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Hi Guys,
I was wondering if there is any app that would allow me to remote control my android from my PC when it's connected via USB, etc?
I have a few repetativ things that need to be done that may take a couple of hours on the 'droid which using a keyboard and mouse for would probably speed things up significantly.
Cheers
Adza
This is maybe interesting for you...
http://code.google.com/p/androidscreencast/
XDA Thread
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=557717
fantastic. Thank you very much!
No problem buddy
-------------------------------------
Sent via the XDA Tapatalk App
This conn via adb. what if adb devicenya conn via wifi can not?
Hi, may be with adb connect IP (wifi)
or try WebKey app from Market
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.webkey
regards
Remote Control Add-on may be much simpler. And you can integrate it with Remote Web Desktop for more features, such like desktop SMS, file explorer, FTP, etc.
https://market.android.com/details?id=net.xdevelop.rc
https://market.android.com/details?id=net.xdevelop.rm
That's fantastic! if only it was possible to do with unrooted phones. (Half the reason I'd love it is to assist / support others who are new to the phone
the best one ive found is this http://www.unifiedremote.com/ simple fast and can use anything ex shut down, sleep, WMP ect really good
desireMofo said:
the best one ive found is this http://www.unifiedremote.com/ simple fast and can use anything ex shut down, sleep, WMP ect really good
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems it's Android -> PC not PC -> Android
I use "droid VNC Server" from the market.
Free.
Doesnt work
This is ... aint work ... i so wish there ws something like " my mobiler " for WinMO
> i so wish there ws something like " my mobiler " for WinMO
There's now an Android version at MyMobiler web site.
(Yes, I know this is an old thread but it's what came up near the top when I googled 'Android remote control'.)
adza said:
I was wondering if there is any app that would allow me to remote control my android from my PC when it's connected via USB, etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try LANmote, works over WIFI
https://play.google.com/store/search?q=lanmote
your solution ?
For me it is myPhonexplorer:
It is a great applikation: Work on USB, WIFI, Bluethoose
You can organize your contacts, Task, Calender, Install Applikations, transfer files, Jobmanagment for Backup Files, Screen Remote !!, Sending SMS form PC, Lotus Notes + Exchange sync ..........
For me the best and it's free !
i use it same years
a nother good Tool is Total Comander and Android ADB 5.6:
so you can:
- Apps management (Install, Uninstall and Backup your apps)
- APK icons and metadata with custom columns
- Backup and Restore on ICS
- LogCat/BugReport/Dmesg (Copy file from folder), Shell
- Reboot menu with (Reboot, Hot Boot, Recovery, Download and Power Off)
- Screenshots (Copy file from .screenshot folder)
- Multiple devices with device rename functionality (friendly name)
- Bookmarks and WiFi auto-connect
- Rooted, semi-rooted and non-rooted devices
- Full unicode support
- x32 and x64 support
- TC command line integration
- Background copy/move
- Owner and Group custom columns
- Full file system management (download/upload recursive directories, copy, delete, rename, move, edit, view, overwrite confirmation and more)
- Copy/Move between 2 devices
- Set/Get file attributes/permissions - Change Attributes action in Total Commander
- ADB USB and wireless ADB (no need to install Android SDK)
- Auto mount support
- Debug logs
- Rich settings
TeamViewer is actually quite nice. I don't like how the free version times out after a while and the first tier of a paid version is over $700.
meo said:
For me it is myPhonexplorer:
It is a great applikation: Work on USB, WIFI, Bluethoose
You can organize your contacts, Task, Calender, Install Applikations, transfer files, Jobmanagment for Backup Files, Screen Remote !!, Sending SMS form PC, Lotus Notes + Exchange sync ..........
For me the best and it's free !
i use it same years
a nother good Tool is Total Comander and Android ADB 5.6:
so you can:
- Apps management (Install, Uninstall and Backup your apps)
- APK icons and metadata with custom columns
- Backup and Restore on ICS
- LogCat/BugReport/Dmesg (Copy file from folder), Shell
- Reboot menu with (Reboot, Hot Boot, Recovery, Download and Power Off)
- Screenshots (Copy file from .screenshot folder)
- Multiple devices with device rename functionality (friendly name)
- Bookmarks and WiFi auto-connect
- Rooted, semi-rooted and non-rooted devices
- Full unicode support
- x32 and x64 support
- TC command line integration
- Background copy/move
- Owner and Group custom columns
- Full file system management (download/upload recursive directories, copy, delete, rename, move, edit, view, overwrite confirmation and more)
- Copy/Move between 2 devices
- Set/Get file attributes/permissions - Change Attributes action in Total Commander
- ADB USB and wireless ADB (no need to install Android SDK)
- Auto mount support
- Debug logs
- Rich settings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could always try AirDroid?
Can't include outside link as under 10 posts...
VNC is good
Seems most people here are missing the OP's question
There are a lot of responses to this person's question (albeit, an old question) that are totally missing what he wants to do.
he wants to control his phone FROM his PC. Half the apps mentioned are remote control (like a tv remote control) app for your phone that control your PC.
second, apps like Airdroid are NOT the solution he is asking for. Airdroid is not a "remote control", it is a "remote management" app.
the OP wants to send the view you see as you look at your phone, to the PC, so that it can be manipulated with the keyboard and mouse.
For those that have used teamviewer, Logmein, VNC, .. you know what what I am talking about. This is one of those things that I think many people have a hard time understanding until they see it. For the longest time I could not get my parents to understand that I could SEE their screen on my PC as if I was sitting at their PC..
For the OP, or anyone else who is finding this thread on google, there are a few options and they all seem to need root.
