Network Listing Coming Soon to FiOS WEP Calculator Lite

Network Listing Coming Soon to FiOS WEP Calculator Lite

In order to give FiOS WEP Calculator Lite users a taste of the Pro version, and boost sales, I decided to allow users to preview the network selection feature, but not actually “select” the network unless it is remembered on the device. What this means is that they will get a listing of remembered and nearby access point listings,  but they will only be able to select and calculate WEP keys for ‘remembered’ access points automatically. They will still be able to view a listing of nearby access points, but they will not be able to select them. Having this feature will still improve the overall experience, while still giving users a reason to purchase FiOS WEP Calculator Pro.

UPDATE: I finished adding the new features to the lite version, and an update is available in the Android market. The new version of FiOS WEP Calculator brings the ability to view nearby and remembered FiOS networks, previously only available to pro users. In order to select nearby networks (not remembered ones) automatically, you need to upgrade to the pro version, but you can now view a list of nearby networks without paying for FiOS WEP Calculator Pro.

Wireless Network Selection Added!

Wireless Network Selection Added!

I finished adding wireless network selection to the Pro version of FiOS WEP Calculator. This enhancement adds tons of value for those who already purchased FiOS WEP Calculator PRO, and adds an incentive for others to do so. Overall, I’m really excited to announce this new feature, and I look forward to receiving feedback about it. Enjoy! 😉

UPDATE: Version 2.1 fixes a minor annoying bug where the list of networks is reset when the keyboard is opened/closed or the screen is rotated.

UPDATE 2: Version 2.3  fixes a significant bug that resulted in a force close when selecting certain items in the network list.

Network Selection Coming Soon to FiOS WEP Calculator PRO

Network Selection Coming Soon to FiOS WEP Calculator PRO

The most requested feature in FiOS WEP Calculator, network selection, is coming soon to the pro version. With this new feature, you can simply click the “select wireless network” button, then click on any FiOS network that is either remembered on the device, or within range. This will make instantly calculating default Verizon FiOS WEP keys even easier and quicker, and will tremendously improve the user experience. I’m currently working on fixing all of the bugs, but you can expect this to be available on the market very soon.

Addressing FiOS WEP Calculator PRO (Free Version) Complaints

Addressing FiOS WEP Calculator PRO (Free Version) Complaints

As you may or may not know, for a limited time, I used to offer the full version of FiOSWEP Calculator PRO without any advertisements free. This version has received 96 downloads so far, but it is no longer published in the Android market. The reason for this is because I am not making any money on my applications right now. In fact, I’m actually losing money. Also, there is a free version of FiOS WEP Calculator, titled “Lite” that offers all the functionality found in the paid “PRO” version, except there is an advertisement at the top of the screen. The truth is, however, advertisements haven’t been making me very much money at all (not even $2 yet), so most of the money I receive is directly from the FiOS WEP Calculator PRO sales. Although I would love to offer my applications for free, I need to make some money, otherwise the amount of effort I put into making my applications doesn’t pay off. As a student, all my coding is done in my free time. If I don’t sell copies of my applications, I don’t get paid for my work. However, I honestly would prefer to offer my applications for free, as open source software, and without any copy protection, but realistically, with the current low amount of sales I get, and the very minimal amount of advertisingrevenue I receive, even with hundreds of legitimate advertisement clicks in my application (I don’t click on my own advertisements, or encourage others to do so) that’s not realistically possible. Part of the problem might be the fact that AdMob isn’t displaying very interesting or relevant advertisements in my application, but that’s another story. By offering the “PRO” version of my application for only $0.99, the least I’m allowed to sell my application for on the Android market, I believe that I’m making it perfectly reasonable and affordable for a user to upgrade from the advertisement-supported “Lite” version of my application to a version without annoying advertisements. I know that most users of my application don’t mind the advertisements, but it would be really great if I could get some more sales for my application. As it is right now, I’m actually _losing_ money, as I haven’t even sold enough copies to offset the developer registration cost for the Android market, and I definitely haven’t sold enough copies to purchase an Android phone. As an independent developer, it’s much more difficult to sell an application, than if I was an established or well-known company. So, by now you are probably wondering what brought this topic up. Well, in order to promote sales of the full version of my application, I thought it was perfectly reasonable to modify the “PRO” version of my application that was available for free for a limited time only. Now, I’m going to assume that I know what you’re thinking, and say that what I did is nothing nearly as bad and irritating as what Shazam did with the free version of their Android application, when they limited the usage of their application to 5 song taggings per month. I simply put a notification in the PRO version of the application stating that I am no longer maintaining the free version of the app, and I nicely asked users to consider purchasing the “PRO” version of the application, in order to support development. In fact, I’ll even include a screenshot of the message shown to users upon opening the application, as well as a word-for-word copy of what the message says, so you can judge for yourself whether or not you think what I did was reasonable. Here is a full, word-for-word copy of the message:

