[VIDEO GUIDE] Wireless file transfer between Android and PC (FTP Method)

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trevor432990

Member
Jan 8, 2011
14
0
Why withdrawn?

Hi Bugsy and thanks for the link. Before I install the app though I'd rather like to know why it got withdrawn from the Play Store in the first place as I don't want to install something thing that was found to have malware in it? Can someone from the Play Store tell you?
 

BugsyLawson

Senior Member
Mar 22, 2012
284
592
Hi Bugsy and thanks for the link. Before I install the app though I'd rather like to know why it got withdrawn from the Play Store in the first place as I don't want to install something thing that was found to have malware in it? Can someone from the Play Store tell you?

From what I've been told, the app was withdrawn by the developer/ person who modified the original app. However, without an active app or PlayStore link to refer to (and with several other apps having the same name), I suspect that trying to get a definitive answer from Google would take a very long time at best (if I could get one at all).

The only reassurance that I can really give, is that the APK attached to the OP is from the original version that was on the Android Market for several months without issues. I extracted it from the SYSTEM/APP directory of my phone (ie. it's not one that I managed to find on the internet afterwards).

An alternative solution would be to download SwiFTP, which is the original app without the homescreen widget. Unfortunately I am unaware of any other app that provides the homescreen widget, but I'll keep my eyes peeled and let you know if I find one.

Regards,
Bugsy
 

Moh Kohn

Senior Member
Oct 8, 2011
369
336
Great guide, very informative. I can't seem to get the homescreen widget to work with anything but sense, both apex and nova are unresponsive, anyone else found this?


Sent from my Sensation XE with Beats Audio Z715e using XDA
 

BugsyLawson

Senior Member
Mar 22, 2012
284
592
Great guide, very informative. I can't seem to get the homescreen widget to work with anything but sense, both apex and nova are unresponsive, anyone else found this?


Sent from my Sensation XE with Beats Audio Z715e using XDA

Hmm, that's a shame. I just performed a couple of quick tests and I can confirm the same results with Apex and Nova. It works fine under Go Launcher though (not that this will help you).

Edit: Just a quick observation regarding Apex Launcher. I noticed If you tap your 'Home' button to get the overview of your all your homescreens, there is a green strip left at every location where you have tried to add the widget. You can only see them in this view, so removing them is a pain. Uninstalling/re-installing the FTP app app may be the quickest solution to remove them.

Bugsy
 
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BugsyLawson

Senior Member
Mar 22, 2012
284
592
Thanks Bugsy I'll check out Swiftp as you suggested cheers.

No problem. The only reason for suggesting SwiFTP is that it has exactly the same interface as the app that I used in my guide. There are may others though if you're happy to live without the widget. The principle is very much the same with all of them.

Bugsy
 

skyxliner

Senior Member
Nov 27, 2010
112
6
I can connect through web browser IE but it won't connect to the address using explorer? I'm going to use filezilla in the meantime.

so ftp should transfer at faster rate versus samba? but samba has more explorer detail abilities right?
 
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tech_abbz

Member
Jul 10, 2012
46
3
Agh!

:crying:

I tried it, but it keeps coming up with a horrible error message when I click on any of my folders that are on the Nexus, it says "550 invalid name or chroot violation" what on earth does that even mean? Everything else was great, and the video was awesome. :eek:

I've attached a document with a print screen of the dialogue box.

Thanks
 

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HoustonGeek

Member
Feb 16, 2012
28
2
Houston
Nice, when I found that ES File Explorer will actually use SAMBA, I send to connect with SMB to my PC upstairs :).

FTP is good default, though.
 

Balcanian

Member
Dec 3, 2009
26
0
Thank you very much, this was useful and just what I was searching for.
If there is something like this or software that provides even better communication between PC(Windows) please share with us.
 

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    *** 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.
    2
    Nice video, if is Possible can do one for Mac

    Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using xda premium

    I'm not a Mac expert, but perhaps you can try the following and let me know if it works?...

    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

    I hope that works... :)

    Cheers,
    Bugsy
    2
    I cannot find the version of 'Wireless File Transfer' app on the market anymore. Can someone else check and confirm this please?


    Unfortunately the app appears to have been pulled from the Play Store. I sent a message to the developer today, so hopefully he'll be able to clarify the situation. I'll keep you posted on any news that I get.

    Bugsy
    1
    Sent from my SX-SP715A using XDA
    1
    I love you.
    One problem is that I can't get the widget to show up -.-
    Running AOKP 4.0.4
    BTW loving your channel please post more vidoes!

    Thanks :)

    Regarding AOKP 4.0.4, are you using a Galaxy SII / Nexus? If so, I think I've heard about people having trouble with widgets before. I think you have to drag them out of the widget draw instead. Does that make sense?

    Bugsy