Apr
8
Going NoWare: 9 Ways To Use Your Home Computer From Somewhere Else
by Crystal Clayton, filed under Going NoWare
I’m big on Web applications because they free us to work from any Internet-connected computer on the planet. But when your work requires software that doesn’t (yet) have a Web 2.0 equivalent—or software that is proprietary or has a limited license—only your own computer will do.
Remote access software resolves that problem beautifully by helping us view and operate our home computer from almost any other computer, as long as we can connect to the Internet. Beth at HankerAm Store asked me about remote access options way back on March 21:
My question to you is, we are looking for remote access software. The only one I know of is pcAnywhere. Are you familiar with something in this venue? I would appreciate your input.
I promised her an answer the following week, and then the week after that. Now on week 3, I have to admit there are too many remote access applications to explore and report on each one thoroughly. It’s better to list the remote access apps that Dan (my hubby-to-be) and I use every day with ease and success, and include a few that I haven’t used, but covet.
Remote access at home
I am not network savvy. When Dan talks about firewalls and tunneling, I just grin and nod—I’m attentive, but clueless about what he’s saying. Clearly, my ideal remote access app would be dead simple to set up, and also free with no download. That’s the dream. In reality, I have:
Windows Remote Desktop Connection
My Windows XP computer has a built-in remote access application named Remote Desktop Connection. While there was no download and it’s essentially free, it’s not a simple click-and-go operation.
Connecting to my computer from afar requires either configuring a Terminal Services Gateway for our home network, or preconfiguring our firewall to receive my outside connection request (grin and nod…). Setup aside, this is an easy way to access my computer from another PC because the software is already installed.
UltraVNC
At home, I regularly connect to my home office computer from a laptop using UltraVNC. This allows me to sit anywhere (kitchen table, couch, patio, bed) and work as if I was at my desk. I’m home all day, every day, so it’s nice to change venue from time to time! UltraVNC is free, but requires download and installation of the UltraVNC Server and/or the UltraVNC Viewer on both computers.
Setting up UltraVNC within our home network was easy, and Dan considers it worth the bit of effort because it’s a little faster than Windows Remote Desktop. However, UltraVNC is not our first choice for connecting from the outside. The necessary software installation on the “guest” machine is rarely practical or possible.
Remote access for support and administration
RealVNC
Dan’s IT services company uses the free, bare bones, general public license version of RealVNC to access customer servers and networks remotely. It’s favored by one of his coworkers, but is just one of many implementations of the VNC protocol.
WebEx Remote Support
When supporting isolated workstations, Dan’s company uses Remote Support by WebEx. The application has great features and a 14-day free trial, but a single seat license costs $175/month and requires a 3-month commitment. Their no-commitment Pay Per Use plan is 33ยข/minute for each participant in the session. Ack.
Crossloop
When Dan has a less-than-tech-savvy client at the remote computer, he bypasses WebEx’s Remote Support for free and friendly Crossloop. Remote Support has more features, but Crossloop’s screens are Fisher Price cute and easier to manage.
Remote access for tutoring and demos
Glance
For a quick and easy one-way connection so a client can view my screen and control my computer, I love Glance. Clients just open up a Web browser and type a 4-digit access code—nothing for them to download or install.
Other screen sharing programs have a whiteboard, VOIP, webcam video, and drawing features; but Glance is easy to use, with no configuration required. Notably, it supports up to 100 guests at a flat rate $50/month for unlimited use.
Remote access, the dream
I went hunting for the cream of the remote access crop and came up with a handful that are not at all free (for long-term commercial use, anyway) and offer all kinds of yummies:
The usual suspects
GoToMyPC and WebEx’s PCNow appear to be the better biggies of the remote access world, and have features I hanker for, like access by mobile phone and local printing of remote documents. They both offer 30-day free trials, and while GoToMyPC costs $20/month, PCNow is only $13/month.
Best bit: PCNow offers 100MB of secure offline storage that stays in sync with your computer’s files.
TeamViewer
This one is especially interesting because it doesn’t require installations on either computer. A download, certainly, but somehow the program runs even if you don’t have administrative rights to the workstation—to me, that’s big magic. Teamviewer has many big-cost features, but is free for non-commercial use. A lifetime term business license is a pricey $669, but feature-rich.
