ABRP Updates not suitable for non-mobile work

[thommie]

Description: When using ABRP on non mobile devices, route planning always requires geo data

Type: webpage, planning new trip

Link to Plan: I-

Replication Steps:

1. use a laptop and login into the webpage. The laptop has NO location device (GPS, Galileo etc)
2. create new planning and select one of the previously used addresses
3. The next popup requires geodata which is not common on non-mobile devices (see screenshot)
4. Reqirement of geo-data and access to a location hardware device from the logged-in device should be OPTIONAL, but not mandatory.
5. Environment: Dell Precision Laptop, openSUSE Linux OS, Firefox 94

[Samuel-ABRP]

If you want to plan without geolocation you need to provide a start and destination adress, then it also works without location.

[green light]

The problem I have with all this "start address" concept is: If you plan a route on the desktop, which is the best way with ABRP, then store this plan and load this on mobile device for driving, you will get massiv problems while driving. You have to remove manually the start address and change to current location. Otherwise replanning will do anything but nothing useful (like return you to first charger even if you are fare behind last charger but had to restart ABRP as the mobile will not stay inside the car while charging).

 

[thommie]

@Samuel-ABRP

The core issue is "bad usability on the desktop". If you plan on your desktop computer you normally have no geo location device at all. Therefore the popup is useless and should only be shown when connecting from mobile devices. This should be a simple task for your UX programmers.

[Samuel-ABRP]

Hi,

even devices without GPS have a coarse location based on their internet connection. However that one is not always accurate enough for planning. Still there are also devices that have a more accurate location, so we will not remove it for web. Also i would not call it "bad usability" if you try to plan a route without providing a start position if there is no position.

If you have a car with live data where the location is also reported, we will use the location from the car (if not explicitely disabled via "override car location"). 

@green light we are aware that sometimes ABRP uses the wrong leg after charging. We will work on that soon.

Samuel

[thommie]

Sorry, but I disagree for both the technical part and the usability argument.

Technically: On the desktop you are working from the browser, nor from a mobile app.  The browser could only detect the local IP of the desktop device (if, at all, the local OS would allow the browser to see this IP - which normally is not possible as browsers are operating "sand-boxed"). This IP is -in most cases- a privatel NAT-ted IP address (192.xxx, 10.xx - see RFC1918) and has no information which is "locatable".  If you would want to user an IP address of the user for geo location at all, you would need the WAN network address from the ISP which in most cases is dynamic. The local browser knows nothing about the WAN address.

Usability: again, if I start a planning on the desktop, I always use a start address and a target address. There is no need at all to ask for any geo location information. Thats my point regarding bad usability - especially when using ABRP from the desktop.

[Samuel-ABRP]

If you provide a start adress and a destination, then no location is needed. I just tried in an incognito window and denied location permission and it worked without showing that window from your screenshot. That window only shows up, if one of the inputs is blank. So as the window says just input an address and you will not see it anymore.