Remote

With Nifty Plus, Remote lets your own devices reach your Nifty from anywhere. You don't need to open ports on your router. Remote is in beta, and how it works can still change.

Your Nifty connects out to Nifty Plus, and your devices reach it through Nifty Plus. Everything a device and your Nifty send each other is encrypted between the two, so Nifty Plus passes it on without being able to read it.

Nifty Plus keeps your Nifty's Remote address and which copy of Nifty it belongs to, the time its current connection runs out, a fingerprint of each paired device's pass, and how much has passed through this month. While you pair a device, it also keeps a fingerprint of the code until the code expires. Within 31 days of your Nifty's last connection to Remote ending, Nifty Plus deletes all of this except the address and which copy of Nifty it belongs to. It keeps those so that another copy of Nifty can't take over the address.

A device needs an app that works with Remote. Nifty's own app for phones isn't available yet. To write an app, see Remote for developers.

Turn on Remote

1. Connect Nifty Plus, if you haven't already. See Connect Nifty Plus.
2. Open Settings → Nifty Remote.
3. Turn on Remote access.

When Remote is ready, the page says "Remote is ready."

Pair a device

1. In Settings → Nifty Remote, choose Pair a device. Nifty shows a QR code and a code to type.
2. On the device, open the app, and scan the QR code or type the code. A code works for 5 minutes.
3. Nifty asks whether to allow the device, using the name the device gave itself. Choose Allow only if it's your device and you entered the code on it yourself. Otherwise, choose Deny.

You can pair up to 10 devices. To pair another, revoke one you don't use. Each device is listed under Devices, with when it was paired and when it last connected. To give a device a clearer name, choose the Rename button (a pencil) beside it.

Stop a device

To stop a device using Nifty, choose the Revoke button (a trash can) beside it, then choose Revoke device. Its connections to Nifty close straight away, and Nifty Plus turns it away from then on. If a device is lost or stolen, revoke it. To use the device again, pair it again.

Turning off Remote access stops every device until you turn it on again, but they stay paired.

You need to pair every device again if you restore a backup, move Nifty Plus to another copy of Nifty, or open a copy of Nifty's data folder on another computer. This stops a device you revoked after a backup from coming back.

When Nifty is read-only

While Nifty is read-only, Remote keeps working as long as your subscription is paid. Your devices can view your data but can't change it.

Fair use

Remote can carry up to 20 GB a month between your devices and your Nifty. If it reaches that, devices can't connect until the next month starts, and Settings → Nifty Remote says so.