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Thank you, really appreciate it! Glad to hear Colota is working well with Dawarich for you so far. Feedback and criticism are always welcome. Most of it has led to real improvements in the app. I think a casual forum thread is probably just not the best setting for deep technical discussions, where context shifts quickly, everyone has a different background and nuance gets lost.

So, where’s your VPS? In EU?

It's a VPS hosted by netcup in germany (https://maps.mxd.codes/)

Which refers to a Home Assistant template that doesn’t exist on the app?

Yes, you are right. I have to update the docs there. I removed the HA template because it basically just added the tid which I think is quite easy to add manually.

Not an absurd question at all. The app uses vector data for the map. Public OpenStreetMap server's only offer raster data which is not compatible and would need way more storage to cover the same area downloaded. Also downloading tiles from openstreetmap servers would violate their tile usage policy.

However there are alternatives e.g. https://openfreemap.org/. I actually had OpenFreemap used before for the app but it uses Cloudflare as CDN which doesn't align with the privacy policy I want to offer for the app which is the reason I setup a own server (vps) which just directly serves the tiles (https://colota.app/docs/guides/tile-server). Also if I would use a external tile server which may go offline for whatever reason there would be nothing I could do about it.

Basically you could use any tile sever which provides mbtiles but I don't know any other free options.

if I install your app on multiple devices, can Home Assistant distinguish between them? Ie does the data nclude a DeviceID of some kind?

Yes it either works with the Colota integration which needs a custom payload attribute to distinguish different devices (e.g. "tid": "colota") or you could use also the Owntracks integration (see https://colota.app/docs/integrations/home-assistant). The API format sent from colota is completly editable.

FusedLocationProvider (GMS version) is generally better for most users. It combines GPS, WiFi, cell tower and sensor data for faster GPS fixes and better battery efficiency. The FOSS version uses raw LocationManager with GPS as primary and network as fallback. It works but GPS fixes can be slower, especially indoors. But if avoiding (sandboxed) Play Services is a priority, the FOSS version works fine too.

No worries.

I still don’t see a way to import data? Doesn’t do any good to back it up if I can’t import it back in?

Totally true. A import feature will be added with one of the upcoming releases.

No I understood the server is self-hosted…?

Colota is client-only. There is no Colota server software. When you add a server endpoint in the settings, you're pointing it at your own existing server (Dawarich, Home Assistant, Traccar or any HTTP endpoint). Colota doesn't provide or require any server component. It just sends data where you tell it to.

I see that but this should be an automatic backup process. Plus there’s no way I can see to IMPORT that data somewhere else. When I use an app like Fitotrack, it automatically makes a backup file periodically and then is automatically backed up to my server with Nextcloud or Syncthing. I don’t need a dedicated server for it.

Colota actually has automatic file export (Settings > Export Data > Auto-Export) that periodically exports to a directory on your device. From there Syncthing/Nextcloud can pick it up. Import is not yet available but is planned. There is no dedicated server needed and also not offered to setup. However you can create a webhook on your own server for the app if you want to. See e.g. https://colota.app/docs/integrations/custom-backend.

How can it do that when it didn’t ask me for an SSID? And what’s the point of the geofence if it doesn’t even use it anyway? I am cornfuse.

WiFi pause doesn't use a specific SSID. It detects any unmetered network (WiFi/Ethernet) while you're inside a geofence zone. The geofence defines where the pause should happen, the WiFi connection confirms you're settled there and is used to detect when you leave it. Without the geofence, any WiFi connection would pause tracking everywhere.

How is motion recognized without GPS?

Motion detection uses the device's hardware motion sensor (if available). It's a low-power sensor that fires when physical movement is detected.

GPS is only turned off by being connected to a WiFi or being motionless (or both) while being in a geozone. When wifi disconnects or/and motion is recognized the GPS starts again. There is also an option to just not record locations in a geofence but then the GPS stays on and will still drain some battery.

Probably phrased that wrong. There is no backup server. Users can create and add one if they like.

Colota offers out of the box file export (csv,geojson, gpx and kml) and supports hive_partitioning via variables in the endpoint (https://colota.app/docs/configuration/server-settings#url-variables).

Colota already uses WiFi for home detection (WiFi pause in geofence zones) and Android Auto/car mode for vehicle profiles.

How can it tell when you leave the geofence if the GPS is off?

GPS is only turned off by being connected to a WiFi or being motionless (or both) while being in a geozone. When wifi disconnects or/and motion is recognized the GPS starts again.

Bluetooth detection is the one thing that doesn't exist. It could be a useful addition. I will note that. Thank you for the feedback!

All location data is stored locally on device in a (unecrypted) SQLite DB. Auth headers (Bearer tokens, Basic auth) are stored using Android's EncryptedSharedPreferences. HTTPS is enforced for all public endpoints. HTTP is only allowed for private/local network addresses (192.168.x.x, etc.) for self-hosted setups. For a app where the user controls both endpoints, I think that's a reasonable tradeoff (https://colota.app/privacy-policy/). Probably makes sense to also mention that in a separate page in the docs for easier overview. Thank you for the question.