Arduino Remote Studio

1 · What Arduino Remote Studio is

Arduino Remote Studio turns your phone into a programmable remote for any device that speaks plain serial over Bluetooth Classic (HC-05, HC-06, ESP32 BT) or WiFi/TCP (ESP8266, NodeMCU, or any TCP socket). You place controls — buttons, joysticks, a D-pad, sliders, gauges — on a canvas, type the text command each one sends, then connect and drive.

There is nothing to flash on the phone side and no XML to write. Your firmware just reads commands like FWD:80 or LIGHT_ON and, optionally, prints back KEY:VALUE lines that the app shows live.

2 · 60-second quick start

1. Install & open. On first launch you'll see a short onboarding, then the Home screen with categories and your remotes.
2. Open a template. Tap Robot Driver (or any starter template) to load a ready-made layout.
3. Connect. Tap Connection → pick your HC-05 from the paired Bluetooth list, or enter the IP & port of your ESP32/ESP8266.
4. Drive. Push the joystick or hold the D-pad — commands stream to your device. Watch the battery gauge update if your firmware reports it.
5. Make it yours. Open the designer, drop a new widget on the canvas, type its command, and you have a custom remote.

3 · App tour

4 · Connecting over Bluetooth

Arduino Remote Studio uses Bluetooth Classic (SPP) — the same serial profile HC-05, HC-06 and ESP32 BT-Classic modules expose.

1. Pair in Android Settings first. Bluetooth Classic modules must be paired in your phone's system Bluetooth settings (PIN is usually 1234 or 0000) before they appear in the app.
2. Grant permissions. On Android 12+ the app asks for Nearby devices (BLUETOOTH_CONNECT / SCAN). Allow it so it can list and connect to your module.
3. Pick the device. Connection → Bluetooth tab → tap your module (e.g. HC-05). Connected status turns green.

5 · Connecting over WiFi (TCP)

For ESP8266, NodeMCU, ESP32-WiFi or a Raspberry Pi, the app opens a raw TCP socket to your device. Your firmware runs a TCP server and reads the commands the app sends, line by line.

1. Put your phone and the device on the same WiFi network.
2. Connection → WiFi tab → enter the device IP address and port (e.g. 192.168.1.50 : 8080).
3. Tap Connect. Or skip the typing and use auto-discovery below.

6 · Auto-discovery & QR pairing

Find devices automatically Premium

Tap Scan for devices and the app finds boards on your WiFi two ways at once:

• mDNS / DNS-SD — devices advertising the _arduinoremote._tcp service appear by name, no IP needed.
• UDP broadcast — the app broadcasts a probe; firmware that replies with its details shows up in the list.

You can attach a device-type filter to a template (e.g. car, drone) so a scan only surfaces matching boards.

Pair from a QR code Premium

Have your sketch print a QR encoding the connection details; point your phone at it and the IP/port (or Bluetooth target) auto-fills. The app reads pairing URIs of the form it generates internally, so a QR your firmware prints from the same scheme will connect in one tap.

7 · Saved connections

Save a connection as a profile for one-tap reconnects. Free users can keep 1 saved connection; Premium removes the limit, so you can store your robot, your LED controller and your drone separately.

8 · Starter templates

Six ready-to-drive remotes ship with the app (Premium). Each is laid out on a reference canvas and rescales to your screen automatically.

Open any template to drive it as-is, or duplicate it and edit in the designer to match your wiring.

9 · The designer

10 · Widget reference

11 · Commands & live data

Outgoing: command formats

Most widgets send a plain text command. Sliders, joysticks and D-pads build the command from a format string with live placeholders:

You can send plain text, JSON, hex or any templated string your sketch expects.

Incoming: two-way data

If your firmware prints lines in the form KEY:VALUE (newline terminated), the app routes each value to any Gauge, Display, or conditional control listening for that key.

// Arduino — report telemetry the app can show
Serial.println("BATTERY:82");   // → battery gauge / display
Serial.println("TEMP:28");      // → "Temp" display, shows 28°C
Serial.println("RPM:18500");    // → RPM gauge (amber/red on thresholds)

12 · Safety: Emergency Stop & failsafe

13 · Macros Premium

Record a sequence of commands as you operate the remote, then save it as a one-tap macro — "park the car", "scene: movie night", a robot demo routine. Replay the whole sequence with a single press.

14 · Usage heatmap Premium

The app counts how often each control is used and visualises it, so you can see at a glance which buttons you actually reach for and redesign the layout around them.

15 · Conditional controls Premium

Hide a control until your device reports a specific value. Set a visible-when key (and optional value) on the control; it only appears in the runner once the device sends a matching KEY:VALUE. Use it to build progressive UIs that reveal options only when they're relevant — e.g. show "ABORT LANDING" only while STATE:LANDING is active.

16 · Import, export & sharing Premium

Remotes are portable .json files. Export one to share via WhatsApp, email or Drive, or import a friend's. The layout carries its design canvas size, so it auto-rescales to the receiving phone's screen — no broken positions. Everything works offline; your designs live on your device.

17 · Free vs Premium

The core is free, with generous limits to build and drive a real remote. Premium is a single one-time purchase — no subscription, no ads — that unlocks everything.

Purchases are processed by Google Play. Already bought Premium on another device? Use Restore purchases on the Premium screen.

18 · Firmware example

A minimal Arduino sketch that reads commands from the app and reports battery back. Wire an HC-05's TX/RX to a SoftwareSerial pair (or use Serial directly).

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);   // match your HC-05 baud (often 9600 or 38400)
}

void loop() {
  if (Serial.available()) {
    String cmd = Serial.readStringUntil('\n');
    cmd.trim();

    if (cmd == "STOP")        stopMotors();
    else if (cmd == "LIGHT_ON")  digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
    else if (cmd == "LIGHT_OFF") digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
    else if (cmd.startsWith("SPEED:"))
      setSpeed(cmd.substring(6).toInt());   // "SPEED:75" → 75
    else if (cmd.startsWith("X:"))
      drive(cmd);                            // "X:50,Y:-30"
  }

  // Report telemetry every second → gauges/displays update live
  static unsigned long t = 0;
  if (millis() - t > 1000) {
    t = millis();
    Serial.print("BATTERY:"); Serial.println(readBatteryPct());
  }
}

19 · Troubleshooting

20 · Privacy

No login. No ads. No analytics or advertising SDKs. Your templates, connection profiles and command logs stay on your phone unless you choose to export them. Connecting to your own devices is entirely local. The only network call the app makes itself is a version check on launch (to tell you when an update is required), which sends basic app/device info. Premium is a one-time in-app purchase processed by Google Play. See the full Privacy Policy for the exact details.