Gmote Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  1. Gmote Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
    1. What is Gmote (Android Remote)?
  2. I'm having connection problems
    1. After the 'Searching for server' dialog appears, I get a 'Make sure that your server is installed, running and connected to the same wireless network as this phone.' message.
    2. I am connected to the same network as my computer, and I still can't connect to my server.
    3. The server doesn't start. What should I do?
    4. I'm having connection problems on mac. What can I do?
  3. General FAQ
    1. Can I use Gmote over 3G instead of WiFi?
    2. I updated to version 2.0 of Gmote and now it's not working anymore. What can I do?
    3. Can Gmote work as a TV remote?
    4. Can Gmote work over bluetooth?
    5. Can I start a media file (movie, music etc.) from my computer directly and then use Gmote to control it?
    6. I don't have a wireless router. Can I still use Gmote?
    7. Can I use a media player other than VLC? Can I use Windows Media Player?
    8. Are music playlists supported?
    9. How can I enable shuffle? How can I play songs in a random order from a playlist?
    10. Can I download the Gmote client directly from your website instead of from the Android Market?
    11. How can I post questions, comments or feature requests?
    12. What operating systems do you support?
    13. Who can I contact if I still need help?
    14. How can I skip to the next song?
    15. How can I jump ahead during a video?
    16. How can I play a video on a different monitor? The video is playing on the wrong monitor, what can I do? Do you support multiple monitors?
    17. Where can I download the Gmote Server from?
    18. I'm having problems downloading the Gmote Server for windows / I can't download the gmote server. What can I do?
    19. I have my own version of VLC. Can I use that instead of the version provided?
    20. What's Gmote Touch? What is the 'Touchpad' icon that I see when I hit menu from the remote control screen?
    21. Do you have any tips on how I can control the mouse easier when in Gmote Touch mode?
    22. What file types do you support? Can I add my own file types?
    23. How to uninstall the Gmote Server (Windows) (version 1.2.0 only, as version 1.2.2 now comes with an uninstaller)
    24. How do I make the Gmote server automatically run when my computer starts?
    25. Is there a desktop client that can connect to the Gmote Server?
    26. I'm having problems installing the Linux version. Where can I find help?
    27. Is Gmote Open Source? Where can I find the source code?

What is Gmote (Android Remote)? 


Gmote turns your Android phone into a remote control for your computer, allowing you to start and control movies and music at a distance. It supports all of the standard remote control features such as play, pause, rewind, volume controls etc.  It also has a built-in file browser that lets you view the files that are on your computer and select what you want to play. It's great if you want to sit back while watching a DVD, or control the flow of songs in your favorite playlist. Gmote can also be used as a wireless Touchpad and keyboard, allowing you to control your computer at distance. Another great feature available in Gmote is the ability to stream music from your computer to your phone!

I'm having connection problems

After the 'Searching for server' dialog appears, I get a 'Make sure that your server is installed, running and connected to the same wireless network as this phone.' message.


A. Make sure that both your phone and the computer are connected to the same network. To do this, you must establish a wireless connection with your home network from the phone. If you do not have a wireless network, you can try the steps that are shown here: http://www.gmote.org/faq and look for 'I don't have a wireless router. Can I still use GMote'

I am connected to the same network as my computer, and I still can't connect to my server. 


A. Try connecting to the computer using its ip. To do this:
    1. Right click on the gmote server icon and select 'help', 'show local ip address'.
    2. From the phone, click on the browse button. This will bring up a dialog that searches for servers. (If a server is found, click the 'I don't see my server button'.). On the subsequent dialog, select 'Enter IP manually'
    3. On the phone, type the ip address you found in step 1 and hit 'done'.
    4. Hit the 'browse' button. If this works, you should see a list of files appear. If this does not work, please go to case b.

