help Remotes not detected by any computer

[snds]

I have 3 Skip remotes, 1 for my office, 1 for my living room, and 1 for my bedroom. None of them are connecting or being detected by the Skip software on either Mac or PC. I have tried the supplied USB-C cables for each, as well as 3 other known working USB-C cables. The batteries are installed and each remote lights up with pressing the multi-colored button.

Can someone give me a hand here?

[jason]

38 minutes ago, snds said:

I have 3 Skip remotes, 1 for my office, 1 for my living room, and 1 for my bedroom. None of them are connecting or being detected by the Skip software on either Mac or PC. I have tried the supplied USB-C cables for each, as well as 3 other known working USB-C cables. The batteries are installed and each remote lights up with pressing the multi-colored button.

Can someone give me a hand here?

Had you recently done a firmware upgrade? Was it ever able to connect? Did it specifically happen on an update?

[Kurojin_Karu]

Hi, not the OP, but I'm having the same issue where my Windows 11 app will not connect to the remote. I just got the remote today and have not been able to do anything with it.

[Kurojin_Karu]

Using v0.9.80 BTW. No idea what firmware is on the remote, as I am not able to connect to it.

[jason]

Do either of you hear the new device sound when you connect? 

[Kurojin_Karu]

I hear Windows make the device connection sound and get a SkipDeviceRestrictionBroker alert, but the Skip software won't detect the remote.

[jason]

1 minute ago, Kurojin_Karu said:

I hear Windows make the device connection sound and get a SkipDeviceRestrictionBroker alert, but the Skip software won't detect the remote.

Ah interesting. Do you have steam installed along with their usb drivers by any chance?

[Kurojin_Karu]

I do

[StephenM64]

just received my Skip 1s today finally after ordering one in Jan, and I also cannot get the remote connected on my system.

 Windows 11, I also have steam installed.

 

I really hope you can sort the issue out, otherwise a 6 month wait for a 67$ paperweight is highly disappointing. 

[Kurojin_Karu]

Just now, StephenM64 said:

I really hope you can sort the issue out, otherwise a 6 month wait for a 67$ paperweight is highly disappointing. 

Agreed. I honestly thought the remote was vaporware, so imagine my surprise yesterday when it shows up out of the blue, and imagine my disappointment when I realized the thing is useless.

[Daniel]

On 6/25/2023 at 5:12 PM, Kurojin_Karu said:

I hear Windows make the device connection sound and get a SkipDeviceRestrictionBroker alert, but the Skip software won't detect the remote.

Exact the same behaviour here, only I'm on Windows 10. The SkipDeviceRestrictionBroker alert pops up once every ten seconds or so but no detection of the remote. I also have Steam software installed.

[jason]

It's not vaporware. It's window's fault. Why it doesn't allow us to talk to our own device is batshit crazy. And it's a registry item that you are not allowed to change, we had to write a special program.

Are you running the app as administrator? Right click it and 'run as admin'

Let's also grab some logs. Enable them with the following.

• Kill the app
• Put the attached config in the following location: %localappdata%\Packages\SkipApp_sddpyax1dmvqm\LocalState\
• start up the app
• Head over to the admin panel
• Go to app logs->logs folder
• Post the log once the broker runs and asks you for permission

config.json

[Daniel]

Well, no matter how I try I can't seem to run it as administrator, there's no such choice in the right click menu. There are for normal programs, but not for "apps" (never really understood that strange difference).

Anyways, I got a log out, hope it tells you something!

flirc20230627.log

[jason]

7 minutes ago, Daniel said:

Well, no matter how I try I can't seem to run it as administrator, there's no such choice in the right click menu. There are for normal programs, but not for "apps" (never really understood that strange difference).

Anyways, I got a log out, hope it tells you something!

flirc20230627.log 73.96 kB · 3 downloads

Awesome, very helpful, thank you. Let me digest.

