Debugging Android over a Network

While the ADB debugging option over a USB port is very convenient, sometimes being able to debug over a network connection can not be beat. This is one place where Android and ADB are amazingly easy, once you know the right commands.

You have to have console access to get this to work. First, from the Android console or adb shell, type in these commands:

setprop service.adb.tcp.port 5555
stop adbd
start adbd

Now use the netcfg command to find the IP address on your device. With that IP address, on your host computer you are debugging on, run the command:

adb connect <ip address of target board>

You should get a message that ADB is connected. You can now debug the device just like it was connected via the USB cable. Pretty slick!