Automate Android Network Switching & Other Settings Based On Connection With Home WiFi

For our Android readers, we have frequently been bringing some very helpful home network management and automation solutions in the form of Sentry, Smart Settings, Better WiFi On/Off and Simplify etc. With each of the aforementioned solutions covering most of the bases required to gain complete control of your Android’s internet connectivity, one might so easily be forced to believe that there is no new potential area that can be exploited. As ever, you (just like me) are about to be proven wrong. New to the Play Store, FBarrosoApps’ Home Network Settings is a simple yet very handy Android connection and profile manager that has the capacity to automatically switch between network connections, device security settings and sound profiles based on whether you’re connected to your home network or not. Personalization lies at the heart of this nifty, Holo-themed Android app, as it allows you to select your preferred home network(s), and more importantly, the behavior of your device whenever it connects/disconnects to/from the specified network. Keeping your personal preferences in focus, the app can automatically control multiple parameters, including your device’s Wi-Fi radio, Bluetooth, mobile data, auto-sync, sound profile, and even unlock method. Details past the break...

 

As can be clearly seen from the above description, Home Network Settings is all about customizing and automating your device’s behavior in correspondence with your home Wi-Fi network’s availability. The best thing about the app is that it is among very few solutions which provide users with the option to eliminate the need for a lock screen upon connecting to their home networks. Of all five default device unlock methods, the app has been designed to work with the Slide to Unlock type only. In fact, as the app’s tutorial screen will tell you, in order to use Home Network Settings, it is best if you don’t use an unlock method at all.

The app’s home screen lists all the Access Points (APs) that ever got registered with your device. All you need to do is pick your preferred (home) network, hit Menu > Settings to land on the app’s personalization screen. As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of different options to tinker with, which we shall look at now.

 

Wi-Fi Settings

• Automatically turn your device’s Wi-Fi radio off when out of range of the preferred network
• Specify the timeout (in seconds) before Wi-Fi is deactivated
• When connected to your home network, keep the Wi-Fi connection active persistently

Mobile Data Settings

• Automatically switch to mobile data upon disconnecting from the home network
• Automatically turn cellular data off upon connecting to the preferred Wi-Fi network

Bluetooth Settings

• Automatically turn off Bluetooth upon leaving home network, and enable it once you’re back

Auto-Sync Settings

• Automatically disable automatic account syncing, and re-enable it when connected to the home network

Profile Settings

• Set a different custom sound profile for home, as well as for outside (optional). Available options include silent mode, normal mode and vibrate mode

Lock Screen Settings

• Select the preferred password type (from numeric or text) that will have to be provided in order to unlock the screen
• Opt to disable lock screen altogether upon connecting to the home network. Default lock screen is automatically enabled as soon as you step out of the range of your Wi-Fi network

Home Network Settings is available in the Google Play Store as a free and $1.26 variant. Benefits of the paid version include an ad-free UI, and the option to select multiple APs as your home network. Needless to say, any customization that you make from the app’s settings screen is going to be automatically applied to all selected networks. No doubt, the app has plenty of room for improvement, but going by the developer’s word, we can expect to be introduced to a whole bunch of new features in the coming days.

Download Home Network Settings For Android (Free)

Download Home Network Settings Pro For Android (Paid)