Best Free Remote Connection Applications
There may be occasions where you will need to remotely connect to your home computer from another computer. Or you may want to help out a friend or family member with a problem they’re having. There are several free options out there to get this done. I’ll go over a few of the applications I think are the best.
LogMeIn
LogMeIn (www.logmein.com) is a great solution for people who have multiple computers that they may need to connect to on a daily basis. It does not require any port forwarding or router modification, so it’s pretty easy to set up. It sets up permanent connections that do not require a user to be present at the remote computer. It’s also a web based application and allows you to connect to any of the remote computers in your account from any computer with internet access.
The free version includes chat support, remote screen blanking, remote keyboard and mouse locking, clipboard synchronization, a laser pointer tool and encryption, but lacks file sharing.
You will need to install a small application on the remote computer that will be running in the system tray of that computer at all times. The only way to install this application on the remote computer is by logging into your account from the computer you want to setup the connection for, and then clicking on a link within your LogMeIn account to install the application. If you don’t have a way of installing the software yourself on the remote computer, you will need to have a remote user log into your account with your username and password and then walk them through the process of installing the software. This is obviously not ideal in terms of security. So it is best if you have physical access to the remote computer to install the LogMeIn software yourself. Once the software is installed, you will be able to connect to that computer from any computer with internet access.
TeamViewer
TeamViewer is similar to LogMeIn in that no router modification is needed and you can connect to a remote computer from any computer with Internet access through a web browser. There are two main methods of connecting to remote computers. One way is to simply run a small application on both computers to initiate the connection. Another way is to install a service on the remote computer, which listens for a connection so you can connect to an unattended computer at any time. TeamViewer also offers chat, file transfer, VPN connections, encryption, and remote reboot and reconnect.
UltraVNC
Ultra VNC (www.uvnc.com) works well, but it is not as user friendly as the other options and may be more suited towards advanced users. Typically in its default configuration, router modification will be necessary in order to get the connection working. The server software needs to be installed on the computer you will be connecting to, and the viewer software needs to be installed on the computer you will be connecting from. In order to get the connection going, you need to know the IP address of the remote computer, which can easily be found by having the user at the remote computer going to a website such as IP Chicken to find their IP address.
Since UltraVNC is an open source application, it can be customized to suit your needs. There is an add on called Single Click, which is a small stripped down version of the Ultra VNC server that can be customized with your own logo, instructions and connection info . So when an end user downloads and installs this file, the software initiates the connection. This simplifies the process of connecting to a computer that you haven’t connected to before. Once the remote session is completed, the software will automatically uninstall itself from the remote user’s computer.
All in all, Ultra VNC might be a good choice for people who do a lot of remote tech support, but its advanced configuration and possible router modification may turn away some people.
To summarize, TeamViewer is the best option of the three remote connection applications I’ve mentioned here. It has the most features and is easiest to use in my opinion.
If you know of any other free remote connection applications that work well, please feel free to comment!
February 18, 2009
Tags: free remote connection software application Posted in: Software
One Response
Hey thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for!
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