*** Update ***
The app used in this guide been removed from the Play Store by the developer.
However, he has kindly granted me permission to share the apk with you
directly. You can find it attached to the bottom of this post!
************
Hi everyone,
I've put together an 8 minute video guide that demonstrates how (using an FTP
server) you can transfer files between your Phone and a computer over a WiFi
home network (natively through Windows explorer).
I've tried to make it fairly beginner friendly and its available in all resolutions including 1080p:
You can view the video full size here: http://youtu.be/5EV9PfPXbz8
HELP & FAQ:
Applying the tutorial to an older Windows OS:
Windows Vista:
As far as I can recall, the method shown in my video should be virtually (if not completely) identical for Windows Vista Users. If you think I've missed something though, please let me know and I'll update accordingly.
Windows XP:
Mapping the Android FTP Server location in Windows XP should also work just fine. However, I don't think you can access the "add new network location" wizard in the manner shown in the video at 03:30 (I could be wrong). From memory - I believe you need to do the following instead:
a) Open 'My Computer' from the start menu or desktop shortcut
b) From the 'TOOLS' menu select 'MAP NETWORK DRIVE'
c) Click the link "Sign up for Online Storage or Connect to a Network Server"
d) Select "Choose a custom Network Location"
e) I think this should bring you pretty much back in line with the video at 03:45
Mac OS:
I'm not a Mac expert, but perhaps you can try the following...
Follow the video up to the point where I switch over to my PC (03:15), then try this on your Mac:
a) Press Command+K to launch the “connect to server” dialogue
b) Enter the Wifi/FTP URL from the phone app into the address field
c) Click on the “+” icon if you want to save as a favourite
d) Press Connect
e) Enter your Username and Password when prompted & press connect again
f) You should then be able to browse the contents of your phone as a local folder.
g) Rejoin video at 06:50
Web Browser:
Although the aim of this video is to avoid having to use a web browser, you can enter the 'WiFi URL' generated by the Android App (visible at 03:05) into the address bar of any FTP enabled web browser (eg. Firefox / Internet Explorer).
TROUBLESHOOTING
Worked Initially, then stopped:
If you were initially successful in getting everything to work, but some time later you find that you can't connect - this may be related to your router's DHCP configuration. Some routers allocate IP addresses on a dynamic/time lease basis. If your router is configured in this way, your phone's IP address may change every time it re-connects to your local network (thus invalidating the WiFi URL that we copied from your phone during the tutorial). If this is the case, you'll need to refer to your router's documentation and try to assign a static IP to your phone.
Error 550 (CHMOD):
If this error crops up immediately upon trying to access a location on your phone (eg. a sub folder), you have probably entered an invalid path in the "Stay Within Folder" field during the app configuration. Double check the path that you entered and make sure that you didn't accidentally deleted the preceding slash (/) too.
If this error only appears when trying to delete or move files, it could be a couple of things. Do check the steps mentioned in the above paragraph, but also remember what I mentioned in the video about avoiding paths that act as a shortcut to another folder. For example, don't enter "/sdcard" in the "Stay Within Folder" field during configuration of the app. On my phone, this results in read only access to the MicroSD card. I found that I needed to specify the full path (eg. "/mnt/sdcard") to obtain full Read/Write access.
Invalid Handle Error:
This error may occur when trying to move or delete files from your phone. If so:
1) Double check (in the FTP server setup on your phone) that you haven't added a trailing slash (/) after the path specified in the "Stay Within Folder" field.
2) You can also get this error if you start the FTP server, then launch an app that needs access to the folder containing the files you want to move or delete (eg. The Camera / gallery app). Simply exiting the app may solve this. If not:
a) exit your app
b) Stop the FTP server using the home screen widget
c) Restart the FTP server using the home screen widget
d) try again before launching your app.
No WIFI URL:
If you start the FTP server but don't receive a Wifi URL, double check that your phone's WiFi connection is turned on. This may sound obvious, but it could be an easy one to overlook.
Firewall Issues:
If you're convinced that you have everything set up correctly but you simply can't connect to the server - a firewall could be the cause of your problems..
If you're not familiar with firewalls, you may want to disconnect from the internet and temporarily disable your firewall completely to see if this solves your problem. If it does, at least you'll have a starting point. If not, you may need to look a little closer at any filtering rules on your router.
Unfortunately I can't help troubleshoot every possible combination, but generally speaking, you should double check that your internal network is configured as a trusted zone and that there are rules allowing (or no rules blocking) traffic on the required port ip / address etc. For example, 'ESET Smart Security' users will probably want to pay specific attention to the 'Network Filtering' options.
Good luck.
Bugsy.