LANmote
VM VNC Server
android-vnc
VNC server (by wencent)
VNC Server Ultimate (might support non rooted devices)
If you own a samsung device, you can use the official team viewer app, it works flawlessly (I use it to support my parents and their GS3's)
If you start your google search or market search with VNC SERVER or similar, you will be off to a good start.
Serinety said:
There are a lot of responses to this person's question (albeit, an old question) that are totally missing what he wants to do.
he wants to control his phone FROM his PC. Half the apps mentioned are remote control (like a tv remote control) app for your phone that control your PC.
second, apps like Airdroid are NOT the solution he is asking for. Airdroid is not a "remote control", it is a "remote management" app.
the OP wants to send the view you see as you look at your phone, to the PC, so that it can be manipulated with the keyboard and mouse.
For those that have used teamviewer, Logmein, VNC, .. you know what what I am talking about. This is one of those things that I think many people have a hard time understanding until they see it. For the longest time I could not get my parents to understand that I could SEE their screen on my PC as if I was sitting at their PC..
For the OP, or anyone else who is finding this thread on google, there are a few options and they all seem to need root.
LANmote
VM VNC Server
android-vnc
VNC server (by wencent)
VNC Server Ultimate (might support non rooted devices)
If you own a samsung device, you can use the official team viewer app, it works flawlessly (I use it to support my parents and their GS3's)
If you start your google search or market search with VNC SERVER or similar, you will be off to a good start.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am trying to support my Mom who has an unrooted Galaxy Note 2. Can I use this TeamViewer app? Everytime I look at it, it looks like it is Android >> Windows not the other way around. Hope you're still watching this thread.
▌█▐ Free USB Tether method for Android - AziLink 2.0.2 ▌█▐
DOES NOT REQUIRE ROOT!
I came across this while searching for free USB tethering methods and apps. I am currently posting this message from this method and it is 100% free to setup and use. I know rooted devices can utilize the free Wifi tether, which I also have and I am also rooted but it kills my battery to use that so I wanted to find a USB solution.
I have compiled all needed files and zipped them for ease of download.
Download link: (---CLICK HERE!---)
Website: http://code.google.com/p/azilink/
Instructions from that site (which is also included in the .zip file):
[FONT="]Description:
AziLink is an application that allows USB tethering for Android-based phones, without requiring root access. It works by using a Java-based NAT that communicates with OpenVPN on the host computer. It's been tested on MacOS, Windows, and Linux. The connection will be forwarded over the phone's active network service, which can be either WiFi or 3G/EDGE.
Required files:
* ADB from the 1.1 or 1.5 Android SDK or from http://lfx.org/azilink/adb.zip
* OpenVPN 2.1 (not 2.0) from http://openvpn.net/index.php/downloads.html
* AziLink.apk from the download section or from http://lfx.org/azilink/azilink.apk
* AziLink.ovpn from the download section or from http://lfx.org/azilink/azilink.ovpn
Installation:
1) Install OpenVPN on the host. I use version 2.1_rc15, but any version should work. Apparently if you use version 2.0 you'll need to remove the NO_DELAY option from the AziLink.ovpn configuration file. You can find OpenVPN at:
http://openvpn.net/index.php/downloads.html
2) Enable USB debugging on the phone. From the home screen, this is under
Settings>Applications>Development>USB debugging.
3) Install the Android USB driver (if you don't already have one installed).
See http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/device.html for more information. The driver is included in the ADB download if you don't want to get the full SDK.
4) Install the program. You can either use ADB to install by typing
"adb install azilink.apk" with the file in the current directory, or you can browse (on the phone!) to: http://lfx.org/azilink/azilink.apk
Either way you might need to allow installation from unknown sources
under Settings>Applications>Unknown Sources.
Configuration steps:
1) On the host, run "adb forward tcp:41927 tcp:41927" to set up port forwarding. Be sure to use adb from the Android 1.1 or 1.5 SDK! The version from 1.0 will lock up under heavy load. If you don't want to download the entire SDK, you can get a copy of ADB+drivers from http://lfx.org/azilink/adb.zip
2) On the phone, run AziLink and make sure "Service active" is checked.
3) Right click AziLink.ovpn on the host (not in the web browser!) and select "Start OpenVPN on this configuration file." You can find this file at: http://lfx.org/azilink/azilink.ovpn. If you're using Linux or, god forbid, MacOS, you'll also need to manually set the nameserver to 192.168.56.1 (the phone's NAT IP address). This address is automatically forwarded to the phone's current DNS server.[/FONT]
Just wanted to point out there is also a wired tether app by same dev as wireless tether app and also comes built in with latest cyanogenmod.
I personally don't like anything that requires drivers as I often tether to my iPod and anything that requires a driver won't work with my iPod or many other common items I tether to.
However, everyone likes their own procedures, and I'm sure someone will find this useful.
r3s-rt said:
Just wanted to point out there is also a wired tether app by same dev as wireless tether app and also comes built in with latest cyanogenmod.
I personally don't like anything that requires drivers as I often tether to my iPod and anything that requires a driver won't work with my iPod or many other common items I tether to.
However, everyone likes their own procedures, and I'm sure someone will find this useful.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, depends on the device. In my case, I have a HTC Hero with Sprint (CDMA) and there is no cyanogenmod for it that I am ware of.
Pyr0TeK said:
Yeah, depends on the device. In my case, I have a HTC Hero with Sprint (CDMA) and there is no cyanogenmod for it that I am ware of.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
u sir, have failed, jk but here is a cyanogen rom from one of ur guys great developers Darchdroid v 2.7
Darchdroid 2.7 w/ Wired Tether
I'm trying to get the Wired Tether app (made by the same ppl as Wireless Tether than everyone knows and loves) to work with Darchdroid 2.7 but am having no luck!