Dear User,
You are using the free version of FiOS WEP Calc PRO. This version is no longer supported, and will not be updated. This app will continue to function, but please consider buying this app for only $0.99. The money will help support the development of my future apps, and this message will not appear in the full version. Thanks for your support! 🙂

This message is shown once every time the application is opened. Below the message, there are two buttons. On the left, there is a button labeled “Buy Now”, which takes you to the page in the Android market for “FiOS WEP Calculator PRO”, where you can choose to purchase it. On the right, there is a button labeled “Later”, which closes the message, and allows you to use the application, without advertisements, and exactly like the full, paid “PRO” version. There is no limit to how many times you can choose “Later”, and the application will never stop working. It takes less than a second to click “Later”, and you are not, in any way, forced to choose to buy the full version. I believe that this is perfectly reasonable, as I make no money at all from the users of the “free PRO” version, not even advertising revenue. If the users are annoyed by the message, there is nothing preventing them from removing the application, and installing the Lite version, which also does the same thing for free. The reason I am writing all of this is because I have been reading the comments on my application, and I noticed one in particular from a user named “peskykid“, written on August 3rd, 2010. The commenter rated my application one star (out of 5), and wrote this (I think their message got cut-off or something, but I was able to understand what they are saying):

After this upgrade I wouldn’t support the developer out of spite.. What a Shi**y way of doing business.. Every time the app opens you have to close a.

What I think they meant to say was “every time the app opens, you have to close an advertisement.” I believe that this commenter is ungrateful that I let them download my application for free, and inconsiderate about the fact that I’m trying to make a small amount of money selling the application. Closing the advertisement isn’t that annoying, and it only takes less than a second. If you can’t handle closing the advertisement, then you have several choices:

• Download the “Lite” version, which does the exact same same thing, except with an advertisement at the top of the screen
• Purchase the “PRO” version for only $0.99, which will support future app development, and won’t have the pop-up message every time the application starts
• Uninstall the application completely, and get on with your life, without any of the functionality provided by my application

Nobody is forcing you to purchase the application, and I’m letting you continue to use the application as long as you would like for free. Sorry for writing so much, but I felt the need to explain why I added that message, and rant about the feedback I have received since I implemented it. If you have any comments, whether or not you agree with me, about encouraging those who got the “PRO” version for free to purchase the application to support future development, let me know by commenting on this article. I’d love to know what you think.

FiOS WEP Calculator PRO is Back for Only $0.99!

FiOS WEP Calculator PRO is Back for Only $0.99!

If you’ve been wondering where the ad-free version of FiOS WEP Calculator went, well wonder no more! I removed the old Pro version because I originally published it for free, and I wasn’t making any money. I only made $0.57 so far with AdMob, and that’s almost nothing at all. I don’t really like charging very much for my applications, so the Pro version of FiOS WEP Calculator is now available for only $0.99! If you use/like this application, please consider purchasing the “PRO” version. The PRO version has all the same features as the Lite version, except it doesn’t have any advertisement, it uses absolutely no copy protection what-so-ever I don’t believe in locking down my products with worthless DRM — if you buy it, feel free to use it on as many phones as you want. I don’t mind that much if you pirate this application, but really, please consider purchasing it. It only costs $0.99, which is the minimum amount you can sell an application for on the app store, and of those $0.99, I only make $0.66 ($0.30 processing fee + 2.9% of sale price). Your purchase supports the development of this application, and all of the other Android projects I’m working on. I code applications as a hobby, and not just for profit. If you don’t pay for the application, please at least rate it and leave a positive review if you like it! Thanks for your support! 🙂

UPDATE: If you area looking for the free, but advertisement supported version, it’s called FiOS WEP Calculator Lite. Please consider purchasing the ‘Pro’ version to support future development. Thanks! 🙂

FiOS WEP Calculator

FiOS WEP Calculator

A little bit over a year ago, in June 2009, I wrote a Java application to calculate the default WEP key of a Verizon FiOS Actiontec MI424WR router after reading a blog post written by Kyle Anderson called “Verizon FiOS WEP Calculator!“, and Mr. Anderson was even kind enough to add a prominent link to my website that I set up just for hosting the application. At the time of writing this, my site is currently the first result on the Google search results page for “fios wep calculator“. As I said on my website, this is for educational purposes, and I am in no way responsible for how you use it. Anyways, I created this application to demonstrate a major security flaw in the way the routers generate their default password. This application will only generate the default WEP key for the access point. If the WEP key was changed from the factory default, it will not work. This is one of my earliest coding projects, and I’ve gotten better at coding Java applications since then, but this gets the job done as it is, so I see no need for any major updates any time soon. Anyways, the download is available on the FiOS WEP Calculator website.