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Local networking help please - Pi / Android Tablet

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  • Local networking help please - Pi / Android Tablet

    I'm after advice which may be judged not really relevant to FR24/Pi but it is relevant to me!

    My Pi runs Dump1090 and the FR24 software and uploads and all of that is hunky dory. I have a 7" HP7 G2 Tablet which I use as a screen. It's Android 4.4. Most of the time it's shows me port 8080 from the Pi so I can see what's about, or 8754 so I can see what's working. It's also used occasionally for VNC Viewer on 5900 to connect with vino on the Pi - but mostly I use a macbook for that. It's all local ports in other words.

    So all the data I want is bouncing back and forth from the Pi to the tablet via the router. That's all fine.

    What isn't fine is google/android which is seriously annoying in the amount of time it spends contacting the outside world for updates, unactivated cloud stuff, unactivated everything else stuff, pointless garbage, NSA/GCHQ updates and so on. So what I want to do is set things up so the Pi and the tablet can have little chats with each other locally and that's it.

    The networking options available on android are minimal or less, the google apps can't be stopped or blocked or removed (there's little else on the tablet), and so I'm stumped.

    My router is a pretty normal Netgear DGN2200 which offers options to block devices but I can't see a way of allowing a device local access while terminating its access to the outside world. I've looked at VPN but I'm not sure how that would be implemented on the Pi to allow it to still connect to the FR24 servers.

    If anyone can suggest a simple way I can set things up the way I want them I'd be grateful - but please be aware I'm a network novice so speak slowly and gently.

    Thanks.

    (Oh, and please don't suggest bluetooth anything. My Pi is a generation first Model B and only has two USB ports - one is for the ADSB dongle and the other the wifi dongle. I don't want to use a hub because of power supply problems etc - I've been through that already and the Pi really isn't up to it the poor dear.)

  • #2
    i really can't understand what you really want.....

    Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

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    • #3
      Originally posted by mrcarlos View Post
      i really can't understand what you really want.....

      Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk
      I want to stop the android tablet from communicating with anything other than the Pi's local ports. The addresses I want it to display are all local - 192.168.0.5:8080 or whatever. I don't want it connecting to some google server on the other side of the planet. The only android option seems to be wifi on or off. I don't know (or like) android so I hoped someone could suggest something which would let me specify which network connections were allowed so I could block everything else.

      Does that help?

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      • #4
        I've solved it myself! There's a little app on google play called NoRoot Firewall. The Apps button in it shows everything that wants network access - frighteningly long list. A cross in the box by it blocks it. Quite fiddly to set up because of the size of the boxes but once done that's it. Triples the battery life of the tablet.

        So a quick guide to using an android tablet as a remote screen and controller for a Pi running FR24 feeder software with a wifi connection:

        1) install vino server on the Pi and set to start at login (sudo apt-get install vino)
        2) set vino preferences with menu/system tools/dconf editor/org/gnome/desktop/remote access - authentication-methods='none' if you don't want to bother with a password
        2) install VNC Viewer on the Android tablet (google play)
        3) needs a browser on the tablet (obvious)
        4) NoRoot Firewall on the tablet (google play)
        5) use NoRoot Firewall to block everything except the browser and VNC on the tablet
        6) use the browser to look at 192.168.x.x:8080, 192.168.x.x:8754 or whatever is set up for the feeder settings and interactive display - shortcuts on tablet desktop
        7) use VNC Viewer to look at and manipulate the Pi from the tablet desktop
        8) coffee, beer or wine to celebrate

        (That's so good I think I'll post it as a quick start guide)

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