VNC client for the reMarkable tablet allowing you to turn the device into a second screen for your computer.
This project is not affiliated to, nor endorsed by, reMarkable AS.
I assume no responsiblitiy for any damage done to your device due to the use of this software.
VNC is a desktop-sharing system that enables a client to see the screen of another computer and act on it remotely. It relies on a well-established protocol supporting multiple platforms including Windows, Linux and Android. The reMarkable is a writer tablet featuring an E-Ink display, a Wacom pen digitizer and a touchscreen, that can be used for reading, sketching or note-taking. It runs a fully open, Linux-based, system.
rmvncclient brings both worlds together by allowing the tablet to connect to a remote VNC server, show the remote screen on its E-Ink display and interact with it through the touchscreen. This can effectively turn the tablet into a second screen for your computer. Applications include reading web-based content, typing documents, drawing, or previewing LaTeX documents as you compose them.
Grab the latest build from the releases page (or build the software yourself by following the build guide), then copy the rmvncclient executable to the tablet by using SSH.
This VNC client is compatible with VNC servers that are capable of sending pixels in the RGB565 format and that use a resolution compatible with reMarkable’s screen size (1408 × 1872 pixels). It has successfully been tested with x11vnc. When trying to connect to an incompatible server, the program will report details of the problem then exit.
Although this client can connect to any compatible VNC server, the most common scenario is using the tablet as a second screen for the computer it is attached to. For this scenario, you will need to configure your system to create a virtual second screen and then start a VNC server on your computer that the tablet can connect to.
The details are specific to the operating system you’re using:
- Linux with X11
- Linux with Wayland (Help wanted!)
- macOS (Help wanted!)
- Windows (Help wanted!)
You can quit rmvncclient at any time using the “Power” button (the one above the screen). Activity on the touchscreen will be translated to mouse interactions following the mapping in the table below.
| Interactions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Touch screen |
 Tap → Left click Long press → Right click |
 Horizontal swipe Horizontal scroll |
 Vertical swipe Vertical scroll |
| Buttons |
 Home button Force refresh |
 Power button Quit app |
|
| Pen | Pen input will be converted to mouse click and drag. | ||
While the client is running, frames will be displayed on the tablet’s screen as they are received from the server. Due to the properties of E-Ink, there will be some extra latency (up to 1s) between the time of a change on the computer and the moment it appears on the screen. On dark background apps, there will be some ghosting on the screen: use the “Home” button (the one in the middle of the button row below the screen) to force a refresh and clear those artifacts out.
This client was built in C++ using libvncserver, which implements the RFB protocol behind the VNC system.
Many thanks to:
- libremarkable and FBInk, on which input/output handling in this client is based.
- Damien Challet and Qwertystop for providing the inspiration of a VNC client for the reMarkable.
- The Discord developer community for providing initial feedback and testing.
Martin Sandsmark also built a VNC client for the reMarkable which only depends on Qt.
This work is licensed under the GPL v3.