The app used in this guide been removed from the Play Store by the developer.
However, he has kindly granted me permission to share the apk with you
directly. You can find it attached to the bottom of this post!
************
Hi everyone,
I've put together an 8 minute video guide that demonstrates how (using an FTP
server) you can transfer files between your Phone and a computer over a WiFi
home network (natively through Windows explorer).
I've tried to make it fairly beginner friendly and its available in all resolutions including 1080p:
You can view the video full size here: http://youtu.be/5EV9PfPXbz8
HELP & FAQ:
Applying the tutorial to an older Windows OS:
Windows Vista:
As far as I can recall, the method shown in my video should be virtually (if not completely) identical for Windows Vista Users. If you think I've missed something though, please let me know and I'll update accordingly.
Windows XP:
Mapping the Android FTP Server location in Windows XP should also work just fine. However, I don't think you can access the "add new network location" wizard in the manner shown in the video at 03:30 (I could be wrong). From memory - I believe you need to do the following instead:
a) Open 'My Computer' from the start menu or desktop shortcut
b) From the 'TOOLS' menu select 'MAP NETWORK DRIVE'
c) Click the link "Sign up for Online Storage or Connect to a Network Server"
d) Select "Choose a custom Network Location"
e) I think this should bring you pretty much back in line with the video at 03:45
Mac OS:
I'm not a Mac expert, but perhaps you can try the following...
Follow the video up to the point where I switch over to my PC (03:15), then try this on your Mac:
a) Press Command+K to launch the “connect to server” dialogue
b) Enter the Wifi/FTP URL from the phone app into the address field
c) Click on the “+” icon if you want to save as a favourite
d) Press Connect
e) Enter your Username and Password when prompted & press connect again
f) You should then be able to browse the contents of your phone as a local folder.
g) Rejoin video at 06:50
Web Browser:
Although the aim of this video is to avoid having to use a web browser, you can enter the 'WiFi URL' generated by the Android App (visible at 03:05) into the address bar of any FTP enabled web browser (eg. Firefox / Internet Explorer).
TROUBLESHOOTING
Worked Initially, then stopped:
If you were initially successful in getting everything to work, but some time later you find that you can't connect - this may be related to your router's DHCP configuration. Some routers allocate IP addresses on a dynamic/time lease basis. If your router is configured in this way, your phone's IP address may change every time it re-connects to your local network (thus invalidating the WiFi URL that we copied from your phone during the tutorial). If this is the case, you'll need to refer to your router's documentation and try to assign a static IP to your phone.
Error 550 (CHMOD):
If this error crops up immediately upon trying to access a location on your phone (eg. a sub folder), you have probably entered an invalid path in the "Stay Within Folder" field during the app configuration. Double check the path that you entered and make sure that you didn't accidentally deleted the preceding slash (/) too.
If this error only appears when trying to delete or move files, it could be a couple of things. Do check the steps mentioned in the above paragraph, but also remember what I mentioned in the video about avoiding paths that act as a shortcut to another folder. For example, don't enter "/sdcard" in the "Stay Within Folder" field during configuration of the app. On my phone, this results in read only access to the MicroSD card. I found that I needed to specify the full path (eg. "/mnt/sdcard") to obtain full Read/Write access.
Invalid Handle Error:
This error may occur when trying to move or delete files from your phone. If so:
1) Double check (in the FTP server setup on your phone) that you haven't added a trailing slash (/) after the path specified in the "Stay Within Folder" field.
2) You can also get this error if you start the FTP server, then launch an app that needs access to the folder containing the files you want to move or delete (eg. The Camera / gallery app). Simply exiting the app may solve this. If not:
a) exit your app
b) Stop the FTP server using the home screen widget
c) Restart the FTP server using the home screen widget
d) try again before launching your app.
No WIFI URL:
If you start the FTP server but don't receive a Wifi URL, double check that your phone's WiFi connection is turned on. This may sound obvious, but it could be an easy one to overlook.
Firewall Issues:
If you're convinced that you have everything set up correctly but you simply can't connect to the server - a firewall could be the cause of your problems..
If you're not familiar with firewalls, you may want to disconnect from the internet and temporarily disable your firewall completely to see if this solves your problem. If it does, at least you'll have a starting point. If not, you may need to look a little closer at any filtering rules on your router.
Unfortunately I can't help troubleshoot every possible combination, but generally speaking, you should double check that your internal network is configured as a trusted zone and that there are rules allowing (or no rules blocking) traffic on the required port ip / address etc. For example, 'ESET Smart Security' users will probably want to pay specific attention to the 'Network Filtering' options.
Good luck.
Bugsy.
Last edited:
