Ethernet via OTG - new possibilities?

Hi!
I bought an OTG adapter to connect my F2 with the ethernet and now I had to realize that the F2 can´t do that. Within the forum there are 2 threads with this theme of July ´16 and May ´18, but there was no solution.

So I contacted the support and got the answer of “no go”. What a pity! Hopefully a next update could add this option!

While searchin through the internet I found instructions for using ethernet via OTG with an android mobile device:

Is there anybody who can tell me if it could work on this described path? With rooting and the 3 mentioned apps?

I would like to support the wish of having this feature at the Fairphone while the Fairphone-community is a conscious user-family and I´m sure this family also would like to have the possibility of reducing the electromeagnetic field we all are exposed to.

Looking foreward to answers!

All the best to everyone, Omesha

Have you tried lineage and see if that works?

Chris

Hi!

Thank you for youe answer. Could you please tell me what lineage is and how to use? Is it an alternative system to android? If it´s this way, what happens if I change the system with all my other apps and my datas?

Would be great if you could give me a short overview!

Have a nice day, Omesha

Hi, LineageOS is a custom Android ROM. I’m running my FP2 since several months with this system and i really recommend trying it. I don’t know, if it will fix your USB-OTG issues, but in general use it’s way better than the original FPOS, in my opinion.
LineageOs can be obtained at:


https://download.lineageos.org/FP2

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That article at chip.de mentions to check if the phone has the ethernet driver loaded.
I just checked on my FP2 running LineageOS with dmesg | grep Ethernet and that gave no result (it does on my linux PC).
And also the article refers to an App called Ethernet but the link to the play store no longer works.
According to this - somewhat newer article - there is no special app needed: https://www.wirelesshack.org/how-to-connect-a-android-to-wired-ethernet-connection.html

So it seems the only problem will be if the Ethernet driver is available.

Thank you Martin and Ingo for your answers!

How is it about lineage? Do i install it and all my apps are still available? And what about the possibility of backing up my datas on my google account? Does it work with lineage?

The Fairphone-Support told me that there´s no possibility to use Ethernet on the Fairphone but it would be nice if we would find a possibility through lineage or apps. In the articel of chip.de is written to use 3 apps, one of them is the “ethernet”-app I also not found. So I don´t know …

Now I think I will try lineage as soon as I have the necessary informations for installing and using. The link of wirelesshack.org I will also study and hopefully there is some help.

If there is anybody alse who perhaps found a way for the ethernet-connection pleas write here!

Read you soon, Omesha

Hi Omesha,
LineageOS is shipped without Google-Services. So before restoring your Apps and Settings (after a prior google-backup) you will have to install the google apps (gapps) manually.
Those can be obtained via:

https://opengapps.org/
or
https://microg.org/

OpenGapps is a kind of wrapper, which will install the original google-services. It’s quite easy to understand and to install, but in terms of privacy … well … it’s Google :wink:
MicroG is focused on privacy and tries to replace google’s services by native open source apps.

Personally i chose OpenGapps because i use some apps for my work which heavily rely on google-services and i really didn’t want to mess up, but that’s a matter of taste or curiosity :wink:

Greetings
Martin

I’m using /e/ which is based on lineageOS, but focuses more on privacy and comes with preinstalled microG. All my apps which also rely on Google services run fine. But I’m afraid there’s also no Ethernet via OTG possible - at least not without root…

I just tried: FP2 with LOS, OTG cable & USB stick ==> nothing, no reaction of the phone at all!?! :fearful:

Oh, What a pity, Volker and d2w! Sounds that there´s no way … The Huawei of my son worked immediately with OTG to ethernet-adapter. Plug & Play. Fantastic! But not the Fairphone … There´s something to do for our dutch developer I think for the future Fair&Healthy Phone!

But lineage is interesting me. How do you backing up your datas with lineage and with which apps? And can I transport my datas from google to these apps? Is it “/e/” as you mentioned? Would be great to get a little more advices for starting the adventure …

Thank you guys for all of your help! And thank you for the one who is possibly coming with the final idea for OTG and ethernet … ?!

Omesha

An additional consideration:

On the website

https://www.wirelesshack.org/how-to-connect-a-android-to-wired-ethernet-connection.html

is written:

“Every manufacture customizes android for their devices and may remove or add drivers.”

And at antoher place I read that the driver for the ethernet connection is included from Android 6 on. But some manufactures are putting driver out or in. Is it perhapts possible to install the driver later?

On this website is written:

“Android versions 4.0 and later have the driver built-in to builds from Google, although individual Android device manufacturers sometimes disable this support. Whether driver is left enabled is up to each device maker.”

What do you think about that?

Omesha

If there is no ethernet driver installed on Lineage or other Android-based OSes, what about UbuntuTouch ?
@Ingo perhaps you could investigate with your test FP2? :smiley:

I’m using TWRP for backing up my data as image files in the sdcard, because i don’t trust any backup-app :wink:
Images, Videos and other media are transferred to my PC manually via USB vor WLAN. Only APP needed is my calendar to remind me of doing so :wink:

LG
Martin

Here is the output:

phablet@ubuntu-phablet:~$ dmesg | grep -i ethernet
[    2.949178] Bluetooth: BNEP (Ethernet Emulation) ver 1.3
[    3.334249] ethernet_phy:

Not sure if that helps.

I can verify that chip works on macOS and Linux. However I am not sure about Android (or this specific Linux kernel FP2 uses).

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