If anyone has gotten it to work, please let me know how!
I've got the app installed, but Windows 7 does not recognize it as a network adapter...thinking its a windows driver issue, but need some help...
thanks!
thank you 4 ur nice help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
why not justdownload pdanet or easytether i have both and the wireless tether those two are very simple to use and works good
Two reasons that i use Azilink:
1: no PDANet usb support for linux
2: wired tether built into cyanogen, as well as the standalone app cause the 3g connection in my Eris to intermittently cut in and out while azilink does not. (PDANET solves this problem in windows)
u can giv a try to easy tether but its not free tho work fine and easy to use
EasyTether shares your Android smartphone connection with your PC. This app allows you to tether your Android to a desktop or a notebook computer. EasyTether uses exactly the same data plan that is used for the on-phone Internet access like in the built-in browser or e-mail app or youtube application. No additional tethering fees.
Features
* does not require root access
* supports Windows 7/Vista/XP (32-bit and 64-bit), Mac OS X 10.6/10.5/10.4, and Ubuntu 10.4+
* UDP support for games, for L2TP VPN (not PPTP!) and for some IM apps
* tether PS3, XBox 360 or Wii via Windows Internet Connection Sharing feature
* free lifetime upgrades for the full version
* USB support
* compatible with HTC Sync
* Bluetooth DUN will be added later.
* much cheaper than PDANet
* implemented as a normal NAT application with full TCP and UDP support
Is it possible to use Azilink with Voip?
I have nat error, so is it possible to forward ports?
Yup, thats dumb question, why to tether for voip if you can use wirless card
I have sagem dongle and it ... losses connection often while my phone is online all the time, and i don't want to spend money for some good wifi adapter, if i could use phone that i already have
Awesome
Anybody know where to find an apk in 2020? There are github sites but only source there. I don't consider EasyTether to be so wonderful, and I paid the $10 for it. It's not open source so I can't tell why it breaks but I've had to reinstall it maybe 20 times, it's a black box.
ab1jx said:
Anybody know where to find an apk in 2020? There are github sites but only source there. I don't consider EasyTether to be so wonderful, and I paid the $10 for it. It's not open source so I can't tell why it breaks but I've had to reinstall it maybe 20 times, it's a black box.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have u tried FoxFi
I probably should have checked back here, I'm learning to live with easytether. I wrote a little bash script to pkill the easytether-usb process, wait 1 second, then restart it. That for some reason seems to renew the phone connection. I can connect via ssh over wifi to the Pi that's serving as an AP/router, run that script and it's fixed. It's maybe not worked twice in 6 months, I need to do it half a dozen times a day or so. I can ssh from a computer or phone.
Most of the information in this post is covered in various threads but I was recently looking for various options for playing video on my XOOM and found it frustrating having to look all over the place. I'd like to try and make this a comprehensive guide to playing video on the XOOM, including streaming over wifi, playing directly from the device etc.
Before you read on...
This isn't always a necessary step, but whenever you plan to interact with your device via USB you should ensure you have the latest version of the USB drivers from Motorola. In my case I was able to access the XOOM and move files to it without any specific drivers, but it's a good idea to keep them up-to-date to avoid potential frustration. Of course if you need to use ADB, you will absolutely need the latest drivers or you'll have no luck at all.
Playing directly from the XOOM
This is obviously the simplest solution, copying the video files onto your XOOM and playing them directly. This won't be the most appropriate solution for those of you with extensive digital media libraries, but we'll cover solutions for that later.
Plug your XOOM into your PC using a micro-USB to USB cable, one of which is typically provided in the box. You'll see your device pop up under "Computer" (Windows 7 & Vista) or "My Computer" (Windows XP).
Double click the device and you'll see that you're able to directly access the device's internal storage.
Double click that and you'll now be looking at all the folders and files on your device
You can now copy files to the device as though it was any other folder on your computer. Feel free to create a folder (I use one called "Files from Computer") if you'd like to keep your copied files separate from the system created stuff.
Choose your player! With all the files copied over to the XOOM, you're ready to play them but you'll first need a decent player capable of playing a range of formats. A couple of my favourites are:
vPlayer
Rockplayer
If there are others that should be added to this list, let me know.
You're all done - either of the above players should be able to play most video files, though I can't say I've really pushed them as most of my files are just XviD avi's. In my experience I've found vPlayer to be slightly better than Rockplayer especially when it comes to seeking, but Rockplayer's free version is an ad-supported full version and vPlayer's is just a temporary trial so it comes down to preference and willingness to pay for a little extra functionality.
Streaming over Wi-fi
This is going to be the preferred solution for many people, since it doesn't involve any copying/moving of files and will allow you to access that media library that you've spent so much time meticulously organising. There's a few different approaches here, I'll cover the simplest approach first.
Streaming from TVersity
If you already have TVersity set up, then you won't need to do much at all and you can skip straight to step 3. Otherwise, you can follow these directions to get it up and running.
Head to TVersity.com and grab the latest version of TVersity. I won't go through the setup and so forth as it's all pretty straightforward and is covered well in TVersity's own documentation.
Once you have TVersity set up, add your video directories to the library and (optional, but preferable) give your computer a static IP address on the network.
Open up your browser on the XOOM and navigate to "YOUR-IP-ADDRESS:41952".
You should see a TVersity page load up with various navigation options. From here it's pretty obvious how to drill down through your folders and locate any file you'd like to play. When you click a file to play it, you will be able to choose which media player you'd like to handle the file in. I've found vPlayer is capable of seeking and will play it quite nicely, but Rockplayer works well also, just without the ability to seek.
