Android App: take photo and send it via Wifi to PC
I need an Android App that does this: lets you take a photo with your Android smart phone, and once the photo is taken, it is sent via wifi to a PC on the local network and the image is dropped into a specified folder as a JPEG. Want to be able to pre-configure it once to set up the wifi IP and the folder on the PC -- once setup, you just shoot a photo, and it appears in the folder on the PC. No 'drag and drop', no looking thru existing photos to send, no sending to web-site or need of a browser.
There are a bunch of apps out there involving photos and wifi and general file xfer via wifi -- but I don't see any like I have described.
My first choice is for someone to point me to an existing App. Second choice I may have to hire someone to write it for me. Anyone know if such an app exists? Any technical reason why it should be difficult to create if it doesn't exist? Thanks!
There are a bunch of apps out there involving photos and wifi and general file xfer via wifi -- but I don't see any like I have described.
My first choice is for someone to point me to an existing App. Second choice I may have to hire someone to write it for me. Anyone know if such an app exists? Any technical reason why it should be difficult to create if it doesn't exist? Thanks!
Chris Harte
A phone is a standalone device and connecting it to a pc the way you describe is not what it was designed for. What you are describing sounds like a wireless camera or a GoPro, wouldn't that be more suitable?
ASKER
Chris -- a camera with wifi seems like the perfect thing, but the ones I've looked at all seem to only offer the ability to upload to a website -- because I guess the big market is people sharing photos or posting to facebook -- but I want to go straight from camera to PC via wifi. Anybody know of a "wifi camera" that can do that?
If you have a Bluetooth dongle on your PC, you can transfer photos directly from the Images app on your phone.
ASKER
Paul -- but I want to use wifi (not Bluetooth); and I don't want to scroll thru existing images, select, then press transfer -- I want to have them automatically sent via wifi as I shoot. Doesn't it seem simple? I am starting to think it doesn't exist, which surprises me....
Why not just use flickr? It will give you the option of uploading all photos to your flickr autosync album (you specify privacy settings) and you get 1tb free.
Any camera sold as a security camera will do it. Also, if it uploads to a website, you can up load to an ip address.
ASKER
Thomas -- using Flickr, are you saying it is possible to "automatically send images as I shoot them and they appear in a folder on my PC"? I don't think so.
They appear in flickr, not your PC. You can use an app like bulkr to auto download from flickr to your PC. If you only want it to only work when you are connected to wifi, why not use IF (IFTTT - If this then that) you can easily create a formula for this. Or, if you are more adventurous, try creating a formula using tasker - the app costs money, but it was the best money I ever spent.
In reading my comment I realized I left something out - the photos are still on your phone. You would need to create a formula in either tasker of IF to delete the photos from your phone as well. Personally, I don't delete them - too much of a chance something will go wrong. I went to Italy last year and took over 1000 photos on my Samsung Galaxy S5 (16gb internal with a 64gb sd card). When I was on wifi, they uploaded automatically to flickr, when I got home, I categorized them. I no longer have them all on my phone (different phone too). But I use a backup program that backups up all my photos to my computer - My Backup Pro - paid version (free version does NOT let you back up to your own computer).
In reading my comment I realized I left something out - the photos are still on your phone. You would need to create a formula in either tasker of IF to delete the photos from your phone as well. Personally, I don't delete them - too much of a chance something will go wrong. I went to Italy last year and took over 1000 photos on my Samsung Galaxy S5 (16gb internal with a 64gb sd card). When I was on wifi, they uploaded automatically to flickr, when I got home, I categorized them. I no longer have them all on my phone (different phone too). But I use a backup program that backups up all my photos to my computer - My Backup Pro - paid version (free version does NOT let you back up to your own computer).
I did a little research on using IFTTT. Try DoPhoto by IFTTT. there is one premade formula that scans a picture and sends it to your computer.
ASKER
Thomas -- I want to shoot an image, and with no other work, have the image appear in a folder on my local PC. In my application, the user will be standing there waiting for the image to appear. wifi direct from the camera to PC should be pretty fast. I wonder in your scheme of upload to flickr, then a script to download to PC -- how long that will take....?
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Also, when I take a screenshot it autouploads to dropbox. This, If I remember correctly, I setup through dropbox. It asked If I wanted to auto upload pictures and I said yes it also has a setting to only do this when on wifi. Since you can have dropbox on your computer as well, the pictures automatically appear in the camera uploads album of dropbox.
ASKER
Thomas - Put Do Camera on my iPhone, and used the recipe to send to dropbox. Works. The only non-perfect issues are:
1) takes about 30 seconds before the image arrives in dropbox (in my testing)
2) this scheme requires an internet connection - a direct "wifi to PC" scheme wouldn't.
Looking at Do Camera + Pushbullet also, in case its faster/better than dropbox, but can't get it to work yet....
1) takes about 30 seconds before the image arrives in dropbox (in my testing)
2) this scheme requires an internet connection - a direct "wifi to PC" scheme wouldn't.
Looking at Do Camera + Pushbullet also, in case its faster/better than dropbox, but can't get it to work yet....
I thought the pushbullet connection might be what you were looking for. Why the "need for speed?"
ASKER
In my application, my software application is going to grab the image (from Dropbox or wherever) will then process it in certain ways, then it will come up in my application full screen. Often, a user of this scheme will wait to see the image pop up in my PC application to make sure it shows what they need, before shooting the next image. A typical session might be to shoot 4 to 8 images. So, in this scenario, it would be nice if it wax 10 seconds per image rather than 30.
It hit me at 6 am this morning (I was up anyway) that airserver may be a solution. It shows the phone in real time on a computer on the same wifi. I don't know if you can get it to send the picture instead of capturing it, buy I suppose you could. This type of solution may fill your needs. Direct wifi? Samsung Sidesync (for a Samsung device)?
ASKER
only solution found so far! Thanks!
ASKER
So, I'm learning Xamarin and writing my own App to snap pictures and wifi them to a PC. Then a webserver app on the PC receives the image and sticks it in a folder. Working! Just need some clean-up to complete the project....
you can do it using Google sync...
ASKER
but that probably requires an internet connection. I want to be in a remote place with only my smartphone and my PC.