[Kurojin_Karu]

When I installed the app, it had "run as administrator" as one of it's permissions, so I'm assuming it is already running with admin perms.

[jason]

6 hours ago, Kurojin_Karu said:

When I installed the app, it had "run as administrator" as one of it's permissions, so I'm assuming it is already running with admin perms.

Still looking, if Steam is currently running, can you close it. Also close the skipapp. 

Make sure steam is killed in task manager.

Open up the skipApp after.

Maybe they are fighting over USB devices.

One more... When the pop-up comes up about the 'broker' asking for administration privileges, do you grant them?

[StephenM64]

I made the config file change, Ran the app, allowed elevation of the DeviceRestrictionBroker, Steam and its services not running.

Only thing standing out in the log being spammed:

14 minutes ago, StephenM64 said:

4:55 <4> #RemoteConnection \src\hooks\useRemoteConnection.js:141 Handle error: 500
02:14:55 <1> #Redux #GeneralReducer \src\reducers\general-reducer.js:30 Set "undefined" as selected device.
02:14:55 <1> #Redux #GeneralReducer \src\reducers\general-reducer.js:76 Set firmware connnection status: "CONNECTING".
02:14:55 <1> #USBController #Connect \src\SkipAPI\Controllers\USBController\index.js:267 Connection attempt to: \\?\HID#VID_20A0&PID_0008#9&e33e4dd&0&0000#{4d1e55b2-f16f-11cf-88cb-001111000030}.
02:14:55 <1> #ConnectTaskInternal C:\buildkite-agent\builds\Flirc-Windows-2\flirc-inc\remote-application\desktop\windows\SkipApp\FlircHidApi.cs:175 Sending unrestriction request to DeviceRestrictionBroker, InterfaceId=\\?\HID#VID_20A0&PID_0008#9&e33e4dd&0&0000#{4d1e55b2-f16f-11cf-88cb-001111000030}
02:14:55 <1> #ConnectTaskInternal C:\buildkite-agent\builds\Flirc-Windows-2\flirc-inc\remote-application\desktop\windows\SkipApp\FlircHidApi.cs:182 Received response from DeviceRestrictionBroker.
02:14:55 <1> #ConnectTaskInternal C:\buildkite-agent\builds\Flirc-Windows-2\flirc-inc\remote-application\desktop\windows\SkipApp\FlircHidApi.cs:204   DeviceRestrictionBroker response was handled, isRestrictionLiftSuccessful equals False
02:14:55 <1> #ConnectTaskInternal C:\buildkite-agent\builds\Flirc-Windows-2\flirc-inc\remote-application\desktop\windows\SkipApp\FlircHidApi.cs:205   DeviceRestrictionBroker response was handled, restrictionLiftFailureReason equals DEVPKEY_DeviceInterface_Restricted is FALSE! No need to re-write property.
02:14:55 <4> #ConnectTaskInternal C:\buildkite-agent\builds\Flirc-Windows-2\flirc-inc\remote-application\desktop\windows\SkipApp\FlircHidApi.cs:241 Failed to lift device restriction. Exception caught: Failed to lift device interface restriction. Reason: DEVPKEY_DeviceInterface_Restricted is FALSE! No need to re-write property.
02:14:56 <4> #USBController #Connect \src\SkipAPI\Controllers\USBController\index.js:287 Failed to lift device interface restriction. Reason: DEVPKEY_DeviceInterface_Restricted is FALSE! No need to re-write property.
02:14:56 <4> #RemoteConnection \src\hooks\useRemoteConnection.js:207 "Skip 1s" connection error: 500.

 

I have a feeling the problem here is less steam and more the fact you are making more work for yourself with a UWP app. ;p

Edited June 28, 2023 by StephenM64
quote

[Kurojin_Karu]

I managed to get it to connect to the remote once today, but after multiple hours of trying I was not able to again, nor could I figure out what made it work in the first place.

