Use the Wireless Terminal

Run shell commands on another Android device over Wi-Fi with no cable, and reach a server over SSH and SFTP.

You are running shell commands on another Android device over Wi-Fi, with no cable and no computer in between.

Before you begin

This page covers two tools: Terminal reaches another Android device over Wi-Fi using ADB (Android Debug Bridge), and SSH Terminal reaches a remote server. The prerequisites differ.
For both: Test Nexus on the phone you are working from, and a Platinum subscription — Terminal and SSH Terminal are both Platinum features.
For ADB over Wi-Fi only: Android 11 or newer on both phones (wireless debugging does not exist below it, and it is the minimum Test Nexus supports), and both devices on the same Wi-Fi network.
For SSH only: a reachable host, and the username and password for an account on it.

On the device you want to control, open Settings, then About phone, and tap Build number seven times. A message confirms Developer options are on.
Open Settings, then Developer options, then Wireless debugging, and turn it on. Confirm the prompt.
Leave that screen open. The next two steps read values from it.

On the device, tap Pair device with pairing code. It shows an IP address, a pairing port and a six-digit code.
Open the Terminal tile from the App Hub to start the setup wizard, enter those three values and tap Pair. Do it promptly — the code expires.
Back on the Wireless debugging screen, find the connection port. It is NOT the pairing port you just used.
Enter the connection port in Test Nexus and tap Connect. The status bar shows Connected with the device name.

Type a shell command and tap Execute. Output appears above the input, colour-coded so your command, its output and any error are distinguishable; errors are red.
Use the on-screen up and down arrows to move through command history, and tap a suggestion as you type to fill it in.
Tap Quick Actions in the top bar for the built-in command catalogue, grouped by category such as Apps, Device, Screen, Network and Debug. Some ask for input first, such as a package name.
Tap Scripts to chain several commands. Use the ${VAR_NAME} syntax for a variable and Test Nexus prompts for each value at run time.

Open SSH Terminal from the App Hub. The SSH Connections screen opens. This is the other half of the tool: it connects to remote Linux servers, virtual machines and devices rather than to an Android handset.
Tap the + button to save a profile — a name, the host, the port (22 by default) and your username.
Choose Password authentication. Test Nexus does not keep the password in the profile; it asks each time you connect.
Tap the saved profile to connect. Tapping the row connects; the pencil icon edits it instead.
On the first connection to a host, Test Nexus shows the server's host key fingerprint. Confirm it matches what your administrator gave you, tap Accept, then enter your password when prompted.
Once connected, SFTP lets you browse and transfer files, and you can forward ports and keep several sessions open at once.

ADB over Wi-Fi: after Connect, the status bar reads Connected with the device name. Run ls and confirm its output appears above the input.
If pairing fails the code has usually expired — request a new one. If pairing succeeds but connecting does not, you are almost certainly using the pairing port rather than the connection port.
SSH: after accepting the fingerprint and entering your password, the tab shows a shell prompt. Run whoami and confirm it returns the username from the profile.