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Connection Modes: Wi-Fi and Ethernet

Understand the difference in using USB (Wi-Fi) and OTG (Ethernet) modes. This guide explains how each mode works, how to switch between them, and how to troubleshoot common connection issues.

Wi-Fi vs. Wi-Fi+Ethernet

When purchasing you may be required to make a selection of either Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi+Ethernet .

The Wi-Fi variant of Cellhasher only supports USB mode. The Wi-Fi+Ethernet variant of Cellhasher supports both USB and OTG modes. Only one mode is able to be active at a time.

Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi+Ethernet could accurately be referred to as USB and USB+OTG but we chose to keep it simple to highlight their primary difference.

Variant
Supported Modes
Description
Toggling

Wi-Fi

USB

Phones communicate with your PC over the provided USB to Type-B cable.

Always in USB mode

Wi-Fi+Ethernet

USB and OTG

Phones communicate with your PC over network (LAN) via Ethernet cable.

Toggle modes with the ⏻ button by quickly double clicking.

🎥 Video Guide

Watch the full tutorial on how to switch between USB (Wi-Fi) and OTG (Ethernet) modes below:

USB Mode

USB mode is always the default connection state when turning on your Cellhasher, even after turning off when in OTG mode. In Cellhasher Control, each device cards will display a blue phone icon next to the device serial ID to indicate it's in USB mode.

Using USB Mode

  1. With devices installed, connect a Type-B to USB cable to your PC.

  2. Open Cellhasher Control and go to Devices Tab.

  3. Verify if each device card shows a blue phone icon next to its serial ID — this indicates an active USB connection. If not, proceed by

If connecting multiple Cellhashers to one PC, the PC may fail to recognize and manage all the USB devices. Make sure you have an adequate system if you'd like to manage multiple Cellhashers at once.

OTG Mode

OTG mode allows any phones that contain the internal drivers for Ethernet to utilize an Ethernet connection to your network. However, an initial USB connection is required to enable and assign TCP/IP communication.

Using Ethernet for the First Time

Make sure you have enabled Wireless Debugging enabled prior to continuing. Refer to Enabling USB (and Wireless) Debugging if not turned on already.

  1. Start by your Cellhasher powered on and in USB mode.

  2. In the Devices Tab, select all of your desires phones.

  3. Click the LAN Connect button at the top of the Device Tab. This opens the Connect to LAN popup.

  4. After clicking Continue, the setup window will appear with network configuration details.

  5. Enter your PC’s local IP address (e.g. 192.168.1.100). The PC must be on the same network that your Cellhasher is connected via Ethernet to.

  6. Leave the default port set to 5555 (recommended).

  7. Click Switch to LAN.

  8. Confirm if your configuration looks correct—you’ll receive a confirmation window before the switch begins.

  9. On your Cellhasher, double-click the ⏻ button to toggle from USB to OTG mode.

  10. The Cellhasher LED indicators will change from blue (USB) to green (OTG) to indicate successful connection to the network.

  11. Click Scan Ports.

  12. The system will scan for devices on port 5555 and connect to them over the LAN.

Done! Devices discovered on the network will appear — now connected via LAN.

Troubleshooting & Developer Notes

Developer Insight: When you click Convert to WiFi, it automatically enables TCP port 5555 on all devices. After converting to Ethernet mode, you may wish to disable Wi-Fi on each device to ensure stable OTG routing.

ADB Connection Lock: If a port scan stalls, one of your devices may be waiting for an ADB authorization prompt.

  • Check the phones’ screens and accept the USB debugging prompt.

  • Alternatively, go to Settings → Restart ADB Server in the app to reset connections.

If no devices appear after scanning:

  • Confirm that your host PC and Cellhasher chassis are on the same network/subnet.

  • Check that port 5555 is open and reachable.

  • Verify that the chassis successfully switched to Ethernet mode (green lights).

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