Automatically Capturing Network Quality Metadata in KoboCollect (Android)

User Support Data Collection
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Hi everyone,
I’m using KoboCollect on Android for field data collection, and I’m looking for a way to capture basic network quality information automatically at the time a form is submitted.

Context:
Our team collects feedback related to media/streaming app performance in different regions, so knowing the network type and strength at submission time would be really helpful when analyzing results later.

What I’m trying to capture (without manual input from users):

  • Network type (Wi-Fi / 4G / 5G)

  • Approximate signal strength (if available)

  • Whether the device was offline or online at submission

I’m aware of standard Kobo metadata fields like deviceid, username, and start/end, but I’m not sure if KoboCollect supports pulling network-related info natively.

My questions:

  1. Are there any hidden or undocumented metadata fields in KoboCollect for network status?

  2. Can this be achieved using calculate fields or JavaRosa functions in XLSForm?

  3. Has anyone successfully combined KoboCollect with a companion Android tool to enrich submissions with device/network metadata?

  4. If this isn’t supported, what’s the recommended workaround for capturing this type of context reliably?

Any pointers or examples would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!

2

Short answers :slight_smile: :

1. Nope.

2. Nope.

3. Not that I’m aware of, but yes the mechanisms are probably already in place to do so.

4. I would probably suggest looking into an external app that can deliver whatever network connectivity data you desire, and then hooking this into your form using a suitable ex: external app via an intentAction() to pull this data into a field in your form, which you can then use for whatever purpose (including submitting it back as part of your form data).

So no, KoboCollect cannot presently do this out-of-the-box, but with a suitable (custom) external app it is possible to reliably acquire this networking data and feed it into your form.

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