reMarkable 2

The reMarkable 2 is a wonderful device that has served me well for more than two years now. I use it daily for tasks ranging from bullet-journaling, over e-reading, to working through and annotating scientific papers.

One of the biggest advantages over the competition (and the most important selling point for me) is that the reMarkable device is not a closed-down Android-based system. It is Linux-based and you get root SSH access out of the box! That opens the doors to all kinds of custom software being able to run next to or on top the vanilla software.

The following notes describe my current setup and how I installed the tools I use. A quick word of caution: These kind of notes tend to get out of date rather quickly. Please visit the tools’ websites for the latest information. Also, while reMarkable AS does not hide the SSH access, you violate the End User License Agreement by using this access to tinker with the system. Standard disclaimers regarding bricking your device, losing data, crashes, etc. do apply.

My Setup

I use my reMarkable on version 2.15.1.1189 (because it is the latest version that works with Toltec and ddvk hacks and because I want to see how the version 3 updates pan out before I commit to them), with the Toltec repository, and the remux launcher.

I have installed the ddvk hacks (for bookmarks, tool switching, undo/redo, and more goodness) and KOReader—a wonderful e-reader software that can directly connect to my personal OPDS catalog on my NAS.

Instructions

  1. Check the websites of the tools you want to install for the latest supported reMarkable software version (go to Settings > General > Software to check which version you are on). Only proceed if your current version is supported!
  2. A good idea in general: disable automatic updates. Only fetch the latest software once tools like Toltec gain support for it.
  3. Grab your reMarkable’s IP and SSH password from Settings > Help > Copyrights and licenses > General information > GPLv3 Compliance. Make sure to note that password down somewhere safe. You do not want to be locked out of your system if stuff goes wrong. I additionally decided to put my public SSH key on my reMarkable and login without password, because I read that the SSH password changes on factory reset of the device. I haven’t come across any reports on deleted keys, though.
  4. SSH into your reMarkable with ssh root@[remarkable_ip].
  5. Install Toltec by following the instructions on the website.
  6. Install the remux launcher (or any other launcher you prefer) with opkg install remux.
  7. Enable the remux launcher with systemctl enable --now remux.
  8. Reboot your device with reboot.
  9. Test that the remux launcher is correctly running by swiping from the bottom right to the middle of the screen. This gesture took me a bit to get right. if it doesn’t work the first time, don’t get discouraged and try to swipe from the bottom right corner along the edge of the screen. If all goes well you should see a popup with one entry.
  10. Install more packages. In my case opkg install koreader and opkg install ddvk-hacks. In case you are having trouble getting ddvk-hacks to run, try to follow the steps from their README on GitHub.
  11. Make sure everything works as expected. The remux launcher should let you switch between reMarkable and KOReader now. Awesome—you are done!

Maintenance

If you want to update your packages and Toltec use opkg update to grab the latest repository information, opkg upgrade to install the latest updates, and reboot to restart your device.

When there is a new reMarkable software update (that is supported by all the tools) feel free to update via the Settings page. This does not delete Toltec but you will need to reenable it with toltecctl reenable. Also enable any launcher you might use, e.g. systemctl enable --now remux in my case. Reboot the system and make sure everything works again.

The modding community around the reMarkable is a fast-paced and ever-changing ecosystem. Proceed with caution and make sure to follow the guides and information on the actual project websites and you should be good!

Other Resources