How to Use ADB over Wi-Fi with ADB Kit (Wireless Debugging)

12 October 2026 · guide · adb over wifi · wireless debugging · android · developer tools

A USB cable is the most reliable way to talk to an Android device, but it is not always the most convenient. The port is busy charging, the cable is too short to reach a test rig, or you want to walk around with the phone while you watch logs. ADB over Wi-Fi solves that, and ADB Kit lets you do it from a browser workspace without typing a single command.

This guide walks through both network options in ADB Kit: Wireless debugging (Android 11+, paired by code or QR) and TCP/IP (any Android version, one USB connection first). If you have not used ADB Kit before, start with our guide to ADB in your browser with WebUSB, which covers the USB basics.

How Wi-Fi connections work in ADB Kit

Over USB, Chrome and Edge talk to the phone directly through WebUSB. Over the network, a web page cannot open the kind of connection ADB needs, so ADB Kit uses a small local agent that you install once on your computer.

The agent:

• runs on your own machine, not on a remote server
• only talks to your phone on your local network
• never calls the internet

Your browser connects to the agent, and the agent connects to the phone. Screens, logs, files and APKs stay inside that local loop.

What you need

• A desktop or laptop with Chrome, Edge or another Chromium-based browser
• The ADB Kit workspace open at adbkit.com/app over HTTPS
• The phone and computer on the same Wi-Fi network
• Developer options enabled on the phone

Step 1: Install and start the ADB Kit agent

1. Open adbkit.com/app and go to the connect screen.
2. Choose the network option. The page shows a one-line install command for the agent.
3. Run that command once on your computer.
4. When the browser asks for permission to reach the agent on this computer, allow it.

You only do this once per computer. After that, the agent just needs to be running whenever you want a Wi-Fi connection.

Step 2: Enable Developer options on the phone

If you have not done this before:

1. Open Settings, then About phone.
2. Tap Build number seven times until developer mode turns on.
3. Go back and open Developer options.

Menu names differ slightly between brands, but the pattern is the same.

Option A: Wireless debugging (Android 11 and newer)

This is the cable-free route. You pair the phone with the agent once, then connect over Wi-Fi.

1. On the phone, open Developer options and turn on Wireless debugging. Confirm the prompt for the current network.
2. Tap Wireless debugging to open its settings page.
3. In ADB Kit, choose Wireless debugging on the connect screen.
4. Pair using one of the two methods:
   • Pair with QR code: on the phone, tap Pair device with QR code and scan the code shown in ADB Kit.
   • Pair with pairing code: on the phone, tap Pair device with pairing code and enter the details it shows into ADB Kit.
5. Wait for the connect screen to report each step. When it finishes, the device appears in your workspace.

The connect screen shows step-by-step progress, so if something stalls you can see exactly where.

Option B: TCP/IP (any Android version)

TCP/IP works on older devices too, but it needs a USB cable once to switch the phone into network mode.

1. Turn on USB debugging in Developer options.
2. Connect the phone by USB and authorize the computer when the phone asks.
3. In ADB Kit, choose the TCP/IP option on the connect screen and follow the prompts to enable network mode.
4. Unplug the cable. The phone now connects over the network through the agent.

TCP/IP mode usually resets when the phone reboots, so expect to repeat the USB step after a restart.

What you can do once connected over Wi-Fi

A network connection gives you the same workspace as USB:

• Live screen with mouse and keyboard control
• Screenshots with markup, saved straight to your computer
• Screen recording
• APK install, covered step by step in our guide to installing an APK from your browser
• Live logcat with filters and export
• File manager and ADB shell
• Reboot and boot modes

You can keep up to six devices in the workspace at once, which is handy when you test the same build on a phone and a tablet side by side. The tool is free and does not need an account.

If you prefer the command-line equivalents for screenshots, recordings and logs, see our ADB cheat sheet.

Troubleshooting Wi-Fi connections

The device never shows up. Check that the agent is running and that the phone and computer are on the same network. Guest networks and some office Wi-Fi isolate devices from each other, which blocks the connection.

Pairing fails. Pairing codes expire quickly. Close the pairing dialog on the phone, open it again and enter the fresh code, or switch to the QR method.

It worked yesterday but not today. Wireless debugging turns itself off when you change networks on many phones, and TCP/IP mode often resets after a reboot. Re-enable Wireless debugging, or repeat the USB step for TCP/IP.

The connection drops while recording. Wi-Fi is less stable than a cable. For long recordings or large file transfers, move closer to the router or switch back to USB.

The browser cannot reach the agent. Make sure you allowed the browser permission to reach the agent, and that the page is open over HTTPS.

Security tips for Wireless debugging

Wireless debugging gives a paired computer the same deep access as USB debugging, only over the air. Keep it tidy:

1. Pair only with computers you trust, and only on networks you trust.
2. Turn off Wireless debugging when you are done, especially on a personal phone.
3. Remove old pairings under Wireless debugging > Paired devices.
4. Avoid using it on public Wi-Fi.

Prefer to work from your phone?

ADB Kit is also available as a mobile app on Google Play and the App Store. It includes Wireless ADB over Wi-Fi, along with live screen, logcat, APK install and file transfer, so you can debug one Android device from another phone or tablet without a computer.

Summary

1. Install the ADB Kit agent once on your computer.
2. Put the phone and computer on the same Wi-Fi network.
3. On Android 11+, pair with Wireless debugging by code or QR. On older devices, enable TCP/IP over USB once.
4. Use the full workspace (screen, logcat, files, APK install) without a cable.

Open ADB Kit to try it, and keep the USB guide handy for the times a cable is simply faster.

ADB Kit

A local-first workspace for Android in your browser and on your phone: mirror and control a device, capture screenshots and recordings, install APKs, stream logcat and move files over USB or Wi-Fi.

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