tip: How to exchange files between your Android phone and your PC

[cheeseus]

Hi guys,

I think some may find this info useful: a single app to browse your Android phone, your LAN-connected PC(s) and your FTP server, if you have one.

You need Total Commander - get it off Android Market, it's free. After you install it, go to "Add plugins". Clicking this will take you to their website, http://ghisler.com/androidplugins. Download and install the two plugins (I haven't yet tested the third, WebFolders, and I'm not sure what it does and if I might need it). You will see the installed plugins when you launch Total Commander after that.

1. On your PC: activate your Guest account (make sure you know the password!) or create a new standard account using a password (I chose the latter because I don't think I've ever created a password for the Guest account on my PC but one is required in order to login remotely). Do not forget to share some folders so that they can be seen from your phone (Right click > Share with > Homegroup (Read or Read/Write).

2. On your Android phone: Launch Total Commander and tap "LAN (Windows Shares)" to enter. Then tap <New Server> and enter your desired name of your PC. Then specify the server name/directory - here fill in the LAN IP address of your PC, it is 192.168.X.XXX, in my case 192.168.0.101. Then fill in the user name of the account you've just created on your PC and the password. If you choose to "Protect with master pass" you will be prompted to type one and then you'll need to enter it every time you use the plugin.

That's it!

Now you don't need to use the USB File Transfer mode if you want to exchage files between your phone and your PC. It did bother me that the phone goes into Offline mode so that's why I prefer this method.

Configuring the FTP plugin is not any more difficult. You just need to know your user name and password.

NB: You can only logon to your LAN PC if you are connected to your own Wi-Fi network. Total Commander will prompt your to turn on Wi-Fi if you're not when you try to use the LAN plugin.

NB: If you want to be able to upload files from the phone to the PC, give the new account administrative privileges.

Enjoy!

[tokyo_dom]

Just to add to this, ES File Explorer also does this, plus bluetooth support and free from the market.

However another method i like to use, is rather than grab files from the PC as you stated; push the files from the PC to the phone. That means i dont need to touch the phone to get files - I can do it from the comfort of my PC.

To do this, install FTPDroid on your phone. Under settings, click WiFi AutoStart so that it will start the FTP service whenever you are connected to WiFi (in my case, only at home or work).

By default it enables the anonymous user, which might make it easier to connect from the PC, but would be a security risk if someone were to connect to you while you are at a public wifi. This can be managed by unticking the anonymous access in the settings, then adding your own user (from the main screen, press menu, manage users)

You can further automate the process by installing WiFi on AC Power or Auto WiFi, so that your WiFi, and hence FTP site start automatically when you get home


You can configure your router to automatically give the same IP address to your phone each time, but in my case it hardly ever changes. Once the FTP service starts it will show a message on the screen saying "FTP Server active on ftp://<ip address>:2121 (port 2121 is default)
From the PC you have a few options:
1. Use a dedicated FTP client to upload/download files

2. Add this address to the address bar of Explorer in Windows

3. Create a shortcut on your desktop; when given the prompt of what program to start, type:
explorer.exe ftp://<your phones IP address>:2121

4. If you dont know how to fix the IP address given to your phone from your router, you can create a small batch file like this:
@Echo off
set /P IPAddress="Enter the last segment of the IP Address: "
explorer.exe ftp://192.168.1.%IPAddress%:2121

^^^ Paste this into Notepad, then save the file on your desktop as My Phone.bat (ensure filetype is set to *.* all types). Note that 192.168.1. should be replaced with the first 3 segments of your network's IP address

When you double click this you will be prompted for the last segment of the IP address - something you should be able to type pretty easily.

[T_Scheen]

I use MyPhoneExplorer - Simpler to install & use. And it syncs my Work Outlook 2003/2007.
Works via BT, WiFi or USB (USB needs ADB so not an option).

[tokyo_dom]

The man has a point.

My Phone Explorer is pretty cool. Not sure what it uses for file transfer though, it is slower than via FTP.

However, being able to control the phone keyboard via my PC is gold. I'mma about to give my iphone owning Whatsapp friends RSI trying to keep up

[martindesu]

I just mount the phone to my desktop as an external drive and copy it over...