Mounting a Network Share
This is more complicated for the novice user (me, for example) but it works well enough and the end result is a little more user friendly once you get there. The major drawback with this one is you must root your device for this method. If you don't want to root your device, you'll need to use one of the other methods discussed in this post. This method allows you to mount a folder that you've shared over the network so that it can be accessed on the tablet as though it's actually a part of the tablet's file structure. This means that almost all video players should simply play the files without too much trouble (at least, theoretically; I can confirm vPlayer and Rockplayer as working with this method).
There are two apps capable of mounting shares, but before we get into that we'll need to ensure you have a CIFS module installed. If you're like me, you're probably wondering wtf a CIFS module is. When you root your device (I used the "one click" process described in this thread) you'll need to find a "cifs.ko" file that matches the particular kernal you've installed. If you use the aforementioned method, you'll find a cifs.ko file you can use inside the zip file (inside the "timat" folder).
Once you have the module use Root Explorer to copy it (or use adb to push it) to this location: /system/lib/modules/cifs.ko and then reboot your XOOM. If you have adb installed on your computer, you can use these steps to verify that it's loaded:
Code:
adb shell
lsmod
You'll be wanting to see the CIFS module in the list as a loaded module. If it's not loaded try typing:
Code:
insmod /system/lib/modules/cifs.ko
If you get an error like I did saying "exec format error" it means you've got the wrong cifs.ko for your kernal, so you'll need to poke around some more and locate the right one.
Congratulations, if you've made it this far you've completed the hardest part - the rest is easy.
Make sure you have an actual folder shared to "Everyone" on your network. Optionally, but preferably, give your computer a static IP address. If you don't do this you'll need to change your settings every time your computer gets a new IP.
Install "Mount Manager" or "CIFS Manager" from the android market. I'll give instructions for CIFS Manager but Mount Manager is just as good and works just fine if you'd rather use that.
Open CIFS Manager. You'll need to do this from the "My Apps" section of the market because for some reason it won't start from a shortcut or from the apptray - annoying!
Open the app-menu and select "Add New Share..."
Your share path should be: "IP-ADDRESS/FOLDER-NAME"
Your mount point will be the location you'd like to mount the share to on your internal memory. By default it likes to mount in "/mnt/cifs/FOLDER-NAME", but this is really up to you. Pick whatever you like here and then go to the next field.
Username/password will be a valid account you can use on the computer hosting the share. I just used my regular Windows 7 account here.
Click "Save Share".
Long-press the new share you've created and then select the option "Mount" when it comes up.
If all is well the icon on the right will turn green and you can now access your share by browsing to your mount point in your favourite video player.
Encoding video for optimal playback
-- COMING SOON --
Conclusion
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I had a lot of trouble filtering through all the different posts on this topic and it took a lot of time for me to eventually find and experiment with each of these different options. Hopefully I've saved you all some time and helped out with some of the sticking points you might encounter. If anyone has anything they think I should add, just let me know.
I do plan on adding a section for streaming over 3G, but since I haven't tried it myself (I have a wifi-only XOOM) I can't really contribute to that side of things yet.
If you catch any typos or errors in the above text, please let me know asap and I'll fix them right up. This is my first thread here, and I haven't even made 8 posts yet so I couldn't include external URLs, I'll go through and edit some useful links in as soon as I'm able.
I am thinking of getting a Nexus 4 (or a Nexus 5 if such a thing appears in the not too distant future) as my first smartphone, with the eventual possibility of running Ubuntu for Android if and when it becomes available. However, for now the only capability I need the phone for is to be able to open up a Linux style command line terminal on the phone where I can ssh into a couple of other Linux based devices I have, via wifi, so I can run some "C" executables that I have written on these other devices. These other devices are running SSH servers. Is this doable? Do I need a special app or a special ROM, etc.
I assume you mean to run the C executable on the remote machine... not the phone itself?
If yes, then: YES, you can do that. And there are many ways to do it.
At the most basic, the only app that you would need is a Terminal Emulator app (several terminal apps are available for free... some are better than others). From that, you can do what you want. Any of the good ones will work just like any other Terminal on a PC.
But there are other apps that will make it easier because typing out commands, on a phone, isn't the funnest thing ever. Copy-pasting commands is an obvious way to make it easier...
But there are even easier ways than that...
ConnectBot (ssh-agent-patch) app would allow you to ssh into a remote host with a single tap (even using public-private key authentication if you want). Then you can run your ./command (or copy-paste it).
You can even VNC into a remote host and control it graphically (assuming a VNC server is running on the host machine).
You can even go the other way too... you can run an ssh server on the phone and access it from your PC.
Like all ssh capabilities, all of this can be done over the internet too, you aren't limited to WiFi LAN.
Also, on all of my file explorers (on all of my computers AND my Phones) I've made shortcuts for easy file sharing too (all using pub/private key authentication for security). Not only does that make file transfers super easy no matter what machine I have my hands on at the moment, but it also makes my desktop PC at home my own personal cloud server to my phone. Who needs dropbox?
Basically anything you can do with ssh on a computer, it can be done on an Android phone.
ps... if you re-compiled your C executables for the Android system... you could even run them natively on the phone.
iowabeakster said:
I assume you mean to run the C executable on the remote machine... not the phone itself?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes.
Fantastic, thanks for the detailed answer. I wanted to know right away before I wasted my time, but now am googling around for all the details. I have a raspberry pi running Debian that I need to communicate with and it is headless (No monitor, keyboard, etc., just a wifi dongle) so this would be perfect. I also have desktop computers that run a bunch of OS's (Centos, Scientific Linux, Fedora, Ubuntu, etc) that I might want to connect to.
From what I understand, all of that can be done without modifying the phone (rooting, etc.), correct?
