across Ver 2.21 – Release Note

First of all, thanks a lot for your patience to our next major update. Finally, we are ready to release the next version of across in a few days. As hinted in some previous postings, the coming version has a couple of new fantastic features: 1) iOS/iPadOS/macOS/android screen mirroring, 2) Remote control in the mirroring screen.

Besides, we fixed many bugs including several critical ones, optimized in many parts, and therefore it works much smoothly and flawlessly.
1. Common on all platforms: All TCP IPv6 connections only use the link-local address which is not a routable address and therefore all traffics over IPv6 connections are secure without worrying about being routed to outside of your local network. Hence, if you want more secure network connections between devices, we recommend you to leave the “Prefer IPv6 Over IPv4”-checkbox in the client network settings dialog checked.
2. Windows: In Windows 10, Across Center works with the Per-monitor awareness mode in high-DPI screens environment. All GUI windows appear with correct size and the best resolution in each monitor.
3. macOS: All applications binaries are universal, and so they run natively even in new Apple silicon ARM Mac’s without the need for x86-emulation with Rosetta 2.
4. Linux: You can use a touchpad on a laptop working in Across Server to control client devices.
5. android: We added Fileserver to access files in your android device from your computer. All its traffics are encrypted securely with TLS. You can browse/copy/modify files in your android device from the mounted network drive (volume) with the native file app (Windows: File explorer, macOS: Finder, Linux: …).

The following user requests have been applied in the next version:
1. iOS/iPadOS devices will be connected automatically upon across start.
2. During installing in Windows, user can choose a preferred GUI language.

 

1. Prerequisite for Windows
Airplay Mirroring of Apple devices uses Bonjour and across for Windows needs Bonjour Service running in your Windows PC. As it is included in iTunes, download iTunes and install it. If you do not need iTunes, you can remove iTunes but have to leave Bonjour Service installed. If you have no plan to use an Apple device (iPhone/iPad/Mac) and only use android devices, you do NOT need iTunes and Bonjour Service.

2. TCP/UDP ports & Firewall Setting
Each Airplay Mirroring device uses several its own TCP/UDP ports for video/audio streaming and its control. So, it is impossible to register every ports used by all devices to exceptions. Therefore if you are using a Firewall software, please register the AcrossCenter binary file (Win:AcrossCenter.exe, macOS:Across Center, Linux:AcrossCenter) as an exception so that AcrossCenter can bind any available ports. If you are not using other Firewall software than Windows Firewall, you don't need anything to do since across automatically registers it in Windows Firewall for you.

3. How to use Airplay Mirroring
Please refer to Apple site. If you search for an Airplay display, the Across Server computer will be searched. Just click it and then the Mirroring screen will appear in your Across Server computer.

4. How to control in Mirroring Screen
Keyboard Input: When the mouse cursor is over the mirroring screen, you can type keys into the mirroring device directly.
Mouse Input
iOS13+/iPadOS/android: When the mouse cursor is over the mirroring screen, you can use the keyboard/mouse hotkeys to switch input focus back and forth.
iOS12~9/macOS: When the mouse cursor is over the mirroring screen, just click the point you want without the need of any hotkey.
Assistive touch in iOS/iPadOS will be helpful to control your device.

5. iOS/iPadOS Wifi Private Address
For across to identify your device, you have to turn private address off. Otherwise, across will display it as an unknown device and you are unable to control it remotely.

6. android Wifi MAC Randomization
For across to identify your device, you have to turn the Wifi MAC Randomization off for a Wifi connection or Wifi Hotspot. Please refer to how to disable/enable the Wifi MAC Randomization.

7. Wifi/Bluetooth Interference
The quality of Screen Mirroring and Remote Control in the Mirroring Screen heavily depends on the quality of devices Wifi/Bluetooth connection. If Wifi and Bluetooth have the same 2.4GHz band, they would tend to interfere each other easily. Therefore, we recommend you to assign Wifi to the 5GHz band rather than 2.4GHz if possible.

 

Some more bugs fixed from v2.20