Straight answers about how CNCjogger works. Something not covered? Send us a message — we reply personally.
Two parts: a free phone app (iPhone and Android) and the CNCjogger Stick — a small USB stick that plugs into your CNC computer. The stick shows up to the computer as a regular plug-and-play keyboard. When you tap jog buttons in the app, the stick types the matching keyboard shortcuts into your CNC software. Your phone becomes the wireless jog control; the computer never knows the difference.
The computer. This is the most common point of confusion, so to be extra clear: the CNCjogger Stick plugs into a USB port on the computer that runs your CNC software, and it stays there. Your phone connects to the stick wirelessly through the app. Nothing plugs into your phone. A USB-C to USB-A adapter is included so it fits either port type.
No. The stick enumerates as a standard USB keyboard — the same way any keyboard does — so there is nothing to install, no drivers, no settings to change, and nothing running in the background. Plug it in, open your CNC software's jog screen, open the app, and you're jogging.
Five programs have ready-to-go presets in the app: Carbide Motion (Shapeoko/Nomad — including all four jog speed settings), Universal Gcode Sender (UGS), Easel (X-Carve), Mach3, and OpenBuilds CONTROL.
Beyond the presets: if your CNC software supports keyboard jogging, CNCjogger can work with it — Custom Layout mode lets you assign any keystroke (with modifiers) to any button. Customers have set it up with software we never planned for, like the NextWave Ready2Control. If you're unsure about yours, ask us — we'll tell you honestly whether it will work.
CNCjogger is not created by, endorsed by, or affiliated with the makers of any of these products.
Yes. The app is free on both the App Store (iOS 16 or newer) and Google Play (Android 8.0 or newer). Android support shipped in June 2026 after being our most-requested feature.
Only if they run from two different computers. The stick jogs whatever software window has focus on the computer it's plugged into — so one stick covers multiple machines controlled from one PC. Separate computers each need their own stick.
About 30 feet in typical shop environments — enough to stand at the machine, around a corner, or behind an enclosure while the computer sits at the desk. The app reconnects automatically the moment you open it.
Honestly? Those work too. The differences: wired pendants cost roughly $100–$400 and add a cable; Bluetooth keypads are cheap but are one more device in the shop to charge, sync, and keep track of. CNCjogger's approach is that you already carry a battery-powered touchscreen controller — your phone — so the only new hardware is a $34 stick that stays plugged in and powers itself from the USB port. Nothing new to charge, nothing to store, nothing to find.
CNCjogger sends keyboard shortcuts, so it can only do what your CNC software exposes as a shortcut. Carbide Motion, for example, has no reliable keyboard shortcut for pause/resume or feed override, so we don't offer buttons that couldn't work. It's a jog control — positioning, homing workflows, and speed selection where the software supports it — and we'd rather be upfront about that than sell you buttons that don't do anything.
$34 with free US shipping — that's the stick, a USB-C to USB-A adapter, and a printed quick-start card. The app is free, with no subscription and no accounts. International buyers can order via our Etsy listing.