However, down the road I may want to try and root it anyway, because the bigger set of Linux commands offered by Busybox would nice. I have been putting off getting a smartphone because of the cost, but the Nexus 4 with something like straight talk is the same monthly price as my 400 minutes of just talk with Verizon, so it is time. The coverage and uptime with Verizon is really good, but the costs are just not keeping up with the times.
From what I understand, all of that can be done without modifying the phone (rooting, etc.), correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good question.
I don't know with absolute certainty what functions would require root (I always root right away... so I don't ever think about it... like you said... additional functions... and I forget about it).
Basic, ssh-client functions should not require root. Running the ssh-server on the phone, that I mentioned, certainly does require root though. I know that my Terminal Emulator and File explorer apps have root access, but root is not needed just for the ssh-client functions (I am pretty sure).
Rooting on the nexus 4 is pretty easy. Rooting does require the installation of a custom recovery (at least temporarily). That is something that sounds like it would take someone like a you only a few minutes to do (not counting the time you would likely spend reading about it before hand... and installing the android sdk on a PC). Certainly, no other mods other than rooting would be needed.
iowabeakster said:
good question.
I don't know with absolute certainty what functions would require root (I always root right away... so I don't ever think about it... like you said... additional functions... and I forget about it).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great, I will probably just root the phone after using the phone for a while; I have zero experience with smartphones, plus I want to make sure that the phone works properly. The important thing is that it will do exactly what I need it for.
Last question. I see there are several guides for rooting and unlocking the bootloader.....Any recommendation of which one to use? I see that the one written by Jubakuba "Ultimate Nexus Root Guide" has pointers to urls that are broken (Therefore many critical steps are missing), and apparently it has been that way for quite a while.
I started looking for what I thought the best guide... but I gotta do some stuff... I will be back in a couple hours (hopefully with a good suggestion).
I will piece together a guide tomorrow morning from all the various "how-to" guides out there for you. So many of them are geared towards Windows users, and they start babbling about installing and removing drivers and stuff that you won't bother with in Linux. But I need sleep, right now. It'll just be some copying and pasting from a few of them out there. It shouldn't take long.
iowabeakster said:
I started looking for what I thought the best guide... but I gotta do some stuff... I will be back in a couple hours (hopefully with a good suggestion).
I will piece together a guide tomorrow morning from all the various "how-to" guides out there for you. So many of them are geared towards Windows users, and they start babbling about installing and removing drivers and stuff that you won't bother with in Linux. But I need sleep, right now. It'll just be some copying and pasting from a few of them out there. It shouldn't take long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not necessary to go through all of that; I thought there was maybe one document that a lot of people were using. It is really up to me to start reading up on the subject.
Just bit the bullet and placed an order for the Nexus 4 before it is out of stock again.
Found some simple instructions for unlocking and rooting the Nexus 4:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/nexus-4-rooting-roms-hacks/224861-guide-nexus-4-unlock-root.html
Also found better descriptions of what the various terms floating around mean and what each piece of software does, however it is on the Galaxy S III section of this forum, so obviously I am not going to follow any of the procedures listed:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1927113
Here's my favorite instructional...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=37823933#post37823933
iowabeakster said:
Since googling around to find a good "How to" for Android noobs, I kind of felt like I could maybe help a few other folks out there too So, I went ahead and made my own "How to".
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Nice.
I just ran across this, and thought about you... looks like a nice new SSH client. I've never used it. But Jerry at Android Central is a pretty serious Linux nerd, so I do put some stock in his recommendations. Just thought I'd throw it out there for you to see.
http://www.androidcentral.com/apps-week-juicessh-7x7-audible-android-and-more
iowabeakster said:
I just ran across this, and thought about you... looks like a nice new SSH client. I've never used it. But Jerry at Android Central is a pretty serious Linux nerd, so I do put some stock in his recommendations. Just thought I'd throw it out there for you to see.
http://www.androidcentral.com/apps-week-juicessh-7x7-audible-android-and-more
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Well, I had the phone for a couple of weeks and I think I turned it on twice. I really didn't get addicted and start to install apps until I used the GPS feature for a long trip I took yesterday. First time using a GPS....Yeah, just a little behind the times.
So, without rooting, today I installed the following apps which gives me everything I need:
ConnectBot. Works great and allows me to ssh to my Linux boxes.
Terminal Emulator. For basic command access.
FreebVNC. Has a secure tunnel feature built in, so you don't have to go through the whole two step process of setting up a tunnel and then running VNC through the tunnel. Also, it has a zoom feature, access to special keys and mouse emulation.
Wifi Analyzer. Gives you access points, signal strength, etc. There was another app that I added to that app to easily connect to the access points.
Fing. Network Info like mac addresses, etc.
Still will root eventually and install Busybox. However, now that I can access my raspberry pi remotely, my priority is to finish writing my software programs and building electronics for a project that uses that little ARM computer.
pjc123 said:
I am thinking of getting a Nexus 4 (or a Nexus 5 if such a thing appears in the not too distant future) as my first smartphone, with the eventual possibility of running Ubuntu for Android if and when it becomes available. However, for now the only capability I need the phone for is to be able to open up a Linux style command line terminal on the phone where I can ssh into a couple of other Linux based devices I have, via wifi, so I can run some "C" executables that I have written on these other devices. These other devices are running SSH servers. Is this doable? Do I need a special app or a special ROM, etc.
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For a ssh client, try ConnectBot. I have been using this since the G1 came out for work (Sys Admin) and home.
For a better keyboard, check out Hacker's Keyboard.
SpookyTunes said:
For a ssh client, try ConnectBot. I have been using this since the G1 came out for work (Sys Admin) and home.
For a better keyboard, check out Hacker's Keyboard.
