Frequently Asked Questions
The name says it all. Here is a list of the most frequently asked questions. This list will grow as feedback is provided from users. If you don’t see what you need here, please check out our video tutorial page.
Q: I created an account, where is my activation/confirmation email?
A: An email is automatically sent to within seconds of creating an account. If you don’t instantly receive the email, please check your Junk Mail folder. A lot of times it will be filtered as junk mail. You can also do a search for emails from notify@ijoat.com.
Q: Why can I only add 10 items?
A: If you create an account via Home Inventory LITE or Home Inventory Online, that account is marked as a trial account and limits the user to adding only 10 items. Once you purchase the full version of Home Inventory and enter in your old account information, your account will automatically be switched to a full account and allow you to enter an unlimited amount of data.
Q: Why does it take so long the first time I run the app on my iPhone?
A: There is a lot of communicating, “hand shaking”, and verifying between the server and your handheld device the first time it runs. Start ups after the first one are instant.
Q: I bought a new handheld device and I’m transferring my old inventory from the server to my new device but it’s taking a very long time, why?
A: When you perform the first sync from your new device all of the pictures and data that you entered over the months of using the app will need to be transferred from the server back to your device. Depending on how large and how many photos you took, this could take quite a bit of time. We highly recommend performing this large sync via a wi-fi connection instead of 3G to help speed up the process.
Q: SYNC ERROR: “An error has occurred while attempting to sync with the server. Check your internet connectivity and try logging in again.” Why am I receiving this?
A: You will receive this error whenever the application is having a problem communicating with the server. It could be because your wi-fi isn’t working, or because your 3G connection is poor, or that you don’t have cell coverage at all. There has been occasions where users have received this error during long “first time” syncs and was due to the AUTO-LOCK feature on the phone. If you are trying to perform a large sync and your phone screen is shutting off before the sync is finished, try temporarily turning off this feature to allow the entire inventory to sync successfully. You should then be able to safely turn AUTO-LOCK back on.
Q: I can’t log into my account from my device, but I can log into my account from Home Inventory Online.
A: Check to see if you have any symbols in your password (eg: !@#$%^&*_+=). The client app does not recognize symbols for a password. To resolve this issue, log into Home Inventory Online and change your password to letters and numbers only.
Q: I’m trying to add photos on Home Inventory Online but the photos are not showing up.
A: After you select a photo to add and then click the SAVE button, wait for the picture to fully upload before proceeding. Once you click SAVE, the file begins to upload. Depending on the size of the photo and your internet connection, the time could be anywhere from 1-20 seconds. Once you see your photo appear on the screen you can then proceed to your next task.
Q: How do I reset my iPhone/iPod touch?
A: Push and hold the HOME and POWER button until the device powers off and you see the Apple logo (very important to keep holding the two buttons until you see the logo). Once you see the Apple logo, release the two buttons and wait for the device to boot (will take a couple of minutes to do so).
Q: How does the synchronizing work?
A: Each time you start the client application (iPhone/iPod), if the device is connected to the internet it will look on the server (website) for any items that were added and synchronize them with items on your handheld device. This is currently done in the background and doesn’t have any sort of visual indicator. Depending on how many changes you made on the server will determine how long it will take for the items to show up on the client. Larger files like photos will take much longer than smaller files. When you add an item on the client it will automatically upload to the server. Every transaction (example: delete item, add item, add photo) will show up as a “pending transaction” on the SYNC tab. Here is an explanation of the items on the SYNC tab:
Sync Manager Status: Let’s you know items are being synced properly (ex: “running”)
Internet Connectivity: Informs you that the application has an internet connection (ex: “yes”)
Last Successful Sync: Last time the client was able to complete a synchronization with the server.
Time Until Next Sync: Time left until the client will call the server and look for any changes to download. Client will only check the server every 300 seconds.
Pending Transactions: How many items that are waiting to be uploaded to the server.
SYNC NOW: Force the client to look at the server for any items to download instead of waiting for the 300 second cycle to occur. The SYNC NOW button will not
force the client to send items sitting in the queue as they automatically get uploaded actions are created.
Q: What is the resolution of the photos I add? Some seem larger than others.
A: Photos that are added from your existing library (photos that were synchronized from your computer to your iPhone via iTunes) are displayed at 640x480. This smaller resolution is because iTunes automatically reduces the resolution of your photos so they display nice on the phone while keeping the file size small. Photos that are taken from the camera on your phone and uploaded via the client app are converted to 1024x768 resolution. This size resolution has been tested as a adequate resolution for printing full size photos and receipts if a user deems necessary, while reducing the amount of time it takes to synchronize data. If you want the full 1024x768 resolution in all your photos, either take them from your camera phone or add them from the server app. Testing has proven that photos taken from a digital camera or receipts scanned from a scanner then uploaded via the server have created best results. You can find the free accompanying server application at http://homeinventory.gottahaveitsoftware.com.
