Or they could let you do all the association stuff in the app. I might try borrowing a scanner to register all my games and see if that will work as a work around for me.

Yup, scanner seems integrated to the whole process...

Pass on a $200 upgrade...

This could get annoying if it notifies you every power cycle that you're running the same 3rd party code. I hope they implemented it so it notifies you the first time it's detected, stores the checksum, then notifies you again if it changes.

So can we get monthly or faster OS updates?
best practices worldwide are not really let games sit with old OS level code for an long time online.

Really wish people would explain things more than expect us to sit thru videos all the time.

Just transcribe video job done.

There’s a video online that explains. Lets you save insider profiles so you don’t have to scan your QR at home. You just hold left flipper button and users appear.

Lets you log in automatically to a home-use machine you own.

It's just part of their ongoing fight against Scorbit. They've been trying really hard to block it in each update for a while now...

Doesn’t change the insider connected requirements or hardware. Just new functionality

Other than taking forever to update, the new home team works really well. Much better than having to use the scanner every time.

"Award winning" Wait, they actually got an award at some point for insider connected?

It would be much better if you didn't need the QR reader at all. It is clearly an unnecessary requirement, primarily in the home environment.

So could you use a scanner once to get set up at home or is all of the IC function blocked at power on if the scanner node board is not found?

INSIDER CONNECTED™ FROM STERN PINBALL EARNS AMOA INNOVATOR AWARD

Don’t you think they would have been promoting wide adoption if they took away the hardware requirements?

3 games updated. Set up home team on first. Was surprised once I enabled it on games 2 and 3 the users showed up right away! We beat Stern up a bit in this thread so just wanted to throw some kudos out there.

Also +1 for actual new GZ code.

Started updating the Stern Lineup today...

FD453211-A874-4F7E-AD2B-E41E9393AD3E (resized).JPG

It's a big quality of life improvement in that you don't have to be looking for your phone everytime you want to play pinball to log in. Really nice change!

Sounds like this won't work based on recent posts, but can someone who has IC give a try where they log into the Home Team thing, verify they are logging in automatically, turn off the pin, unplug the IC node board, turn it on and verify that the Home Team thing does or does not work?

Again, all signs point to it won't work like that since it won't find the IC integration boards, but figured it would be helpful if someone can actually verify this.

But if it does work, then I'd go a different route than hooking up a switch to my GZ so that I can get JP on IC.

EDIT:

And I can't test this yet because my GZ arrives tomorrow, else I'd give it a try myself.

So I tried to install some modded code to my IMDN and to my AIQ.

The code works, but when you try to log into SIC you get this - it will not let you login.

IMG_8914 (resized).JPG

so modded code or SIC - you choose!

Yes it works, you don't need a scanner on them when you've got the home team enabled.

Guess that means, if I ever get myself a Guardians, it'll be offline only, cuz I can't stand the stock voicework. Ick.

yes this works.

I have a feeling that top men [] will be working on fixing it though.

Okay awesome thanks!

However if I have friends come over and they want to create an account, I'm assuming I would need a scanner added in order to get a new user added to the Home Team feature?

Or can you add people without the scanner somehow?

Thank you, Stern, for the QR code in Apple Wallet (although I've already got it on my watch) and for Home Team!

Now that we've got Home Team...

I won't be so bold as to ask for it to work without the IC node board and scanner hardware but...

How about an option in the Service Menu for us to TURN OFF the scanner (the bright light that so many have gone out of their way to relocate) when we're not in the process of adding more players to Home Team?

I've got but two players in my household, and I won't be needing to add any others. Not on a regular basis, anyway.

So you're saying you can take a game with just wifi and a SD card, power on, and log in with home team.. as long as home team was setup in this location elsewhere?

yes pretty much spot on.

You need a reader just to enable IC.

So you have ten games and one IC kit. You buy 9 USB dongles and 9 micro SD cards.

You setup first game and scan all your QR codes and enable them as home.

you then add the USB dongles and memory sticks and then use the one reader you have to connect each game to SIC - you have to move the reader to each game to connect the games to SIC.

then you are good to go. you have 9 games all with IC and home you can login to. You use the one game with the reader to add people in and out.

just disconnect it - it will be fine without it.

I'm with you re: top men. Stern will be fixing this hole in 3... 2... 1...

Okay to disconnect just the scanner? Or better to disconnect the node board?

maybe, but I doubt it. The readers are very unreliable, I've had three fail, if a reader dies operators can still make money on the game. So I doubt stern will want hardwire them otherwise lots of games Out of Order.

either disconnect the cat 5 ethernet cable at the node board or at the scanner. I'd do it at the node board as its easier to access.

I think guests are machine specific since they reset on power cycle. You could add them as part of your home team on the machine with scanner and then delete when they leave.

Or if you have frequent visitors, just make them part of the home team if you have room.

https://sternpinball.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Insider-Connected-Home-Team-Set-up-Guide.pdf

Home Team Video Tutorial:

In this video, it doesn't even look like the Beatles game has IC installed on the apron and they install Home Team on there, unless it just looks different on the Beatles. But I didn't see any square QR reader on the apron.

So this means that you can install it on other games you have (that support IC) without ever having to hook up a scanner to it?

Just hooked up a game on connect and it's pretty cool.

I see something that looks like it on the right apron

JDactingwasreallysomethingelsefriends (resized).jpg

Everybody running leaderboards make sure to take a snapshot of the list before updating.

Okay you are probably correct. I'm not familiar with that game but the placement of that looks a bit lower/right than the IC's I've seen on other machines. It could also just be the angle. Looking at a pic of the playfield from the top, it doesn't have that light so you are probably correct.

If you look at the standard IC on Rush, it looks rectangle in the "normal" place.

https://i.imgur.com/sVsRL0M.png

The Beatles just looks different - looks like it's round or not rectangular and in a different spot, and it's not the standard red IC cover on the apron. I've never seen it on Beatles though so not sure.

https://i.imgur.com/Ev8ltSj.jpg

I am honestly surprised they didn't already check for modded code.

This is where Stern put it on my factory build.

50A9CAAA-27E8-4D55-9632-B298467C6697 (resized).jpeg

Ahhh sneaky left side.

Ooooh okay thanks for clarifying. I just assumed they were all in the same spot, so n/m on my original post!

You can also clearly see the IC on the left side in the video.

Screen Shot 2022-08-03 at 3.18.52 PM (resized).png

I'm aware of the prior switching model... the point here is if you can complete the home team selection on a game after powerup, that HASN'T had the reader connected.

Presumably you still have the challenge that IC can't be setup at first without a reader
You still need to setup home team for your location on a game with a reader...
but trying to clarify if the game will boot, and allow home team use WITHOUT switching the QR reader (via switch) to the game after power up.

Because doing so would negate the need for your switcher entirely once a game has been setup on IC for the first time. That would be a significant change.

Happy to see the 'add to wallet' feature - Low hanging fruit that was sorely needed. Glad to see it in place.

The Home Team feature seems pretty well thought out and looks promising. I think (as we obviously saw) it continues the challenge of 'why do I need a reader on each game' points.. and why this can't be setup simply in the web UI... but it seems pretty decent. Tho the sins of their lack of consistency in settings looks to be rearing its head.

Activity tracking continues to be poor though.. I can't figure out what their methodology is and why it's so inconsistent. I played for over 2hrs last night on deadpool... and the activity tracking has my achievements, my high score, but 1 play registered. I gave up on operator play counts and stats long ago.

Nice setup you got there- where you get your stools?