Your phone takes the photo. Your computer can analyze it.
OGAM (Off Grid AI Mobile) can send an image question to a vision model running in OGAD (Off Grid AI Desktop). You keep the phone as your camera and chat screen while the computer supplies the memory and processing. On a trusted local network, this does not need a cloud AI provider.
The image leaves the phone and goes to your computer. This is private-network inference, not analysis confined to the phone. Install the apps and download the desktop model before relying on it without internet.
Download OGAD | Get OGAM for Android | Get OGAM for iPhone
When is this useful?
Photograph a whiteboard and ask for an outline while you are still standing beside it. Read a printed instruction sheet without typing every line. Ask about a chart saved on your phone using a vision model that is too large to run comfortably there.
You do not need to transfer that model to the phone. The computer must remain awake and reachable for each answer. Its hardware determines which model you can use; the model still needs to support image input.
Prepare the computer once
In OGAD, download a local vision model and select it for chat. Ask it about a sample image directly on the computer first. This confirms that the model and its required vision component are ready before you add the phone connection.
Then open Gateway and note the displayed port and base URL. The default gateway port is 7878, but use the port shown by your running app if it differs. A phone cannot use the computer's localhost address; it needs the computer's address on the local network.
Core local chat and the gateway are free. This route uses Remote Servers in OGAM. It does not require the separate Pro device-sync pairing flow.
Connect the phone to your desktop model
- Connect the phone and computer to the same trusted local network. Leave OGAD open.
- In OGAM, open Settings → Remote Servers.
- Select Scan network and choose the discovered OGAD server.
- If discovery fails, use Add manually and enter the computer's local address with the gateway port, such as
http://192.168.1.20:7878. - Use Test connection, select the desktop vision-capable chat model under Text model, and save the server.
- Select that remote model for the phone conversation.
The Text model field selects the chat model, which can include vision support. The separate Image model setting is for generating pictures. It is not the choice for answering a question about your photo.
Use the address your computer actually has; the example address above is only a format example. On iPhone, allow OGAM access to the local network. On Windows, allow OGAD through the firewall for your trusted private network.
Ask about one photo
In the phone chat, use the attachment control, select Photo, then Camera or Photo Library. Check the preview and ask a concrete question.
For a whiteboard:
Read the visible headings and bullet points. Turn them into a meeting outline. Keep unclear words marked [unclear], and do not add decisions that are not shown.
For a printed instruction sheet:
List the visible steps in order. Tell me which words you cannot read before you explain the instructions.
The image is encoded and sent to your chosen desktop endpoint with the question. The answer returns to the phone. Compare important words and numbers with the source before you reuse them.
What keeps this local?
Use the desktop's private network address and a locally running vision model. After setup, the router can carry the phone-to-computer request even when its internet connection is unavailable. Keep Wi-Fi enabled on the phone for that route.
The core gateway uses HTTP and does not require an API key. Use it on a trusted private network; do not expose its port directly to the public internet. Pro device pairing is a different mechanism and does not add authentication to this gateway route.
A computer at home is not reachable from a phone on an unrelated network through this setup alone. Remote access away from home needs a separate protected connection and can need internet.
If the photo gets no useful answer
If the attachment menu does not offer a photo, check that the selected remote chat model advertises vision support. If text works but images fail, verify the full vision model on the computer. A connection test alone does not establish that a text-only model can read images.
For unreadable details, crop the relevant part and send it again. If the request stops when the computer sleeps, wake it and reconnect. Keep the first test to one clear image and a short question.
Use your phone as the camera for your desktop AI
Get OGAD and OGAM on Android or iPhone. Connect over your own network, photograph one page or whiteboard, and ask for a checked outline. Use your computer's model from the device already in your hand.
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