With mSecure on iOS you can sync through Wi-Fi, Dropbox, or iCloud. Syncing through either Dropbox or iCloud allows you to automatically sync any changes made in mSecure, but if you want to keep everything within your network, for extra security, you can use the manual Wi-Fi syncing option.

Requirements

In order to sync your mSecure data via Wi-Fi, there are a few requirements that need to be meet. First, a Wi-Fi sync can only be initiated from the mobile version of mSecure when syncing with the desktop version of the app. If you have not installed mSecure on your Mac, you will need to do that before following the instructions that follow.

After mSecure is installed on your Mac, you will need to make sure that both apps are using the same login password. mSecure uses your login password to make sure each app is authorized to communicate with one another. If you not using the same password, mSecure will display an error message telling the login passwords don’t match.

Next, you will need to ensure mSecure on your Mac and iOS devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. If each device is not on the same Wi-Fi network there will be no way for the two mSecure apps to communicate with one another.

Lastly, mSecure will need to be running on your Mac, and you will need to be logged in to the app as well. If you are not logged in to mSecure on your desktop, you will receive a message informing you that mSecure is locked on your computer.

NOTE: As stated above, a Wi-Fi sync can only be initiated from mSecure running on a mobile device. Therefore, the sync button in the desktop version of mSecure will be disabled when using the Wi-Fi sync feature, and it is only enabled when the Dropbox or iCloud sync feature is enabled. 

To begin a Wi-Fi sync in mSecure, you will first have to open and login to mSecure on your Mac.

Logging into mSecure on your iOS device

Once you are logged into mSecure on your desktop, open and login to mSecure on your iOS device.

Accessing mSecure’s Preferences menu

In order to initiate the Wi-Fi sync, you will need to go to mSecure’s preferences. To do this, tap the gear icon in the bottom right of the main view.

Accessing the Sync Setup menu

Once you are in mSecure’s preferences, tap on Sync Setup.

Wifi Sync Options

Tap on Wifi in the “Sync Setup” screen.

Wi-Fi Sync Connections

Since you are using a Mac, your computer should be running Apple’s Bonjour service. With Bonjour enabled, mSecure should be able to find your computer automatically.

NOTE: While in the Connections screen, mSecure will continually search for computers to connect to, even after a connection has been established with your Mac’s mSecure app. The reason for this is mSecure is always on the lookout for other desktop mSecure apps running on the network. If you were to open mSecure on a different desktop computer connected to your Wi-Fi network, mSecure on your iPhone would be notified, and a new connection would appear in the COMPUTERS FOUND list in the Connections screen.

Tap on the computer in the Computers Found list.

Initiating a Wi-Fi Sync

Tap Continue to initiate the Wi-Fi sync.

As mentioned earlier, in order to complete mSecure’s Wi-Fi sync, you will need to make sure that mSecure’s login password matches on both devices. If the passwords don’t match, mSecure will not be able to complete the sync process.

Wi-Fi Sync completed

Once the Wi-Fi sync is complete, you will see a list of all changes that took place during the sync.

Manual Sync Setup

If, for any reason, Bonjour is not running or installed on your Mac, you will have to manually enter your IP Address in mSecure. To manually enter your computer’s IP Address, tap on the “+” icon in the Connections screen introduced in the Wi-Fi Sync Connections step above.

Connection name and desktop IP Address

After tapping on the + button, you will have to give your connection a name, and enter your desktops IP Address and port number. To manually enter you computer’s IP Address, tap on the + button in the top right of the Connections screen introduced in the “Wi-Fi Sync Connections” section above. For the connection name, you can enter something simple like, “My laptop”.

Desktop IP Address

You can find out what your desktop’s IP Address is by going into the Wifi Sync tab in mSecure’s preferences on your desktop computer. To access mSecure’s preferences on your Mac, click on mSecure in the top left of your screen, then click on Preferences in the drop-down menu. After the Preferences window appears, click on the Wifi Sync tab. In the Wifi Sync tab, you will see the “Desktop IP address” field, and in mSecure on your iOS Device, you will need to enter the series of numbers displayed in that field.

The four digit number after the colon in the “Desktop IP address” field is the port number your mSecure apps are using to communicate over your Wi-Fi network. mSecure’s default port number is 4070. Though it is possible to change the default port number, it is rarely needed. If you do not have experience working with ports on a computer network, you should keep the Port setting in the Wi-fi Sync tab set to Dynamic. This will ensure the default port is used when your mSecure apps are communicating.

Save connection details

Once you have entered your connection name, IP Address and port number into mSecure on your iOS device, tap Save to save your connection details.

Saved Connections list

mSecure keeps a list of all sync connections, whether they were found automatically or entered manually. In order to use the manual connection you just created, you can tap on the “My laptop” connection. As long as you are logged into mSecure on your Mac, and the text below “My laptop” is green, the sync should complete successfully.

Possible issues

There are many reasons why mSecure might have trouble communicating between your devices. The three most common reasons are listed below along with brief troubleshooting tips to help you in solving the problem.

mSecure is locked on your Mac

If you are not logged into mSecure on your desktop, you will receive a message informing you that mSecure is locked on your computer.

mSecure not open on desktop

If mSecure cannot reestablish a saved connection, you will be notified in red text that the connection could not be found. This usually happens when mSecure is closed on your desktop.

Mac Firewall blocking mSecure communication

When mSecure cannot communicate with your desktop, you will see the error message below. Typically, this message is caused by the desktop firewall blocking incoming communication from the mSecure app on your iOS device. In this case, you should be able to fix the problem by adding mSecure to the exceptions list in the firewall settings of your Mac’s System Preferences.

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