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I need to setup a service on my laptop to transfer files to and from my Android phone over a network connection (wifi). Solutions for the laptop may be for either Ubuntu, Windows 7 and Mac OSX.

I don't want a highly detailed answer or step by step guide. Just give me some keywords to look for or any suggestion.

SPRBRN
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Mikael S.
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    You will probably need to be more specific for us to even point you in the right direction. What type of phone is it? The phone's capabilities will play a large role in the method of connection to get the file (nfs, ftp, http, scp, etc). The problem isn't that you're transferring by wifi, you're just using wi-fi as a physical medium, the protocol used to transport the file will be more important in telling you if there is any possibility of "pushing" files on newly connected devices. For the most part, that will not be possible without some scripting or other tools. – MaQleod Apr 28 '14 at 18:40
  • @MaQleod, thanks. It's gonna be an Android phone with 802.11 WiFi. I know it needs some packet manipulation to send data passively but what about a wireless file server on laptop? – Mikael S. Apr 28 '14 at 18:56
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    Since you have access to Ubuntu it's very easy to just install Apache (an HTTP server), put the files you want to download it its folder and then use the phone's browser to download the files. If you need to create an access point you can do that with Ubuntu too with the Hostapd package. –  Apr 28 '14 at 19:27
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    Or you can go with FTP server and have i.e. ES File Explorer on your phone connect to that FTP server living on your laptop. – Darius Apr 28 '14 at 19:38

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You can use Btsync to sync files between folders on different devices. It works really simple. After installing, you create a share by selecting a folder and creating a code. It's easiest to start on the laptop. Create a new folder for the syncing, and copy files to this folder. If another device deletes files here, they might be lost on all devices so you should only use copies here.

When you have created the first share, link you phone to it. From the laptop you can scan a QR code for the secret key. On the phone you use another new folder. You can sync automatically, and you can sync manually. You can set to sync only over wifi or over 3G as well.

http://www.bittorrent.com/sync

SPRBRN
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  • Thanks. But I'm looking for a file server and not an application. I'm writing an Android app and I need a file server to test my app. – Mikael S. Apr 29 '14 at 19:26
  • Then make it clear in your question. What kind of service? Webserver, FTP-server, bittorrent? Is it public or do you need a login? – SPRBRN Apr 29 '14 at 20:02