[patrixl]

Seems only Sharp has made the phones go in offline mode when connecting the USB to the computer... Kyocera and Fujitsu phones don't do this, and none of my non-Japanese phones have ever done this.

[cheeseus]

Seems only Sharp has made the phones go in offline mode when connecting the USB to the computer... Kyocera and Fujitsu phones don't do this, and none of my non-Japanese phones have ever done this.

Yes, no idea why though. Actually my girlfriend's SH-01B doesn't go into offline more - call can get through but you can't dial out. The SH-01D doesn't ask me to input the PIN once I exit File Transfer Mode while the 005SH does.

[patrixl]

Yes, no idea why though.

I think their reasoning was along the lines of some apps (sp-mode mail etc) require files on the sdcard to function 100%, so they'd rather just go in offline mode than code their apps properly or ask DoCoMo to code apps properly...

Actually my girlfriend's SH-01B doesn't go into offline more - call can get through but you can't dial out. The SH-01D doesn't ask me to input the PIN once I exit File Transfer Mode while the 005SH does.

Yeah, even worse, my SH-13C would show me the screen asking if I wanted to connect the sdcard to my computer, even when my screen was locked by PIN or Pattern. Talk about unsecure None of my other phones have ever allowed this, unless I set them to automatically mount the sdcard when connected..

Even my Honeycomb MTP-only tablet that I had, would force me to unlock the screen in order to see/transfer files. Thought it was annoying until I remembered... it makes sense to not allow browsing/copying files when it's locked, otherwise there's no point to locking anymore haha...

Dunno why Sharp reversed it, but mehh.. I've moved on from Sharp Android phones by now...

[tokyo_dom]

Wait, ask docomo how to code their apps properly?!?!
God forbid they ask Docomo for anything UI related... their Android stuff is horrid. And the keitais are just bang-your-head-on-a-wall unintuitive. It is like they took the early 90s phones, and said "you know what, we are onto a winner here. People love to go down hundreds of menus to get to common options" and left the UI/menu structures the same since then.

And SP Mode on Android.... They couldnt work out how to access the 3G network while connected to Wifi, to retrieve MMS content (remember that one?), so instead of following softbank, and lets face it, every other Android manufacturer, they just redesigned their network to allow MMS downloading over the Wifi connection.

[patrixl]

Wait, ask docomo how to code their apps properly?!?!
God forbid they ask Docomo for anything UI related... their Android stuff is horrid. And the keitais are just bang-your-head-on-a-wall unintuitive. It is like they took the early 90s phones, and said "you know what, we are onto a winner here. People love to go down hundreds of menus to get to common options" and left the UI/menu structures the same since then.

And SP Mode on Android.... They couldnt work out how to access the 3G network while connected to Wifi, to retrieve MMS content (remember that one?), so instead of following softbank, and lets face it, every other Android manufacturer, they just redesigned their network to allow MMS downloading over the Wifi connection.

yep, makes me glad I went to AU but they got their own issues too, whether it's Android or not. At least the ezwebmail app makes more sense than sp-mode, and the AU Home isn't laggy like Docomo Palette lol. Now if they could figure out that you don't need to cut out the WiMax when making a phonecall, just to go along with the normal CDMA limitation that doesn't support simultaneous voice and data....

[tokyo_dom]

Ah i can imagine that sucks. To be honest, as much as i love my felica/IR/one-seg features, I will jump ship as soon as i see something with a decent keyboard. Heck i have even toyed with the iPhone idea because there are a few cases that have a BT keyboard built in.

Just dont like the idea of being YAGWAI (Yet Another Gaijin With An Iphone - i would say 95% of foreigners here get iphones)

[patrixl]

Me, I'm pretty satisfied with SwiftKey lol

So true about the foreigners with iphone...

I'm in the same boat though, this HTC is so much better than my Japanese androids have been, I don't really miss the wallet or waterproofing...


Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[tokyo_dom]

If i was considering a new phone now, the One-X would be top of my list; it is one of the few non-Japanese androids that looks GOOD. Well that, or the Xperia Active... thats just nuts.

I'm still happy enough with my 005SH though, and will be even happier when i finally bite the bullet and do the root thing