B. There may be a firewall issue on the computer where the Gmote server is run. Try temporarily disabling the firewall to see if the problem is resolved:
  1. Click 'Start', 'Control Panel',  'Windows Firewall'
  2. Under the general tab, click 'Off' (note: you can ignore the windows warning dialog since we are only going to temporarily disable the firewall).
  3. On the phone, try connecting by clicking 'Browse', then waiting for the 'Searching for servers' dialog to finish. If you see your computer in the list, click on it once (if you don't, select 'Enter Ip manually and follow the steps shown in A to enter the ip manually). Now, hit the 'browse' button to verify that the connection was established. 
  4. If the connection worked, we now know that there is a problem with the firewall. Please follow the steps below and then look at steps B1.
  5. If the connection did not work. we'll need to continue to step C after having re-enabled the firewall.
  6. To re-enable your firewall, to to 'Start', 'Control Panel', 'Windows Firewall', and in the 'General' tab, click 'on'.

B1: If you were able to successfully run Gmote with the firewall turned off, turn your firewall back on (steps B5 and B6) and then do the following to enable exceptions in your firewall:
  1. Go to the control panel, and open the windows firewall
  2. Under the 'general' tab, there will be an option called 'Don't allow exceptions'. If there is a checkmark on this option, UNCHECK this option. This will allow you to allow certain programs access to listen on certain ports.
  3. Go to the Exceptions tab.
  4. At the bottom, you'll see an option called 'Display a notification when Windows Firewall blocks a program'. Make sure to put a CHECKMARK beside this option.
  5. Click ok
  6. Start the Gmote Server (or close it and re-open it if it was already running).
  7. A windows firewall dialog should pop up indicating that an application wants to listen on a port. Click 'UNBLOCK'
    1. (Note, if this doesn't work, you may have to enter the exception in your firewall manually. To do this, make sure to add both GmoteServer.exe AND javaw.exe with the port 8889 and port 9901 as exceptions). You can also have a look at this post for more information: http://groups.google.com/group/gmote-users/browse_thread/thread/296b8bda104a0215?hl=en

C. Run the server in debug mode. 
    1. Close any server that may be running (you can find the GmoteServer in the tray on the right side of the screen. Right click on it and select 'exit').
    2. Go to the application installation directory (C:\Program Files\GmoteServer).
    3. Double click on runServerDebugMode.bat
    4. From your phone, try connecting to the server again and observe the messages that appear on the console window. 
    5. Post the output of the console to gmote-users@googlegroups.com
 
D. Another alternative is to send us your server logs.
  1. The server logs contain valuable information that will help us identify the problem. 
  2. On your computer, Navigate to C:\Program Files\GmoteServer\bin\logs
  3. Send the file called gmote.log to gmote-users@googlegroups.com

The server doesn't start. What should I do?

1. If the server did not run automatically when you finished installing it on your desktop, try running the server again by going into start -> programs -> Gmote Server -> Gmote Server
2. The Gmote Server requires the Java JVM version 1.6 or higher. To determine your java version, click start -> run, type 'cmd' and press enter, then type 'java -version'. You can download the latest JVM from http://www.java.com/en/download/index.jsp
3. Try running the debug version of the application and see if a problem is apparent. Go into the installation directory (ex: c:\program files\GmoteServer) and run the file 'runServerDebugMode.bat'. You can also have a look at the logs which are in the bin/logs directory.

I'm having connection problems on mac. What can I do?


Here are the steps to configure the firewall to allow the traffic:

1. Open System Preferences (under the Apple icon in the upper left corner of the screen)

2. Choose Sharing

3. Click on Firewall

4. Click on New...

5. Choose Other in Port Name: drop-down box

6. Enter 8889 for TCP Port Number(s):

7. Enter Gmote for Description:

8. Click OK

General FAQ


Can I use Gmote over 3G instead of WiFi?

Yes. This will port forwarding a port on your router to allow access from the 3G network to the Gmote Server. Please follow the instructions below called 'I don't have a wireless router. Can I still use Gmote?"

I updated to version 2.0 of Gmote and now it's not working anymore. What can I do?