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As mentioned above, I already installed ConnectBot and it has nice features. However, I am interested in the keyboard (keys in the right place, Crtrl/Tab/Esc keys, etc.), so I will be installing that next.
Yep, ConnectBot is the old standard (if there is such a thing in Android world). I use it.
I've pretty much always used Jack Palevich's Terminal Emulator app. Very small and lightweight. It's always done everything I've ever needed to do. But there are many Terminal apps to choose from. I usually stop trying apps, when I find one that meets my needs, and stick with it until it doesn't... I started using that Terminal my first week with my first Android, after trying a couple of others. I've never used anything since.
Hacker's keyboard is an awesome suggestion! Thanks man! How have I survived without this!
For VNC purposes (which I rarely use) I use androidVNC. I've never tried anything else since I use it so rarely. It seems to do everything I can imagine it should. Mostly I use it to mess with my wife's head with some "ghost in the shell" pranks when she is using her laptop. She will scream from the living room, "WTF!!!! My computer just told me it's going to eat my brains tonight!"
And I'm just innocently sitting there reading emails on my phone "That is strange, honey."
iowabeakster said:
For VNC purposes I use androidVNC.
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I actually looked at androidVNC first due to the amount of reviews and positive ones, but I liked the extra features of FreebVNC even though it violates my following policy. I have found, just like shopping at Amazon, that in general the quantity and quality of reviews quickly narrows the search dramatically from the huge database of products/apps. The only side effect of this is to weed out excellent apps that are new and could be excellent, but just like major operating system updates, with anything new I let them weed out the bugs first.
iowabeakster said:
I've never tried anything else since I use it so rarely.
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I totally agree with you that I don't ever see myself using the VNC client on the smartphone again other than just as a novelty. What does intrigue me is putting a VNC server on the smartphone. I wonder if there would be a way to use an external computer's mouse and keyboard to control the gui portion of the smartphone while displaying it on the computer's large screen, the problem being that the smartphone is touch based; that is something that I could see using.
iowabeakster said:
I use it to mess with my wife's head with some "ghost in the shell" pranks.
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Me and a friend used to do similar pranks at work, messing each others displays, keyboards, etc. I think the best non-computer prank that someone did to me while I was on vacation was to line one of my desk drawers with plastic and fill it full of goldfish. The best prank that some colleagues did, was to inflate a weather balloon in our departmental director's office and turn the nozzle away from the door so he couldn't get in.
With my AFTV2 currently broken down about one day after I set it up - I mentally went through some of the steps I'm likely to repeat very soon and - also seeing that some people in here still are struggling with some aspects of it, that I already learned long ago how to cope with - I thought I share some of my reflections.
This is by the way not meant to be a usability review - or tips guide of Amazons own interface - which I find abysmal for the most part. Let them struggle on their own - and also, for some reason there already are in depth "reviews" of it on aftvnews (which I came to slowly accept and even somewhat like.. ) - which mostly highlight aspects of it deemed positive. Bravo and lull Amazon into false confidence I say...
So here we go.
1. Best launcher (rooted or not) still is Firestarter. Basically because of its deep integration to app settings - which allows you to stop apps, delete their data or uninstall them in the fastest way possible. You'll need it more often than you think and its great that its there.
Change icon PPI to 144 and for your own sake - change the background to something more uplifting and also enable the text background bubbles so you get a higher text contrast, regardless of the BG image you chose.
2. Fire OS v5 and its limitation to one adb connection only isnt the enormous setback I thought it would be. Firestarter literally changes its default automatically within the first 3 seconds of it not being able to access adb - and the one click>double click combo to launch it from anywhere is good enough. Also in OS 5 there are no screen transitions, so switching to Firestarter feels more "instant".
Not having Firestarter use adb frees up you using adb from different devices. Once you are connected via adb from a PC f.e. you can also open different shells, or transfer a file and simultaneously perform another action in the shell - so thats a non issue. Also I rewrote all the scripts I use to cleanly exit adb with adb disconnect - and ultimately that works fine.
Through the two days of setting the Fire TV up and testing use cases I got a "cant connect via adb" error (because there already was another process using it) only twice - which in return can be promptly fixed by toggling adb on and off - and again - Firestarter provides a shortcut to that menu as well - so its fast, and if you use adb disconnect as intended, you dont need it very often.
3. Drop adbFire or equivalent "Helper Tools" as fast as possible - because they prevent you from learning even the simplest command line instruction, that will speed up your life in the long term. Seriously - just do it.
Also, explore the file structure of Kodi and the Fire TV (as in "look at it", try to make sense of it - not as in "I wander what happens if I delete this..."), so you can actually learn how they work. This again brings me back to the do not use adbFire or other "prepackaged" (and poorly laid out and documented) tools.
4. If you transfer single files - and most of them you usually want to drop to /sdcard/ first, you use the adb push command, because it simply turns out to be the fastest way to move stuff - at least if your OS allows you to drop a file onto the command line window to autopopulate the filepath.
If you want to transfer files and folders not directly located in /sdcard/ - either use something more GUI orientated - like AAFM ( https://github.com/sole/aafm ) (Windows cant use it to its fullest extent in its current state (on Windows you can use Total Commander (Windows Version - this time it will cost you something ) - which also has an adb plugin available) and or - zip the folder you want to transfer locally, then push it to /sdcard/ and then use Total Commander to unzip it into its desired location on the Fire TV.
Transferring .zip files wirelessly ultimately almost always turns out to be faster than transferring the individual files themselves. That also goes for zipping files on the AFTV using Total Commander, and then backing them up to a PC.
