DevTools/WiFi Debugging

Security Warning

This page describes how to use the current version of WiFi debugging in the tree (after landing bug 1000428). There is still much work to be done to make it secure. If you want more info what the completed version would be like, check out the design details.

The current version of WiFi debugging is not authenticated or encrypted. This means that, if you enable it as described below:

• Anyone on the same WiFi network can connect to your device with the DevTools
• Anyone on the same WiFi network can read your debugging traffic (which can include full requests, responses, etc.)

Because of this, it would be wise to avoid enabling this feature at this time on a device with data that is sensitive or personal in any way. These issues will be resolved before this feature is available by default.

Overview

WiFi debugging allows WebIDE to connect to your Firefox OS device via your local WiFi network instead of a USB cable.

The connection experience is generally more straightforward (especially after connecting to a device the first time) than with USB and also more convenient to use since you're no longer tied down by a cable.

Toggle Feature Flags

Since this feature is still under heavy development, there are few things you must do make it available:

• Firefox Nightly:
  • Set the pref devtools.remote.wifi.scan to true
• Firefox OS:
  • Set the pref devtools.remote.wifi.visible to true
  • Enable Settings -> Developer -> DevTools via Wi-Fi

Also, it's best to make sure you're using the latest Firefox Nightly and latest build of Firefox OS from master.

Connect

1. Enable WiFi debugging on Firefox OS (Settings -> Developer -> DevTools via Wi-Fi)
2. Open WebIDE in Firefox Nightly (Tools -> Web Developer -> WebIDE)
3. Click "Select Runtime" to open the runtimes panel
4. Your Firefox OS device should show up in the "WiFi Devices" section
5. A connection prompt may appear on device, choose "Accept"

This process will change as we move forward to include device authentication steps when first connecting to a new device.