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Connecting Devices

NearMirror supports both USB and wireless connections. You can have multiple devices connected and running at the same time.

Connected devices panel

USB Connection​

  1. Plug your device into your computer with a USB data cable
  2. Unlock your device screen and tap Allow if prompted to authorise USB debugging
  3. The device appears in the Connected Devices list automatically

If the device doesn't appear, click Refresh (refresh). If it still doesn't appear, see USB troubleshooting.

tip

Use the cable that came with your device. Many third-party cables are charge-only and will not establish a data connection.

Wireless Connection​

Wireless mirroring lets you use your device completely cable-free. There are two ways to set it up depending on your Android version.

Method 1 — Via USB first (all Android versions)​

This is the most reliable method and works on Android 5 and later.

  1. Connect your device via USB and confirm it appears in NearMirror
  2. On your device, go to Settings → Developer options and enable Wireless debugging (if available) or note your IP address
  3. Find your device's IP address: Settings → About phone → Status → IP address
  4. In NearMirror's Wireless Connection field, enter the IP address followed by :5555, for example: 192.168.1.55:5555
  5. Click Connect — a green message confirms the connection
  6. You can now unplug the USB cable; the device stays in the list

Method 2 — Wireless Debugging pairing (Android 11+)​

On Android 11 and later you can pair wirelessly without ever connecting a USB cable.

Wireless pairing section

On your device:

  1. Go to Settings → Developer options → Wireless debugging and enable it
  2. Tap Pair device with pairing code
  3. Your device shows a 6-digit pairing code, an IP address, and a pairing port

In NearMirror:

  1. Scroll to the Wireless Pairing (Android 11+) section

  2. Click Scan — NearMirror searches the local network for devices ready to pair and shows them as cards

  3. Select your device's card — the IP address and pairing port are filled in automatically

    tip

    If Scan finds nothing, click Enter IP manually and type the IP address and pairing port shown on your device screen.

  4. Type the 6-digit code displayed on your device into the pairing code field

  5. Click Pair & Connect — NearMirror pairs the device cryptographically, then connects to it; the device appears in Connected Devices

note

The pairing code is one-time only. A new code is generated each time you tap Pair device with pairing code on the device.

note

Both your computer and Android device must be on the same Wi-Fi network for wireless to work.

Finding your device's IP address​

MethodPath
SettingsSettings → About phone → Status → IP address
Wi-Fi detailsSettings → Wi-Fi → tap your network → IP address
Developer OptionsSettings → Developer options → Wireless debugging (shows IP and port together)

The IP address looks like 192.168.1.x or 10.0.0.x depending on your router.

The Device List​

Each entry in the Connected Devices list shows:

  • Device name — the model name reported by the device
  • Serial number — the unique identifier for this connection
  • Connection type — usb or tcpip

All listed devices can be mirrored independently and simultaneously. Click Launch on any device card to open a mirror for that device.

Per-Device Actions​

Each device card offers the following actions:

ButtonWhat it does
LaunchStart mirroring the device screen
app pickerChoose an installed app to open when mirroring starts
cameraMirror the device camera instead of the screen
installInstall an APK file on this device
logsDownload a diagnostic log from this device

Troubleshooting​

ProblemFix
Device not appearing after plugging inCheck USB Debugging is on; try a different cable and USB port; tap Allow on the device
"Connection refused" on wireless connect (Method 1)Make sure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network; confirm the port is :5555
Wireless connected but then disconnectsYour device's IP may have changed — find the current IP and reconnect
Scan finds no devices (Method 2)Make sure the device screen is showing the Pair device with pairing code dialog (not just Wireless debugging enabled); confirm both are on the same Wi-Fi network; use Enter IP manually as a fallback
Pair & Connect shows "failed to connect" (Method 2)The connect port could not be auto-discovered via mDNS — open Wireless debugging on the device, note the IP and port shown at the top, and connect to that address using the Wireless Connection section (Method 1)
Windows firewall blocks wirelessAllow NearMirror through Windows Defender Firewall in Control Panel → Windows Firewall → Allow an app
Device shows "unauthorized"On device: Developer options → Revoke USB debugging authorizations, then reconnect and tap Allow
Multiple devices — wrong one launchesEach device card shows its serial number; use that to confirm you're launching the right device
"ERROR: Server connection failed" when launchingRestart the Android device, then try connecting again