[Kurojin_Karu]

6 minutes ago, StephenM64 said:

02:14:55 <1> #ConnectTaskInternal C:\buildkite-agent\builds\Flirc-Windows-2\flirc-inc\remote-application\desktop\windows\SkipApp\FlircHidApi.cs:204   DeviceRestrictionBroker response was handled, isRestrictionLiftSuccessful equals False
02:14:55 <1> #ConnectTaskInternal C:\buildkite-agent\builds\Flirc-Windows-2\flirc-inc\remote-application\desktop\windows\SkipApp\FlircHidApi.cs:205   DeviceRestrictionBroker response was handled, restrictionLiftFailureReason equals DEVPKEY_DeviceInterface_Restricted is FALSE! No need to re-write property.

This bit looked interesting. It looks like the isRestrictionLiftSuccessful function returned false because DEVPKEY_DeviceInterface_Restriced is already false. Is this exception handler preventing the device form completing the connection?

[jason]

We are creating another version with more console logging. Yes, it seems so, but we are going to add some helpful info. 
 

16 minutes ago, StephenM64 said:

I have a feeling the problem here is less steam and more the fact you are making more work for yourself with a UWP app. ;p

We have no choice, UWP is a requirement for react native desktop, which is all owned and being done by microsoft. Unfortunately it's needed because we are planning tablet/phone apps.

[StephenM64]

I have not touched C# or UWP in a while, but the app manifest Capabilities section may seem a bit sparce?

I am assuming you are not going to open source the skip app, so I cannot tinker with things on my own, Maybe i will reverse engineer my own app later if the skip continues being a paperweight.

[jason]

On 5/29/2023 at 12:14 PM, snds said:

I have 3 Skip remotes, 1 for my office, 1 for my living room, and 1 for my bedroom. None of them are connecting or being detected by the Skip software on either Mac or PC. I have tried the supplied USB-C cables for each, as well as 3 other known working USB-C cables. The batteries are installed and each remote lights up with pressing the multi-colored button.

Can someone give me a hand here?

@snds This is the most puzzling in the thread. Do you have steam on windows? 

What kind of mac are you using? It shouldn't be an issue on the mac, the steam problem has only been in windows.

We had spent 2 months solving the windows issue, it's crazy it's back. Something must be different. Can you tell me which version of windows you are running? @StephenM64 @Kurojin_Karu?

Don't worry, we'll figure it out. 

[Daniel]

4 hours ago, jason said:

Still looking, if Steam is currently running, can you close it. Also close the skipapp. 

Make sure steam is killed in task manager.

Open up the skipApp after.

Maybe they are fighting over USB devices.

One more... When the pop-up comes up about the 'broker' asking for administration privileges, do you grant them?

My Steam isn't started. It's not in any autostart and in fact I haven't started it in months. I guess I could simply uninstall it completely if it would help in the investigation?

And about the privileges requester, yes I grant it again and again. Also tried not granting, which made no difference.

[jason]

7 minutes ago, Daniel said:

My Steam isn't started. It's not in any autostart and in fact I haven't started it in months. I guess I could simply uninstall it completely if it would help in the investigation?

And about the privileges requester, yes I grant it again and again. Also tried not granting, which made no difference.

No don't remove it. Unfortunately, whatever it installs or does, never gets removed. When you plug in the remote, their service, or driver changes a field in the system registry which sets a restriction on our device. Our own app no longer has access to it. That's what the second process is, to ask for permission to change the field back. But it's not running, and we'll figure out why.

Even after uninstalling, the field continuously gets set. It's unbelievable. 

** EDIT **

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/properties/props-system-devices-restrictedinterface

[Daniel]

2 minutes ago, jason said:

Even after uninstalling, the field continuously gets set. It's unbelievable. 

Ok. Well, tell me if there's anything more I could test. I'm in no hurry to get it working and being a systems developer I know how infuriating this kind of problems is :-D