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How to Use Your Smart Phone as a Remote

itd_24 by itd_24

How to Use Your Android Phone as a Remote for Your Computer

Your Android phone can be easily converted into an Android remote control for your computer. With the right applications you can use your phone as a basic mouse, keyboard, browse the file system and even combine more actions together so you'll be able to do more with just one button push on your phone.

The only thing you need is a connection between your android phone and your computer and of course the right applications.You can learn how to connect your android phone to your computer here.

Which Applications to Use

android remote controlFirst of all, you need to know what do you want to do, do you want to control only specific applications, like PowerPoint or VLC Media Player or do you want to have an Android remote control for your whole computer?

There are hundreds of applications there that allow you to control just about anything you want. But you have to choose first.

Remote controls that can control only a specific application, are designed specifically for that. You will be able to do anything related to that program much more quicker. But you will be able to control only the program your android remote application was designed for.

On the other hand, you will need longer to do something with generally designed remote applications. But you will be able to control your whole computer with your phone.

Application or System Specific Remotes

Android remote controlThese Android remote applications are designed specifically for one or just a few applications. You can control your PowerPoint slide show with one app, but you will need another one to control your video player.

They are usually designed to give maximum efficiency and you will be able to do certain things much faster. But you will need one application for each program you want to control.

If you want to control more than just a few programs, I would suggest you go with generally designed remote Android Apps. You won't be able to do things as fast as with program specific apps, but you only need to run one app and one server.

Some examples of system specific Apps are:

  • VLC Remote is the perfect application to control VLC media player with your android phone.You can find instructions on how to install and set up both applications, VLC and VLC Remote here.

  • Android PowerPoint Remote is a free Android remote control for PowerPoint.

  • Lazik is an Android remote for Winamp, it supports playback controls, playlist, media library and much more.

General Android Remote Controls

android remotesGeneral Android remote controls are designed to control your whole computer. Most of them have included standard features, like mouse and keyboard simulation, file browsing, restarting or shutting down your computer,...

They are the real Android remotes. If you would like, you could control your computer completely through your Android phone. The only time you would have to go directly on your computer would be to start it up.

All of this applications have two parts, the remote control app on your phone and the server, which has to run on your computer in the background. Else your PC wouldn't know what to do with the commands it receives.

There are a few Android remote control applications on the market.
The most popular are:

  • Gmote has many functions, it can control your keyboard and mouse, supports file browsing and even audio streaming.

  • RemoteDroid is simple to use and very easy to set up. But it allows you only to control your mouse and keyboard.

  • Unified Remote is another gread Android remote application that has several functions. It supports file browsing, application specific remotes (a VLC remote for example) and task manager remote control. The full version also supports a customizable remote list and even macro support. But the full version is not free.

Gmote

Android remoteGmote is an advanced Android remote control application. It allows you to fully control your computer from the distance.

Besides the standard remote control features you find in every general android remote control, it additionally offers you music streaming, specifically designed functions to control some programs like PowerPoint or image slide shows and of course file browsing.

Its features are divided into three main functions:

  • Media Remote Control allows you to browse files, open your media files, control your media players and media streaming. With this application you can hear music or watch movies without having to download them to your phone.

  • Gmote Touch allows you to take control of your mouse and keyboard. It also supports some shortcuts like copy and paste.

  • Web Browsing allows you to browse the internet. You can use it to remotely open websites on your computer and remote navigation of the website

If you want it to work, you need the app for your android phone and the server application that will run on your computer in the background. GMote is easy to install and it usually finds your computers address by itself. In some cases however you need to type it in manually.

Gmote Tutorial

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RemoteDroid

RemoteDroidRemoteDroid turns your android phone into a wireless keyboard and mouse using your own wireless network. That's basically all it does. It has no special features or other functionalities.

The reason I added this application to my list is because it's one of the easiest applications to install and use I came across so far.As with any other Android remote control application, you have to install 2 separate components, the Android application and the server on your computer.

When you first run it, you have to type in your computers IP address and that's it. The problem with other Android remote applications is it can sometimes be a hassle to set them up, especially if the server isn't found automatically. It doesn't happen often, but it happens.

RemoteDroid will work without problems every time. And it's easy to use. The interface is easy to understand and it literally has only one option. You can switch between the mouse and the keyboard, that's it.

A Demonstration of What Remotedroid Can Do

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Unified Remote

Android remote control

Unified Remote is not just another Android remote control for your PC. It's the only remote control application you will ever need. The main difference between Unified Remote and other remote control applications is its ability to be fully customized.

If you download the free version, you already get 13 remote controls. It supports the basic ones like controlling your mouse and keyboard, file browsing and a media remote control. Additionally you can control your start menu, your computer's power functions, the task manager and many specific applications like PowerPoint, Windows Media Player, VLC and more.
But the real power of this app can be seen in the full version, which unfortunately is not free.

In the full version you can choose between 26 more downloadable Android remotes, each designed to control another specific application. If you don't find the remote control you were looking for, no problem. The full version supports custom remotes. With a little programming knowledge you can build a custom remote control. The remotes are written in XML, so you don't need to know anything fancy like C++ or JAVA.

As with any android remote control app, Unified Remote is a two-part installation: a remote server as good as a remote App.
Once you installed both applications you just need to run them both. In most cases the mobile app will find the server automatically. Don't mind the options visible in the server application, they need to be changed only if the remote app doesn't find the server right away.

Keep in mind that you need an active Bluetooth or WiFi connection to use all the above described Apps.

Unified Remote Screenshots

The Whole Library

This page is just a part of a collection dedicated to remote controlling your computer with your Android phone.
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Add a Comment

  • BusyMOM Jan 29, 2012 @ 10:53 am | delete
    Thanks for a very informative lens. Makes so much sense to get rid of all the remotes lying around the house and convert to one with your phone. Great lens.
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