5. Use Total Commander. No seriously, download it from the Amazon App Store today. I know how popular ES File Explorer became from being the only free filemanager left, that was popular back in the day - but its approach to be iconographic to a fault and hiding away features in sub menus hurts its usability on any device where you try to perform actions with a remote. TC is simply better suited for the usecase.
TC also can write to the sdcard1 partition in Android 5 - either using root, or using a scripted workaround - so you generally dont have the "its not writable" issue. Also adb shell with su can write to it as well - so also use that if you need to.
You can also install Total Commanders LAN plugin ( http://www.ghisler.com/androidplugins/ ) and thereby access network shares.
6. There even is a usecase for the Amazon Voice button - because from Kodi - you can use it to launch Total Commander with just three button presses (say: "Total Commander") - which is faster than it was before - and you can also exit back to Kodi with only a few presses of the back button. Other than for this, the voice button of course is entirely useless - as we generally arent especially interested in how bad the Amazon Store is stocked (at least over here in europe... ).
7. Dont use the RC3 of Kodi 16 (Jarvis) right now. With Kodi 14.2 and 15.2 you can pause a video, drop back to Amazons launcher, then into Firestarter - then launch another app, then leave it and return to Kodi - with the video (usually - if you have enough free memory) still being in the paused state. In RC3 for Kodi 16, the video auto stops as soon as you switch away from Kodi - which in the long run causes much frustration and the need for additional button presses. Just remember to manually stop a video if you dont plan on returning to it anytime soon so Kodis bookmark your current position feature triggers.
8. If you want to install a Kodi repo - its much faster to download it as a .zip file and then adb push it to /sdcard/ where Kodi can find and install it - than to "start typing" anything in Kodi itself.
At some point - create a shell script for your pc that allows adb to connect to your Fire TVs IP address by just typing adb.sh (for example) - so you dont have to type in your Fire TVs ip address each time you want to connect to it.
9. If you dont already have a NAS -get an old router with an USB port that runs dd-wrt and has NTFS support (= all newer firmwares with at least 16mb package size should have it integrated - if you use ddwrt, even some with a 8mb package size). You get a very low power NAS that also can mirror as an FTP server (faster file transfers), and can become a torrent box in case you use that stuff. The negative only is - that with 4.5-6MB/s transferspeeds tops (WLAN, but actually limited by the individual routers CPU - they are low powered, remember) compressed 1080p is the most you can wish for - out of a 10-30 USD device. Preferably run it as a stand alone and not as your main router (reboots can be performed without bringing down your whole network, processor load, ...).
edit:
10. Kodi runs a little faster on the AFTV2 than on the Fire TV Sticks - which turns out to cut out just the right amounts of seconds on Kodi plugins with an "lets aggregate everything" approach.
You failed to mention what is "broken down" lol
You did quite abit of modding there so what "broke" it.
Playing a GPU intensive 3D game and then watching a video.
No, really.
The part you describe as "modding" went perfectly well - and what I describe above is mostly normal Android use for anyone not depending on "prefab click button to do thingy" stuff. Thats actually what I want this community to explore more - because at some point it literally becomes pointless - watching another in depth video analysis of Amazon taking out a row of items from their spreadsheet inspired Smart TV interface..
Amazon should have done more chip testing before they let their devices out of their factories. Or they should have done more testing regarding the 5.0.5 update. Slowly rolling out firmware updates in case you missed something important - is no substitute for proper testing...
All banter aside - the rooting process doesnt modify the kernel of the device, and on mine the GPU seems to have run into problems. From "working perfectly fine" to "full brick" (slightly different colors of black screens flashing, then settling on a full black screen) after playing a game and then watching a video.
AFTV - quality you can trust in.
Also - somehow its curious - when you buy a laptop these days - where you have root rights from the start, most complaining centers around stuff the manufacturer has messed up in producing the device and the software. But if you - as a manufacturer - take away the actual rights (permissions) from people - the discussion suddenly shifts to "OMG what have you done to the device".
But people usually dont get suddenly less educated or less cautious, once you take certain rights away from them - so the only explanation I have come up with is, that actually taking away permissions and property rights from people for some reason surfaces more voices that now very publicly campaign for this being a much more desirable state in the first place.
On a related note - If I had bricked my device during the rooting process, or while the TWRP custom recovery was installed - or by modifying system files (which now that TWRP runs on the Fire TV is easier to fix then ever), my first action would have been to give a full report of what happened (which I have actually done in a separate thread, in this case as well), so potential flaws or stumbling blocks in the rooting method could have been sussed out.
Mine has had 0 issues.. then again i rooted mine and have twrp, xposed, adaway, v4a, play store, firestarter, busybox, kodi, plex leanback youtube, debloated (removed most Amazecrap) etc.
Does more than I expected and then some.. even better than Nexus Player imo
Good - then we only agree that it isnt the rooting process.
And with TWRP you now have the means to entirely wipe and factory reset the device - so even if you for some reason had messed up the entire system partition (system files) - you still have a fallback, in fact a much better one than on a stock Fire TV, to "start over".
But that sadly doesnt fix hardware issues. Believe me, I tried. And documented it along the way. Look for it in another thread.
edit: Also this isnt me taking a jab at the device itself. I dont agree with Amazons product policies (= politics), but I was perfectly happy with my AFTV 2 as well. For as long as it worked..
In fact my fall back was to go back to the Fire TV Stick I had still laying around and I had the same functionality back (including all this "modding" you see in the OP ) within around 15 seconds (I missed the power socket in the wall twice... ).
harlekinrains said:
Good - then we only agree that it isnt the rooting process.
And with TWRP you now have the means to entirely wipe and factory reset the device - so even if you for some reason had messed up the entire system partition (system files) - you still have a fallback, in fact a much better one than on a stock Fire TV, to "start over".
