Update - 8 Month Update
- @david
Background: I use tinypilot to control 4 computers remotely. I have been doing this from my office, which is in a different room from the computers, as well as to use TailScale to remote in while away from home. I have been using this setup on my PC as well as my phone. Lessons learned:
Terms: Managed Computer(s) = devices connected to KVM
Remote computer/phone = my device from where I'm connecting to tinypilot
- Hot keys from remote computer won't get sent to managed computer. If you want to use Alt-Tab or other hot keys, you'll have to use the on screen keyboard provided by tinypilot. However with any type of lag, this can be challenging and frustrating but it'll eventually work
- Connecting directly from a phone to tinypilot via a browser means that there is no mouse control, only touch control. This means any finer control is not possible, you can only tap on targets but if the target is hidden or otherwise too small, you may not have success
- I use a two step process - I remote desktop to a Windows PC via Chrome Remote Desktop and enable the trackpad. Then, using my phone screen as the trackpad, I can control my managed computers with no issue. The screen is small but I can pinch to zoom and this works
- In this setup mentioned in step 3 above, the key presses from the standard on screen keyboard from Android or Apple won't get sent to the managed computers, only to the intermediate PC. Chrome Remote Desktop provides a different On Screen keyboard that is not very good but it will send the keypresses to the managed computers, small inconvenience but it works
- I tried using an external bluetooth keyboard with my android phone but the problem in point 4 above persists. Basically, the only keyboard on Android or iPhone that will send keypresses to the managed computers is the specific on screen keyboard that is provided in-app with Chrome Remote Desktop, thereby limiting the functionality
Nice to have functionality based on my usage in the past 8 months
- Mouse Jiggler - I believe this has been implemented but I'm yet to test it
- Screen switcher - in conjunction with the mouse jiggler, this is a big deal. If I have 4 computers, 3 of them will fall asleep. Instead if it's possible to switch computers every few mins and jiggle the mouse and round robin it, then the computers will stay awake forever
- Somehow figure out how to pass key presses from the Android and iPhone on screen keyboard to the managed computers
- Tinypilot hot keys - it would be great to be able to save hot key combinations in the interface
- Email me when a system is not responding. I have have occasion when a computer has updated and shut down. If TinyPilot could message me about it, that would be helpful
- Two way sound from the target machine - my customers/bosses are a bit confused why I can't use Teams to talk to them and insist they call me on my phone
That's it for now.
David @david2023-08-28 14:28:09.503ZHi @Zantosh, thanks so much for your detailed update about your TinyPilot experience so far!
And thanks for your suggestions too! It sounds like you have some unique use cases that I haven't seen before, like connecting via phone with Chrome Remote Desktop to your intermediate PC.
Nice to have functionality based on my usage in the past 8 months
1. Mouse Jiggler - I believe this has been implemented but I'm yet to test it
You're correct - we now have a simple mouse jiggler that you can use to keep machines awake.
2. Screen switcher - in conjunction with the mouse jiggler, this is a big deal. If I have 4 computers, 3 of them will fall asleep. Instead if it's possible to switch computers every few mins and jiggle the mouse and round robin it, then the computers will stay awake forever
That's an interesting idea. We haven't had any requests for anything like that before. But you could do this using a similar script to the mouse jiggler - only you'd add the keyboard key command to cycle through the target machines. That could get irritating if you're actively using the target machines, however.
3. Somehow figure out how to pass key presses from the Android and iPhone on screen keyboard to the managed computers
This sounds like a specific issue with Chrome Remote Desktop. From your description, Chrome Remote Desktop can only send keyboard input when using the in-app keyboard. So from my understanding, unless the app adds support for external keyboards, there isn't much we can do.
4. Tinypilot hot keys - it would be great to be able to save hot key combinations in the interface
We've had similar requests for saving frequently used keyboard input in the past, so we're tracking that in this GitHub issue. It's not part of our short term roadmap yet, but we prioritize features based on user demand, so we'll definitely consider your feedback in our planning. I've added a comment mentioning that you're interested in this functionality. You're welcome to subscribe to the Github issue for updates if you like.
5. Email me when a system is not responding. I have have occasion when a computer has updated and shut down. If TinyPilot could message me about it, that would be helpful
That sounds like an interesting and unique use case. Although I'm not sure how TinyPilot could reliably detect that a connected machine has shut down (rather than say simply gone to sleep, or had their cables disconnected). It may be possible to set up a script on your target machine to email you when it's shutting down.
6. Two way sound from the target machine
This is something we're interested in - we have an internal ticket open to explore bi-directional audio, but it's not on our short-term roadmap yet. We'll definitely use your feedback in our planning!
I hope I've replied to everything you asked about! Please let me know if you have any other questions or suggestions!