It's possible that the previous version of Gmote was not uninstalled properly. Please do the following:

1. From your computer, turn off the GmoteServer by right clicking on its icon and selecting 'exit'

2. Go to start, programs, GmoteServer and click on 'Uninstall GmoteServer' (note that the very early versions of the Gmote server did not have this option. If you do not see this, please jump to step 3)

3. Go to 'c:\program files\' and delete the directory called GmoteServer if it is there (it could also be under d:\program files\ depending on how your computer is setup) If you don't see this directory, that's ok. Skip to step 4.

4. Download the latest version of the Gmote server from http://www.gmote.org/server

5. Make sure that the folder that contains the new gmote server installation file does not also contain the old server installation file (called gmoteserver.exe). There is a bug in the current version of the installer program that we are using which will try to launch the old installation file after having installed the latest version. If you notice a second installation process load up after the first one, simply exit the second one since it would re-install the old version over the new one.

5. Install the latest version of the server and then try running Gmote on your phone again.


Can Gmote work as a TV remote?

Unfortunately, the G1 phone does not have the capabilities to send infrared signals, which is required to control a television. Due to this limitation, Gmote will not be able to control your tv.


Can Gmote work over bluetooth?

The G1 phone doesn't currently support Bluetooth pairing between devices other than a headset. Once this functionality is added to the G1, there's a good chance we'll add Bluetooth support.


Can I start a media file (movie, music etc.) from my computer directly and then use Gmote to control it?

Gmote doesn't currently support this functionality by default. If you want to play a media file, 
you need to start it from the device directly by using the "Browse" feature. 
There is currently an experimental feature in Gmote that will allow you to play the files directly.
It's called the beta Windows Media Player binding. See "Can I use Windows Media Player?".

I don't have a wireless router. Can I still use Gmote?

Yes, you can. GMote can operate by going through your cellular network's data connection. Here are the steps needed to enable this:
  1. Make sure your cell phone is connected to a cell network (you can verify this by browsing to a web page)
  2. Setup port forwarding on your router to forward port 8889 to the computer that is running the GMote server. (note: if you don't have a WIRED router either, then skip to setp 3) Here are some quick tips on how to do this:
    1. Determine your computer's local ip address by right clicking on the gmote server icon and selecting 'help', 'show local ip'
    2. Log into your router and go to the port forwarding section (it might be called NAT settings, or Application and Gaming). 
    3. Set the start and end port to 8889, the protocol to 'both', and the ip to the local ip of your computer that was determined in step 1 (note: if you plan on using gmote touch, then you'll also have to forward port 9901).
  3. Determine your external ip (this is different from your local ip). You can determine this by going to: http://ip.nefsc.noaa.gov/ (I suggest you try to use your ip first to make sure everything works. However, external ip addresses tend to be dynamic and therefore may change after a few days. If this is your case, you can try to enter the hostname that is shown on the website. This is more likely to remain constant).
  4. Make sure that the GMote server is started on your computer
  5. Start GMote on your phone. It will try to automatically find a server. Once it fails, select the 'Enter server manually' option. 
  6. Type in the external ip address that you found in step 3.

If these steps were followed correctly, the application should now be working. If you have any problems (especially in step 2), you can try Googling "port forwarding". 
Also, setting up port forwarding on your router may expose your computer to external security risks. You are therefore setting this up at your own risk, and by using Gmote, you agree that the Gmote developers will not be held responsible for any damage that occurs.
Please keep in mind that since you are going through your carrier instead of through a local network, normal data charges may apply if you don't have an unlimited data plan.

Can I use a media player other than VLC? Can I use Windows Media Player?

The program is designed to support multiple media players. We currently only fully support one player, which is VLC. However, there is an experimental section in the code that allows you to use Windows Media Player instead of VLC. To enable it do the following (but keep in mind that this is a 'beta' feature and doesn't support all of the features of the VLC binding):
  1. From your computer, right click on the Gmote server icon and select 'help', 'show settings and logs folder'
  2. Turn off the gmote server by right clicking on its icon again and selecting 'exit'
  3. Open the file called supported_filetypes.txt
  4. Change any line that  says "org.gmote.server.media.vlc.VlcMediaPlayer" to "org.gmote.server.media.windows.WindowsMediaPlayer11Controller"
  5. Turn the server back on by going to start, program files, Gmote Server

Are music playlists supported?