But that sadly doesnt fix hardware issues. Believe me, I tried. And documented it along the way. Look for it in another thread.
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Yea.. no device is perfect lol.. but the fact it has a gpu processor (when it works) is great! probably one of the cheaper 4k capable boxes available..
For the price, its a great option with root/recovery for what it does do and to achieve what its capable of.. theres bound to be a few bad devices and surely pushed to the max it can die
Sure.
Love the device. Dont love Amazons policies and product politics. Will use any chance to heckle them, that comes my way.
Thats me in a nutshell.
If you like the product, but dont like the company, their Store UI, their Store, the way they managed their store (app removals) in the past, the content thats in their store, their "underground" store program (that puts price pressure on devs)... thats not only possible - but also valid.
I dont think of Amazon as "a package deal".
When I criticize certain aspects of their infrastructure, I dont say that others are bad.
And I also dont proclaim that there is a high failure rate with Fire TV 2s on the 5.0.5 firmware. For me its just a nuisance and another chance to throw some banter..
But look - there is also something good, that came from it - I wrote an entire post about usability and how to best interact with the Fire TV on 5.0.5.
Because people just demanding updates (and root) - isnt enough..
yea.. i can write a banter on any device lol..
chromecast is great but cant say i like it..
the stick is worse..
nexus player is decent but also limited and if you install a full rom its essentially no longer a nexus player etc.
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Just one little additional tidbit -
Amazon still prevents the Fire TV 2 from using SD Cards formated with exFat. They literally write it out of their firmwares. Their Fire tablets of course support it - because, well its fun to play with your customer, and prevent usecases you see unfit for your current business model.
If you by any chance have purchased a 64GB Micro SD - Windows doesnt allow you to format it in Fat 32 - but this can be circumvented, by following this tutorial:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/sdxc_formatting.md
Of course the 4GB filesize limit still holds up.
edit: Also tested Kodi 15.2 by now - which shows the same pause state/app switching behavior as 14.2. I've edited the OP to reflect that.
harlekinrains said:
Just one little additional tidbit -
Amazon still prevents the Fire TV 2 from using SD Cards formated with exFat. They literally write it out of their firmwares. Their Fire tablets of course support it - because, well its fun to play with your customer, and prevent usecases you see unfit for your current business model.
If you by any chance have purchased a 64GB Micro SD - Windows doesnt allow you to format it in Fat 32 - but this can be circumvented, by following this tutorial:
https://www.raspberrypi.org/documentation/installation/sdxc_formatting.md
Of course the 4GB filesize limit still holds up.
edit: Also tested Kodi 15.2 by now - which shows the same pause state/app switching behavior as 14.2. I've edited the OP to reflect that.
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kodi installs repos fine for me on 15.2.. of course i dont use the remote I use the fire tv app and then the keyboard so it doesnt take forever
It does on all versions.
Installing repos by downloading their .zip files first, then pushing them to /sdcard/ using -
adb push /path/to/zipfile.zip /sdcard/
is just faster - because you dont have to type something you see on one screen, letter by letter - into an app on another screen. You download the file, you open a command line window, type adb push , then drag/drop the downloaded file onto the command line window to get its filepath into it - then finish typing /sdcard/ and press enter. In Kodi you then just use the "install from zip file" option.
You dont switch devices, you dont switch keyboards, you dont have to look at two screens, you dont have to copy a url. But using a BT keyboard probably in the end isnt that much slower...
Its just good practice to not see the Fire TV (stick) as a device that has to be managed on its own. It is a always on, connected Android device. You can look at its contents, you can move files from and to it, you can give it instructions...
adb and adb shell
make it open enough.
Two more usability tips.
1. If you are rooted, sideload WiFi ADB ( https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ttxapps.wifiadb ) - its just a quicker way of disabling and reenabling ADB - when you cant connect (since 5.0.5 the Fire TV only allows one ADB connection at a time) from your PC.
I also tried to replace adbd (the adb daemon file on the FIre TV) - but so far have only found one from API level 21 (and Fire TV 5.0.5 needs 22 (as it is based on Android 5.1)) - that one didnt work at all. Even if replacing it with the exact API 22 version would work, this doesnt necessarily mean that the "one adb connection limit" is gone - but it is something I though would be worth giving a try.
2. If you have WiFi connection issues on a Fire TV 2 - especially with the Fire TV repeatedly failing to connect, It turns out that Amazons Wifi Implementation REALLY, REALLY wants you to have WMM enabled on your router. If you don't the connection tends to drop every day and the Fire TV then has problems to reconnect. With WMM enabled I now run three days without the slightest issue - and I also have changed WiFi networks within seconds, and not as previously - it taking about 10 minutes until thats successful. Before I came by this little quirk of the FIre TV , switching bands - even temporarily on 2.4 GHz would kickstart the Fire TV reconnecting to the same AP, just fyi.
Also when you are on the 5 GHz band, the Fire TV has a "drop off" if you are on any band higher than the first few (five or six), the Fire TV has problems even "seeing" the network. Also the last channel it still "sees" it has problems connecting to - so drop even one below that if you want it running on 5 GHz.
This quirk is more widely reported than the first one, but just as annoying.
Also just a big "really?!" into Amazons direction for messing up the Wifi implementation on the device this badly. I'm sure MediaTeks proprietary drivers play a part in this, as might the Fire TV 2 always running its own ad hoc WiFi network in the background - but still Amazon is selling that stuff.
I could test it with two different routers - on largely uncongested bands in both the 2.4 and 5 GHz space - and I have half a dozen other devices that never displayed any problems with the way I had my network set up in the past - but for the Fire TV 2 I had to reconfigure my routers just so it would stop dropping out - or start finding the respective network in the first place.