Alright Let’s Get This Thing Set Up
So yesterday I dug out that tfor-002 thing I bought ages ago but never used. The box was dusty, man. Figured it was finally time to see what this gadget could actually do. Here’s how my afternoon went, step by messy step.
First Look and Gathering Stuff
Opened the box – pretty basic inside. Found the main unit, some wires, this little power adapter block, and a sheet of paper with tiny pictures pretending to be instructions. Typical. Needed my own stuff too: a screwdriver because why not include one, right?, a laptop, and my phone.
Plugging It In
Found the power socket on the back of the tfor-002 unit. Plugged in one end of the power cord there. The other end? Yeah, into that little black adapter brick. Then shoved the adapter into the wall socket near my desk. Saw a tiny green light pop on underneath the unit. Okay, so far so good, it has power.
The Tricky Bit: Connecting to the Laptop
Grabbed the special cable that has a normal USB plug on one end and some tiny square plug I forget the name of on the other. Squinted at the unit… found the tiny port labeled “PC”. Jammed the tiny plug in there. The other end went into an empty USB port on my laptop. Heard that ding sound Windows makes when it notices something new.
- Looked at my laptop screen: “Setting up device driver”. That little wheel spun… and spun… and spun.
- After like five minutes, “Device driver software was not successfully installed.” Great.
- Went hunting online for drivers. Tried two different ones people mentioned. First one did nothing. Second one? After a restart, the dang laptop finally saw the thing!
Setting Up the Phone Side
The paper instructions showed a diagram for the phone app. Downloaded “TForLink” from the app store on my phone. Opened it up.
- App asked for location and bluetooth. Said yes to both.
- It started scanning… found my tfor-002 unit listed as “TFor-002_XYZ123”.
- Tapped it… little spinny icon… then “Connection Successful!” popped up.
That part was surprisingly easy, thank goodness.
Making Them Talk to Each Other
Back on the laptop now. The tfor-002 software finally installed with the second driver download. Launched it – “TFor Manager” or something. It had a button saying “Sync Devices”. Clicked that. A list popped up with my phone name. Selected it.
- Almost immediately, my phone buzzed: “TFor Manager wants to pair. Accept?” Tapped YES.
- Then the laptop software asked for a PIN code. Where the heck? Scanned the manual again… nothing. Closed the app.
- Restarted both the laptop software and the phone app. Tried the sync button again. This time, the laptop software showed a 6-digit number. My phone showed the exact same number and asked to confirm. Confirmed YES on the phone.
- Finally! The laptop software screen changed, showing my phone model and stuff. They were buddies!
Testing It Out
Okay, time to see if this brick actually does anything. The software had a big button “Test Mode”. Clicked it. My phone screen suddenly mirrored onto my laptop screen! I could wiggle the mouse on the laptop and move a little pointer on my phone screen. Wild! Tapped the phone to open a game… saw it open on the laptop display too. Seemed laggy, but it worked.
Mounting the Thing
Almost forgot the actual unit needed a home. It had these sticky pads and a little stand. Peeled the plastic off the pads, stuck it firmly onto the top of my second monitor. It wobbled. Used a couple of those tiny screws and my screwdriver to bolt the stand down properly. Felt sturdy enough.
Why I Bothered Messing With This Thing
Honestly? My kid spilled juice all over my old setup a week ago, fried it completely. Needed something cheap and quick to connect my work laptop to my phone for testing stuff, and this dusty box was staring at me. Total impulse dig through the closet. Was it smooth? Not even close. Took me way longer than those pictures suggested. Nearly gave up when the driver failed. But hey, it’s running now! Will it hold up? Who knows. For now, it beats replacing the expensive gear.