Yes. Currently, the M3U format is supported. If your playlists are in a different format, it's possible to convert them to the M3U format. Try Googling something like "WPL to M3U". Also, please let us know what your favorite playlist type is so that we may add it to future versions. 

Also, when you select a single song to play, all other songs in that directory will be queued and played after the selected song.

How can I enable shuffle? How can I play songs in a random order from a playlist?

(For windows and linux versions) From your computer, right click on the Gmote icon in the system tray, and select 'Settings', shuffle songs.


Can I download the Gmote client directly from your website instead of from the Android Market? 

Yes you can. From your phone, simply navigate to: www.gmote.org/gmote.apk
For this step to work, you might need to enable installation of applications that are not from the Market. To do this, from your phone, go into Settings, Applications, and put a check-mark beside the "Unknown Sources: Allow install of non-Market applications"

How can I post questions, comments or feature requests?

We have a Google group setup for that. You can search through it to find answers to previously asked questions. You can also post your own comments or questions. The group can be found here:

What operating systems do you support?

We currently support Windows XP SP2 and Higher. We also support Mac OSX 10.4 (tiger) and higher.

Who can I contact if I still need help? 

The best place to post questions and comments is in the Gmote Google groups page. 

The developers of Gmote will automatically be notified of any posts that you do on this site. 

Also, you'll be able to search the group for possible answers to your problems and get help from other Gmote users. 

You can also try emailing us directly hello@gmote.org


How can I skip to the next song?

Simply hold down the right arrow button for about 2 seconds. You move to the previous song by holding down the left arrow button for 2 seconds as well.


How can I jump ahead during a video?

Simply hold down the right arrow button for about 2 seconds. You move jump backwards by holding down the left arrow button for 2 seconds as well.


How can I play a video on a different monitor? The video is playing on the wrong monitor, what can I do? Do you support multiple monitors?

Yes, Gmote now supports multiple monitors (Note: This feature is available on version 1.1.0 of the Windows Gmote server which launched on October 22nd). To change the monitor that a video will play in by default, please do the following:

1. Start a video using the Android remote.

2. From the keyboard of your computer, press 'Esc' to exit full screen mode (try clicking on the video if 'Esc' doesn't work right away).

3. The video will now be playing in a medium size window. Drag this window onto the monitor that you would like to use by default from now on. Don't worry if the video stops playing.
4. Once the video window is on the screen that you want, close the video by pressing the 'x' on the top right of the window.
5. Use the Android remote to start the video again. It should now launch in your preferred monitor.

Where can I download the Gmote Server from?

http://www.gmote.org/server

I'm having problems downloading the Gmote Server for windows / I can't download the gmote server. What can I do?

I'm still investigating this problem. We don't have a lot of funds to put into more servers but we did put up this alternative download site:


Download the 3 following files:

1. http://marcsto.googlepages.com/GmoteServer-2.0.1-Setup.part1.rar

2. http://marcsto.googlepages.com/GmoteServer-2.0.1-Setup.part2.rar

3. http://marcsto.googlepages.com/GmoteServer-2.0.1-Setup.part3.rar


4. Once all 3 files are downloaded, download and install winrar from http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm

5. Right click on the file called GmoteServer-2.0.1-Setup.part1.rar and select 'extract here'

6. To install the Gmote server, double click the file called GmoteServer-2.0.1-Setup.exe

I have my own version of VLC. Can I use that instead of the version provided?

If you are experiencing a technical issue  such as not being able to connect to the server or not being able to run video's or music, please see the 'I can't connect' steps above instead of changing to your own version of vlc as it is unlikely to help. I'll add more documentation to about how to use your own vlc in soon, but one way that you can do this is to copy your vlc directory to the application's installation directory \bin\vlc directory (for example, replace our vlc directory with your own at c:\program files\vlc). 

What's Gmote Touch? What is the 'Touchpad' icon that I see when I hit menu from the remote control screen?

