Remote Control Options

HID Smart Buttons
MQTT Remote Control

HID Smart Buttons

For an enhanced tactile experience, Nexus Timer supports Smart Buttons based on Bluetooth-connected microcontroller (e.g., XIAO nRF52840) implementing HID (Human Interface Device) protocol emulating a keyboard.

Buttons: Connect 3 physical buttons, potentially extended (e.g., via 1.5m wires) for easy player access.
Configuration:
- Player 1's Button: Single Click: Emulates a key press (e.g., 'a'). Configure this as Player 1's "Pass Turn / My Pause" hotkey in the app.
- Player 2's Button: Single Click: Emulates a key press (e.g., 'b'). Configure as Player 2's "Pass Turn / My Pause" hotkey.
- Player 3's Button: Single Click: Emulates a key press (e.g., 'c'). Configure as Player 3's "Pass Turn / My Pause" hotkey.
- If Player 3 is Game Admin:
  - Player 3's Button: Long Press: Emulates a key press (e.g., 's'). Configure as the "Global Stop/Pause All" hotkey in the app.
  - Player 3's Button: Double Click: Emulates a key press (e.g., 'x'). Configure as the "Global Run All Timers" hotkey in the app.

MQTT Remote Control

Players can use their smartphones to send commands to Nexus Timer via MQTT. This requires an MQTT broker (like Mosquitto) on the same network.

Mosquitto Installation Guide

Install Termux from the Play Store and run.

Update packages and install Mosquitto in Termux:

pkg update && pkg upgrade
pkg install mosquitto

Configure the MQTT Broker:

nano $PREFIX/etc/mosquitto/mosquitto.conf

Add the following configuration, then save and exit:

listener 1883 0.0.0.0
protocol mqtt

listener 9001 0.0.0.0
protocol websockets

allow_anonymous true

Run Mosquitto with the configuration:

mosquitto -c $PREFIX/etc/mosquitto/mosquitto.conf

Android Shortcut Setup

Install the HTTP Shortcuts app from the Play Store.
Create a new shortcut.
Advanced Types -> MQTT Shortcut.
Shortcut name: Pass Turn/My Pause
Basic Settings: Set the MQTT server's address to tcp://localhost:1883. (Note: HTTP Shortcuts app uses TCP, while the PWA (Web app) uses WebSockets to connect to the same broker.)
Messages:
- Set Topic to: game. (Note: The topic name is hardcoded in the PWA.)
- Set Payload to a single character (e.g. a). Each player will set a unique character (i.e. a-z, A-Z, 0-10).
Go back and save the configuration.
Create homescreen icon for the Pass Turn/My Pause shortcut:
- Tap and hold on an empty space on the homscreen.
- Select widgets.
- Search for HTTP and select the HTTP Shortcuts app.
- Select the icon and assign the Pass Turn/My Pause shortcut.
- An icon will appear on the homescreen.
- Tap the icon to trigger the game action.

Configure `Quick Tap` gesture to trigger the shortcut:

Go to Android settings.
Navigate to System -> Gestures -> Quick Tap to start actions.
Select Open app and click the configure icon.
Select HTTP Shortcuts app and click the configure icon.
Select Pass Turn/My Pause shortcut.
Double-Tap on the back of the phone to trigger the game action.

Testing with `mosquitto_pub` (via Termux):

Run: mosquitto_pub -h <BROKER_IP> -p <TCP_PORT> -t game -m "X"
- Replace <BROKER_IP> with your Mosquitto broker's IP (e.g. localhost).
- Replace <TCP_PORT> with Mosquitto's TCP port (e.g., 1883).
- -t game: The topic the PWA listens on.
- -m "X": The single character message (e.g., "a", "b", "s"). This "X" should match the MQTT char configured in Nexus Timer for the desired action.

Nexus Timer (PWA) Setup

Enter the MQTT Broker URL ws://localhost:9001 in the Setup screen and connect.
Assign unique single characters as MQTT Triggers for each player's "Pass Turn / My Pause" action.
Assign unique single characters as MQTT Triggers for "Global Stop/Pause All" and "Global Run All Timers".

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Remote Control Options

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