Best bit: Brand and fully customize your customer’s sign in module at no extra cost with the business license.
Et tu? Do you use one of these remote access apps, or something I didn’t list here? How do you like it? Lemme know down below!
Somehow Similar Posts
- Archives
- Going NoWare: Abandoning traditional software for Web 2.0
- Going NoWare: Solutions For My Opposite-of-Mobile Office
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14 Responses to “Going NoWare: 9 Ways To Use Your Home Computer From Somewhere Else”
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Whew! Taking a short break from blogging, folks. More posts coming soon. Thanks for your patience!
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Hi Crystal: I just wanted to say that this is a great post, very informative with a really big list of applications. You pretty much covered everything and I’m sure that lots of folks would find these useful.
I generally use RealVNC or TightVNC myself when outside, and Remote Desktop within my personal network. It isn’t too difficult to get started with these programs and once you start, I find you can’t go back!
Thanks again for a great post today.
-Brett
Brett Legree’s last blog post..the view from the other side.
More similar tools below.
ShowMyPC - Highly Valca Recommended ..
Basically you can build your webex here.
Its the best of the remote support breed.
Read More in this blog below or check out.
http://showmypc.com
http://grandstreamdreams.blogspot.com/2007/07/remote-pc-support-revisited.html
@Brett–Thanks! And really, I didn’t intend for the post to be that long but, like you said, once you start, it’s hard to go back. And with so many free tools out there, it’s easy enough to pick the right one for the job.
@Robert–Welcome, and thanks for your comment. I hadn’t spotted that one, and I appreciate your adding it to the list for everyone to check out
Thank you so much for this wonderful post. I never learned so much in a short time reading. I do appreciate all the hard work looking into this for me. I will have to try each one and see where it fits into our businss.
Thanks again- Beth
LogMeIn is something I have used in the past and have been extremely happy with the free version’s features.
Now I have set-up a Windows Home Server machine and I can easily access any PC in my home network through a web browser (Internet Explorer only :/) simply by going to http://myserver.homeserver.com!
Hi Daniel, That’s pretty nifty! Much nicer than fiddling about with a billion settings with Remote Desktop Connection. And connecting with a browser, even if you are limited to IE, gives you a bit of the best of both worlds.
Hi Beth, Happy to do it! It helps to see them all in one place, doesn’t it? And it was a good excuse to go ‘geek shopping’.
I’m most glad that I finished it in time for it to be helpful to you and your business.
Crystal - thanks from this team at CrossLoop for the mention. The ‘Fisher Price cute’ is the first and I like it
Stay close to our blog - more exciting/cute stuff coming soonnnnnnnn ….. at a blog near you
Mrinal’s last blog post..CrossLoop 2.10 and 2.11
Hi Crystal,
Great list. I’ve tried out the VNC programs, as well as GoToMyPC and GoToMeeting. All wonderful applications. I found something else last week that isn’t a Remote Desktop application, but provides similar benefits:
http://www.mojopac.com/
You install this little app on any USB hard drive or even an iPod, and it basically lets you run a virtual Windows environment on any PC you plug in to. I installed this along with all my applications for work on my Video iPod, then synchronized it with my work documents. When I plug it in, I’ve instantly got access to my own personal Windows XP, complete with all the programs I need.
Kinda cool, right? Works as a handy backup in the event that I have access to a PC but not a decent internet connection.
Best,
Kyle / OnYourBusiness
Kyle Claypool / OnYourBusiness’s last blog post..Sun Tzu on Leadership - Part 6 of 6
Hi Mrinal, thanks for coming by! I’ve added your blog to my feed reader so I can keep an eye out for more cute
Kyle, that is verrrry cool!!
As Lea over at locationindependent.com reminded me, when you’re really moving around (like, to South Africa, Guam, and other places she’s lived), there’s no telling when/where you’ll get a solid connection.
Also, I’m loving that MojoPac works with equipment I already carry every day: my iPod.
Many thanks!
Agreed. Oh, and there are few things I enjoy more than the appalled looks I get from elitist Apple users when I plug in and use my iPod to boot Windows…
Kyle Claypool / OnYourBusiness’s last blog post..Sun Tzu on Leadership - Part 6 of 6
[...] Crystal has more great info on VNC and similar apps at BigBrightBulb. [...]
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