install.

It does work on this Android 13 phone, but it constantly tells me upon launch that there's no wiu or tiu(my older phones give me no message because they apparently see them), yet once in the 'run trains', I can add engines and run them.

If I hit the 'refresh' circle I'll get the 'can't find wiu/tiu' issue.

I'm in rural America out in the sticks. I'm using the built in wifi because my Internet is one of my Verizon phones set as a hotspot because Verizon says they don't offer home Internet in my area, nobody else does either

Rod,

Just so you know, there is a relatively new satellite-based internet service called Starlink that provides service nation-wide.  I have no personal experience with it, and it is expensive (from what I read), but it (with Hughes Net) is out there.

Chuck

Starlink is $120/mo for residential accounts.

It appears there is a new update as of an hour ago. Version 3.2.2 per the Apple App Store. “Bug fixes and performance enhancements.”

No update on the Google Play Store yet... still at 3.2.1

I have an older iPad running iOS 9.3.5 as well as iPhone 13 pro running iOS17.1.2, and both updated.  Simple.  Auto updates turned on.

John

Fwiw, loaded the new version last night late, and then ran a train this morning. One user interface change is on the engine control screen/tab was it no longer slides up and down by dragging the side, now you tap the arrows at the bottom or top. That’s the first change saw. Note, that was on my newest iPad, on this, iPhone the drag method still works so might be device specfic?