Previously, we used USB and Bluetooth cables to move data between Android and PC. Nowadays, we don’t carry cables everywhere, and Bluetooth isn’t efficient enough to transfer a large number of files without causing errors.
Most users rely on a stable internet connection to transfer data by various means such as cloud services, email, chat apps, etc. But what if there is no internet connection?
Let’s say you are traveling and need to transfer files from your phone to your PC or vice versa. And you don’t carry a USB cable and mobile data isn’t really reliable. What do you do in such a situation? How do you move files?
That is what we will discover. Let’s see how to share files between Android and PC without an active internet connection.
What is the secret?
No hidden manifesto exists. We will only take advantage of Wi-Fi Direct technology. When you hear Wi-Fi, it’s usually synonymous with the internet, but Wi-Fi Direct is a Wi-Fi standard that doesn’t require an internet connection. It creates a peer-to-peer connection without using any Wi-Fi router and works almost like Bluetooth but with faster data transfer speeds.
Wi-Fi Direct turns your device into a portable virtual router that can be used to connect printers, mobile phones, PCs, etc. However, the technology does not currently support direct file transfers without the need use the app.
what must you do
Fortunately, two ways exist — using a third-party app and a private hotspot with an FTP server. Let’s check them out.
Third-party apps
Most apps on the Play Store that allow you to transfer files require an active internet connection. Thankfully, some of these apps are also capable of taking advantage of Wi-Fi direct.
To name a few worthwhile apps, we have SHAREit, Xender and Zapya. For this tutorial, I will show you the steps with the Xender app.
Step 1: Open the Xender app on your phone and tap the profile picture icon in the top left corner. Then select Connect to PC from the sidebar.
Step 2: Go to the Hot Spot tab and click Create Hotspot. Xender will create a virtual network with its name and password on the next screen.
Step 3: On your PC, connect to this Wi-Fi network using the password provided in the step above.
Step 4: Once connected, open a web browser on your PC and enter the address provided in step two. A confirmation window will appear on your mobile device. Tap Accept.
Step 5: You will be able to access your Android files on your PC in a beautiful, user-friendly interface. Use the drag and drop method to add or remove files. Alternatively, select the file and press the Send button on the mobile device.
If your device runs MIUI, you’re in luck as there’s no need to download any third-party apps. Your device comes with Mi Drop, a pre-installed app that uses Wi-Fi Direct to let you transfer files without internet. A Google file manager called Files by Google also offers this feature.
Native hotspot
In the above method, one has to rely on apps to create hotspots. But you can also do it without any app. Does that mean you can then directly transfer files using Wi-Fi Direct? It’s sad no. Once you have set up a hotspot, you must use FTP. For that, you need a third-party FTP server app already installed on your phone.
You can use applications like WiFi FTP Server and Ftp Server. If you are using file explorers such as ES File Explorer and Solid Explorer, both have built-in FTP servers.
Here are the steps for the whole process.
Step 1: On your Android device, open Device Settings and go to Network & internet.
Step 2: Tap Hotspot & tethering, then Wi-Fi Hotspot.
Step 3: If you are using the hotspot for the first time, set a custom name and password here. Then activate it by flipping the switch.
Once set, you can enable future live hotspot from quick settings.
Step 4: On your PC, connect to this hotspot network.
Step 5: Open an FTP-enabled application and click Start. I’m using the WiFi FTP Server app here. Note the server URL as you will need it in the next step.
Step 6: Open File Explorer on your PC, enter the server URL provided in the application in the address bar and press Enter.
Your Android folders should now be available on your PC. You can add or remove files here easily.
What is forewarning?
The only challenge here is that you need third-party apps and you have to install them on your phone before attempting to transfer files. So download and install them today because you never know when you might need them.
Old is really gold?
You can use the methods mentioned above even if you have an internet connection. Both ways have some essential benefits over traditional methods like cloud sync, email, or chat apps. For starters, you enjoy faster data transfer speeds followed by the ability to transfer large files. In addition, your files are not transferred or stored on any servers during this process.
So which method works best for you? Let us know in the comments below.
Next up: Tired of the ads in SHAREit app? Try these 10 alternative file sharing apps.
Categories: How to
Source: thpttranhungdao.edu.vn/en/
