Installing Threemote
One of the great things about Threemote is our integration with built-in Windows features. As long time Windows developers we often stumble across cool features that for one reason or another aren’t in the public eye.
One of these features allows us to install the Threemote software without needing any extra apps. I am of course talking about PnP-X with UPnP (you knew that right?).
PnP-X ?
PnP-X or Plug and Play Extensions is a nifty feature of Windows Vista / Windows 7 that allows devices to be enumerated (discovered) through non-standard PnP methods (ie: USB). You see, with Threemote we need a driver. Without a driver, we’re … lost at sea without a paddle. The driver allows us to get the content from the PC, but to install a driver traditionally you need a plugged-in device. So, PNP-X does away with that and remotely we can trigger driver installs.
What does that mean for me?
Ok, so chances are you don’t care about PnP-X. That’s fine, we’re done with the technical details. What PnP-X means is that you can use standard Windows dialogs to create your device without having to plug it in.
So, you’ve just started Threemote on your device, how do you connect?
Well, here’s how (Windows 7 is cooler for this but Vista does it too):
1) Go to start and click “Devices and Printers”
2) At the top, click “Add a Device”
Windows will go off and search the network and Threemote will respond.
3) You select Threemote and click next
Windows will then ask Threemote for some extra data and voila, the driver starts to download and Threemote has a connection.
4) Threemote will now appear in your “Devices and Printers”
You’re now connected and can start navigating PowerPoint slideshows, controlling music or whatever it is you want to do with Threemote.
Don’t worry, we’ve put enough help screens in to the device to walk through all of the above steps. And yes, Android does it the same way 
.
Until next time …
I have windows vista, but nowhere after hitting the start button do I find “add device/printer. ” I tried adding a device through the printers section of the control panel, as well as adding hardware through the add hardware section, but nothing found my threemote running Droid.
Any ideas?
Thanks.
J
I went through this for Vista:
Go to Start > Network
You should see your Threemote device in your local network.
If you double click it, it should install the driver software.
If not, go to the Device Manager in Control Panel. Right click on the Threemote device under Other Devices and click Update Driver Software. Specify that you want to search online for the driver.
This should find the driver software and install it.
You should then get a message saying it’s a Sideshow compatible device and that it’s installed.
Restart Vista and you should be able to connect from your Android device!