In
this thread a few of us were whining about the difficulty of transferring files between a "mobile device" (phone/tablet) and a "real computer," in particular the perceived need to use a USB cable, or sneakernet. I want to
briefly describe in this post one way to do it wirelessly that may appeal to Unix users.
First the disclosure that I only very recently began to muck around (somewhat reluctantly) with a mobile device, so maybe this is well known and considered trivial. I also don't know how widely applicable it is. I've tested this only on an Samsung Galaxy Tab4 running Android 4.4.2.
The basic idea is very simple: use FTP over wireless, and there is no need to "root the phone". The desktop computer needs to be running an FTP server. On the Android device, it's possible to set up an "FTP server shortcut," which is basically an item that appears in a file manager's directory listing and represents connecting to an FTP server.
Concerning the FTP server, there are many choices on Unix-like OS's. It could be the base
ftpd(8), or from a package like
vsftpd or
proftpd. It's not too hard to set up a server like this, and if it's configured right files can be moved both to and from it.
On the Android side, the shortcut is added something like this:
- run My Files application (built-in)
- tap the Options button (3 vertical dots)
- choose Add FTP
- enter a shortcut name and the server/account details
- shortcut will appear under Folders
Done! You can now move files back and forth over a WiFi connection by
Selecting them in the source directory and
Moving them to the target, all within My Files. Any type of file can be moved or copied, it doesn't have to be a "picture" or "media file."
The main issue here is perhaps security (isn't it always?
). FTP is not a secure protocol, it's in the clear, so you need to use it in an acceptable environment. The main usage case I have in mind is like this:
{Internet}----[Firewall]==[LAN computers,FTP server]==[AP]....(Android)
Assumptions:
- FTP server can only be accessed from the LAN
- FTP server can only be accessed by trusted user(s)
- The LAN is mostly wired "==" and considered secure
- Wireless link "...." is encrypted by WPA2 and good passphrase
Works for me. Comments welcome, including how widely applicable this may be on the mobile side. Discussion of other wireless methods in line with the thread title are also welcome.