Gmote Touch is a beta feature that allows you to control the mouse and keyboard of your computer from your Android phone. The screen acts as a touchpad similar to a laptop's touchpad. While in 'Gmote Touch', you can type keys which will be sent directly to your computer. Here's a typical scenario:

- From the remote control screen, press the 'menu' button on your Android phone.
- Select 'touchpad' from the menu
- Now, simply drag your finger across the screen and watch as the mouse follows your actions.
- You can send click the mouse by taping the screen once. Tap twice in succession to send a 'double click' to your computer. You can do a right click by doing a long press on the screen.
- You can launch your browser by using the mouse. Then, click on the address bar. You can now type in an address directly from your phone and see it appear on your computer!

There are several ways to use this (for example, you can browse to youtube.com and watch youtube videos in full screen, or even control a power point presentation from your phone).

PLEASE NOTE: Gmote Touch is still an experimental feature. The data it sends to the server is not encrypted. You should therefore NEVER SEND CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION such as passwords from the phone.

Do you have any tips on how I can control the mouse easier when in Gmote Touch mode?

You can use the trackwheel to control the mouse at a finer level. You can also press down on the trackwheel to send a mouse click to your computer.

What file types do you support? Can I add my own file types?

Yes you can. We were unable to test every possible file type that vlc potentially supports. Therefore, we created a mechanism that allows you to add extra supported file types to gmote. To add these follow these steps:

1. From your computer, right click on the Gmote server icon and select 'help', 'show settings and logs folder'   
2. Open the file called supported_filetypes.txt. 
3. Add the extension that you want to the appropriate area.
4. Restart the gmote server.

Also, if you end up adding a file type that plays successfully, please email us at hello@gmote.org and let us know so that we can include it in future releases. 

How to uninstall the Gmote Server (Windows) (version 1.2.0 only, as version 1.2.2 now comes with an uninstaller)


Gmote is self contained and doesn't write any settings to the registry. Therefore, to remove the app, all you have to do is:

1. Delete the installation directory (c:\program files\gmoteserver)
2. Click start, programs, startup, right click on "Gmote Server" and hit delete.
3. Click on start, programs, right click on "Gmote Server" and hid delete.
Also, if you are uninstalling Gmote because you are having technical issues, we would be very happy to hear about your problem and help. We've had a lot of success stories and would hopefully be able to revolve your problem.

How do I make the Gmote server automatically run when my computer starts?

1. Copy the gmote shortcut that is found in start, all programs, GmoteServer, GmoteServer

2. Paste it into Start, Programs, Startup



I'm getting a Gmote server is out of date message. What can I do?

1. Make sure to turn off the gmote server from your computer (right click on the icon and select 'exit').

2. Uninstall the gmote server from your computer by going to start, programs, gmoteserver, uninstall (if this option is not available, skip to step 3)

3. Go to c:\program files and delete the gmoteserver directory.

4. Go to http://www.gmote.org/server to download and install the latest version of the gmote server. Please email us if you have followed these steps and it has not worked.




How can I disable subtitles, or set any other typical VLC option?

1. Go to the application's installation directory's bin\vlc directory: (c:\program files\gmoteserver\bin\vlc).

2. Double click on the vlc.exe icon.

3. Modify vlc's settings using the menus that are available on its user interface.

4. Close the vlc window.

5. Restart the gmoteserver.


Is there a desktop client that can connect to the Gmote Server?

If you would like to use your computer to control the gmote server, here's one way to do it:

1. Download the Android emulator which is part of the Android sdk http://code.google.com/android/download.html

2. Run the Emulator

3. Install the gmote client on the Android emulator by opening the web browser and navigating to http://www.gmote.org. 

I'm having problems installing the Linux version. Where can I find help?

Please have a look at this very helpful thread:

http://androidcommunity.com/forums/107205-post38.html


Is Gmote Open Source? Where can I find the source code?

Yes, Gmote is an open source project. You can find the code here: http://code.google.com/p/gmote

You can email us at hello@gmote.org  





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