Switchboard: Product Overview & Philosophy
Switchboard turns your Android smartphone or tablet into a versatile, low-latency control hub and direct file transfer station for your PC or laptop.
🎯 The Problem
Modern computing frequently places personal computers in configurations where physical interaction with hardware controls is awkward or fragmented:
- Multiple External Monitors: Adjusting brightness across multiple external monitors typically requires reaching behind each physical panel to navigate sluggish on-screen display (OSD) button menus.
- Background Applications & Media: Changing volume levels for a game, chat application, or music player often requires alt-tabbing or navigating deep into Windows sound settings.
- Ad-Hoc File Transfer: Sending photos or documents between phone and desktop typically relies on cloud-based messaging services (like Telegram, WhatsApp, or Slack), cloud drives (Google Drive, OneDrive), or clumsy USB cables.
- Third-Party Bloat: Existing remote control software usually demands online accounts, cloud relays, persistent internet connections, or invasive subscription tiers.
💡 The Switchboard Solution
Switchboard operates with a strict local-first, zero-trust philosophy:
- Zero External Dependence: All traffic stays within your home or office local network (LAN / Wi-Fi).
- Direct Hardware Control: Adjusts actual monitor backlights via VESA DDC/CI commands and taps directly into OS audio mixing sessions via WASAPI.
- Seamless Cryptographic Trust: Pairing takes seconds using ephemeral asymmetric key exchange (X25519) via QR codes. No accounts, emails, or passwords.
- Native Performance: Written in Go for the lightweight host daemon and Kotlin with Jetpack Compose for the mobile client.
🚀 Key Capabilities Matrix
| Feature | Switchboard | Traditional Remote Apps | Cloud File Sharing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Network Footprint | Pure local LAN / Wi-Fi | Relayed through cloud servers | Cloud storage servers |
| Account Required | ❌ None (Zero-password) | ✔️ Email / Account / Password | ✔️ Account required |
| DDC/CI Hardware Displays | ✔️ Native hardware VESA commands | ❌ Software gamma overlay only | ❌ None |
| Per-Display Standby | ✔️ VESA VCP 0xD6 individual sleep/wake | ❌ None | ❌ None |
| Per-App Audio Mixer | ✔️ Direct Windows WASAPI sessions | ❌ Master volume only | ❌ None |
| Microphone & Recording | ✔️ Hardware gain + instant cough mute | ⚠️ Master volume only | ❌ None |
| Media Transport & Artwork | ✔️ Windows SMTC with album art | ⚠️ Partial / Emulated keys | ❌ None |
| Remote Typing & Clipboard | ✔️ Unicode SendInput + instant sync | ⚠️ Basic key emulation | ❌ None |
| Workstation Power Controls | ✔️ Screen off, sleep, timed shutdown | ⚠️ Third-party scripts | ❌ None |
| File Transfer Privacy | ✔️ End-to-end encrypted direct P2P | ⚠️ Varies / often unencrypted | ⚠️ Stored on third-party servers |
| Android Integration | ✔️ Material You & SAF storage | ⚠️ Outdated non-native UI | ⚠️ Generic web / mobile app |
🖥️ Hardware & Platform Compatibility
Desktop Host
- Supported Operating Systems:
- Windows 10 / 11 (Full feature set: DDC/CI, WMI internal display, WASAPI mixer, SMTC media transport).
- Linux / macOS (Architecture supports modular OS drivers).
- Display Compatibility:
- Any external display supporting DDC/CI connected via DisplayPort, HDMI, or USB-C.
- Internal laptop displays supported via Windows WMI brightness controls.
Android Mobile Client
- Minimum Android Version: Android 8.0 (Oreo, API Level 26) or higher.
- Recommended: Android 12+ for dynamic Material You theming and edge-to-edge layouts.
- Permissions:
CAMERA: Used exclusively while the QR scanner viewfinder is active.INTERNET&ACCESS_NETWORK_STATE: For local network communication.POST_NOTIFICATIONS&FOREGROUND_SERVICE: For uninterrupted background file transfers.FOREGROUND_SERVICE_CONNECTED_DEVICE&CHANGE_NETWORK_STATE: For the optional Stay Connected mode, which holds the desktop session open while the app is backgrounded or cleared from Recents.REQUEST_IGNORE_BATTERY_OPTIMIZATIONS: Offered only from Settings, and only while Stay Connected is on — Android's Doze mode otherwise suspends network access with the screen off. The app works without it.- No broad storage permissions required: File transfers use the secure Android Storage Access Framework (SAF).