Tasker may be a bit of an enigma for many, I know it is for me, but through a lot of searching and messing about with the app I have started to learn how to create a few profiles, the first of which was how to add a “Trusted Zone” which will basically disable your screen lock under predetermined circumstances, circumstances you determine to be safe.
I use the SSID and MAC address of my home router to action the profile in my instance.
To start you will need to download Tasker and Locale Password Plug-in from the Play Store.
Darren McConachie has kindly pointed out a free alternative to Locale Password Lock Plug-in…
Once you have both of these installed we can start, firstly I changed my screen lock to slide (I did have it set to none but sometimes it seemed to take a while for the screen to wake), then I proceeded with Tasker, where I created the Profile called “Trusted Zone” (you can call it what you like…)
Once the profile is named we need to select a context, select state>net>WiFi connected, at this point you need to select your router and add the SSID and MAC address in the appropriate fields, pressing the magnifying glass will bring up a list of nearby WiFi access points.
Now that we have created the profile we need to add the tasks, the first task I called “Lock Off” once named we need to select an action, for this we choose plugin>password lock, then under configuration select edit, at this point we want to turn “use password” to off, hit back and then hit the green tick to save.
Once saved we will return to the profiles screen, now press and hold on the “Lock Off” task and select “Add Exit Task”, this tells Tasker what to do when we are no longer connected to the router and have left the safety of the “Trusted Zone”.
I called this task “Lock On” we add this in the same way as before by choosing plugin>password lock then under configuration select Edit, this time we want to turn the lock on, enter your numeric pin into the password field and once again underneath to confirm, now hit back and then the green tick to save.
At some point Locale Password Lock Plug In will ask for device admin rights, it is essential the rights are granted for this to work, if you missed the prompt the settings can be found under system settings>security>device administrators.
Also we need to make sure Wi-Fi is kept on during sleep for this to work, system settings>Wi-Fi>Advanced>keep Wi-Fi on during sleep> set to always.
That’s it we should now have a working profile!
Optionally you can add alerts to your tasks, for instance I added a flash message to my “Lock On” task which displays a toast message “Locking the biatch down…” as I leave the trusted zone, you can further this with sound, vibration or the LED.
Enjoy!