Control Laptop from Android

Martin Walker

Hi all.
Im lookin to connect my Laptop to my TV via HDMI so i can watch movies stored on my drive on it.
I would like to be able to plug it in and then use my Android phone to control it. I know there are apps out there to do this but the problem i have is that i dont have a wireless router at the minute and im connected to the internet via an internet dongle.
Doe anyone know of any apps i can get to control my Laptop directly?
Thanks

mk6705

Martin Walker wrote: »

Hi all.
Im lookin to connect my Laptop to my TV via HDMI so i can watch movies stored on my drive on it.
I would like to be able to plug it in and then use my Android phone to control it. I know there are apps out there to do this but the problem i have is that i dont have a wireless router at the minute and im connected to the internet via an internet dongle.
Doe anyone know of any apps i can get to control my Laptop directly?
Thanks

You should be able to do it by setting up a wireless network on your laptop (provided it has a wireless card). Connect the phone to the laptop's WiFi network. Then (or beforehand) download "Unified Remote" to the phone (via Market). The free one will do you fine. Then download Unified Remote Server on your laptop. Run the server on the laptop, and with a bit of luck, your phone will pick up the server on the laptop.

briN_s

Im looking to do something like this aswell, on my previous Symbian phone I used an app that connected via bluetooth. Im thinking that bluetooth might be easier on the battery aswell? Bluetooth dongles are very cheap to get if your laptop hasnt got bluetooth already built in

iwo

you may use this app TeamVievew, you can get for free from market, see below

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6COyyC2-fQ

Sam Vimes

I use an app called unified remote that can control the laptop through bluetooth or wifi

Bluefoam

I use tubemote

natnifnolnacs

I use gmote.

if you are on 2.3 your phone should have tethering capabilities so your laptop will connect to it's wireless and you will be able to control it.

downside is tethering eats battery!

DeadParrot

+1 for gmote

The_B_Man

I use VNCViewer app from the market, and TightVNC Server on my laptop. Works perfect.

The advantage of VNC Viewer is that Mac already has a VNC Server built into it. Linux might possibly have one too, so its only Windows that u need to install the server.

Kenny Logins

natnifnolnacs wrote: »

I use gmote.

if you are on 2.3 your phone should have tethering capabilities so your laptop will connect to it's wireless and you will be able to control it.

downside is tethering eats battery!

DeadParrot wrote: »

+1 for gmote

Gmote isn't as simple to set up as it could be -

I don't have a wireless router. Can I still use Gmote?
Yes, you can. GMote can operate by going through your cellular network's data connection. Here are the steps needed to enable this:
Make sure your cell phone is connected to a cell network (you can verify this by browsing to a web page)
Setup port forwarding on your router to forward port 8889 to the computer that is running the GMote server. (note: if you don't have a WIRED router either, then skip to setp 3) Here are some quick tips on how to do this:
Determine your computer's local ip address by right clicking on the gmote server icon and selecting 'help', 'show local ip'
Log into your router and go to the port forwarding section (it might be called NAT settings, or Application and Gaming).
Set the start and end port to 8889, the protocol to 'both', and the ip to the local ip of your computer that was determined in step 1 (note: if you plan on using gmote touch, then you'll also have to forward port 9901).
Determine your external ip (this is different from your local ip). You can determine this by going to: http://ip.nefsc.noaa.gov/ (I suggest you try to use your ip first to make sure everything works. However, external ip addresses tend to be dynamic and therefore may change after a few days. If this is your case, you can try to enter the hostname that is shown on the website. This is more likely to remain constant).
Make sure that the GMote server is started on your computer
Start GMote on your phone. It will try to automatically find a server. Once it fails, select the 'Enter server manually' option.
Type in the external ip address that you found in step 3.

If these steps were followed correctly, the application should now be working. If you have any problems (especially in step 2), you can try Googling "port forwarding".
Also, setting up port forwarding on your router may expose your computer to external security risks. You are therefore setting this up at your own risk, and by using Gmote, you agree that the Gmote developers will not be held responsible for any damage that occurs.
Please keep in mind that since you are going through your carrier instead of through a local network, normal data charges may apply if you don't have an unlimited data plan.

http://www.gmote.org/faq#Can_Gmote_work_over_bluetooth_

This looks easy enough to set up, and uses Bluetooth

https://market.android.com/details?id=cz.rozkovec.android