The best place to run an AI task depends on what you are doing and what is already available on each device. OGAM (Off Grid AI Mobile) is useful when you need AI with you. OGAD (Off Grid AI Desktop) gives you a computer workspace for larger files and models that fit its hardware. You can choose a practical home for each task without trying to run everything on both devices.
Download OGAD | Desktop releases
What would you like to do with Off Grid AI?
Want help with this workflow, or a feature you would like us to add? Email support@offgridmobileai.co with your devices and the task you want to improve.
Begin with three tasks you actually use
List the work you want to complete, not the model names you want to collect. For example: dictate a short note after a visit, ask questions about a project document, and create an image concept.
For each task, write down where the source lives, where you need the result, and whether internet or your home network will be available. These details often settle the device choice before technical specifications do.
Suppose you use a phone during visits and a laptop for client work. Local phone dictation can capture the note where you are. Reviewing several project documents may be easier on the laptop, where the files and a larger screen are already available.
Separate portability from processing capacity
A phone is convenient because it is present when the task arises. A computer may have more memory, storage, or graphics capacity, but that depends on the actual devices.
Do not assume that every desktop outperforms every phone or that a larger model is automatically more useful. Test the complete task with a model that fits each device.
| Factor | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Source location | Is the full file already on this device? |
| Memory | Does the selected model load with room for the task? |
| Storage | Can the model and source material fit locally? |
| Interaction | Is the screen and input method suitable? |
| Connectivity | Must it work completely disconnected? |
| Result | Where will you review and use the output? |
The answer can differ for two tasks on the same day.
Use the phone for a small complete workflow
OGAM can run downloaded local models for tasks such as chat and speech input. For a quick note, you do not need to move the task to a computer just because the computer is more powerful.
Prepare the app and required models while connected. In the phone's model settings, choose an on-device model for the task. For dictation, the speech model is separate from the text model used to organise or answer the note.
Try one short task with Wi-Fi and mobile data off. Check the output and save it in the place you intend to use. A transcript sitting in an unsent message box is not the same as a completed work record.
Get OGAM for the phone part of this workflow. Check the published device requirements before choosing a model.
Use the computer when the workspace matters
OGAD is useful for reviewing longer documents, comparing sources, and working with models that fit your computer's memory. The benefit may be the keyboard and file workspace as much as the processor.
For document work, select a local model in Models > Text. Create a project through Projects > New project, add readable files under Knowledge & settings > Knowledge base > Add files, and start a project chat after indexing.
Ask a narrow question with a known answer first. Then decide whether the selected model handles the actual task well enough. A large context setting or model download does not guarantee that every page of a document is considered.
The Projects implementation supports the desktop source workflow. It does not make project search an exhaustive document audit.
Distinguish running locally from using another device
There are three different arrangements:
| Arrangement | Where the model runs | What connection is needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Phone-local task | Phone | None after the required setup and downloads |
| Computer-local task | Computer | None after the required setup and downloads |
| Phone or laptop using a home model | Home computer | A usable network path to that computer |
Using a home model from a phone is remote inference, even when you own both devices. It can let a lighter device use a model hosted elsewhere, but it is not a fully disconnected phone workflow.
On the same local network, the devices may communicate without internet. Away from home, a private-network connection such as Tailscale ordinarily still needs internet between the locations. The home computer must remain available.
Keep model use separate from device sync
Sync moves selected content between devices. It does not mean every device can run the same model, and it is not the same as sending an inference request to a model host.
If you use Off Grid AI device sync, check its tier, pairing, and sharing settings for your installed versions. Decide which material you want to move. A task can stay on one device without requiring sync at all.
For the visit-note example, you can dictate locally on the phone and later copy the checked text into a computer project. That manual route is enough to test the usefulness before adding a more connected setup.
Make a small task-placement plan
Use a table with one row per recurring task:
| Task | First device to test | Reason to move it |
|---|---|---|
| Short dictated note | Phone | Technical terms or review process need another setup |
| Multi-document review | Computer | You need the files while away from that computer |
| Image concept | Device with a suitable local image model | Memory, storage, or generation behavior is unsuitable |
| Short text draft | Device already holding the source | A larger workspace improves review |
These are starting choices, not performance claims. Keep the task on the simpler setup if it produces a useful result.
Test the result, not only whether the model loads
Use the same small input on each device when a comparison is useful. Check whether the output answers the question, preserves important facts, and can be reviewed and saved easily.
Record the selected model and the main limitation you encountered. Do not infer a speed or battery advantage without measuring it on your devices.
Download OGAD and get OGAM, then choose one task for each. A small division of work that you can complete offline is more useful than an untested model collection on every device.
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