Free programmes to control another PC?

swag72

swag72

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I am looking at being able to fully control one PC outside via my PC in the house. I have them both set up and networked through my wi fi router, but that only seems to be for file swapping through the public folders.

So, is there a free programme out there that will enable me to control my computer outside? I use it for astronomy and would like to keep movement around the scope to a minimum.

I have seen Team viewer that looks as though it would work, but for my needs $500 or so is just madness. I am sure that if there are any other apps out there, you guys know of them!!

Cheers.
 
If they are both Windows machines what about Remote Desktop Connection. Think it is installed on everything after XP Service Pack 1 and yoiu can get the client for older OS' if you need.
 
swag72 said:
I have seen Team viewer that looks as though it would work, but for my needs $500 or so is just madness.
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Teamviewer is a free product for home use.
 
swag72 said:
Excellent thanks for that info - I did think of remote connection - What would work best?
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Remote desktop uses the RDP protocol. This is, I believe, the most bandwidth efficient method.
 
arad85 said:
If they are both Windows machines what about Remote Desktop Connection. Think it is installed on everything after XP Service Pack 1 and yoiu can get the client for older OS' if you need.
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+1 for that.

VNC makes a good backup as well.

However, also consider something like TZO or No-IP or some other DDNS software so that you can use a domain name instead of an IP address. That makes connecting MUCH easier.
 
If you may need to interact with the computer physically as well as remotely, use VNC. If you won't need to interact with the computer at all physically, use remote desktop. When you access a computer via remote desktop, the local console becomes "locked" and anything you do is not visible on the screen. A remote program like VNC on the other hand is literally like plugging a keyboard and mouse into the "remote" computer with a big long wire. If you don't understand what I mean, try VNC and remote desktop and see how they work differently.
 
trencheel303 said:
If you may need to interact with the computer physically as well as remotely, use VNC. If you won't need to interact with the computer at all physically, use remote desktop. When you access a computer via remote desktop, the local console becomes "locked" and anything you do is not visible on the screen. A remote program like VNC on the other hand is literally like plugging a keyboard and mouse into the "remote" computer with a big long wire.
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Good point - I forgot about that...
 
swag72 said:
Cheers folks - Just found the other thread and had a read - Logmein it will be then.
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Have to say that it's an awfully complex way of accessing your other PC and will use your internet connection to gain access (so speeds will be dictated by the speed of your internet connection and it will need to be on for you to use it). Yes, it's good for remote PCs, but there are far better solutions (remote desktop being one) for machines on the same home network.
 
Remote desktop everytime its already installed and free and also works brilliantly.Go to Start / Run type in mstsc /admin type in the ip address of the pc you want to remote onto and away you go.
 
In this instance I have to agree that Logmein seems pretty pointless - although I highly recommend Logmein to most people, using an Internet connection for a LAN just doesn't make any sense.....
 
I suppose logmein may be easier to set up for a novice but using it for a local PC isn't exactly efficient. If you find it a bit laggy then,as suggested, use RD. VNC works fine also though I would only use it if you need to control the existing desktop on the remote machine. In your case I don't think you need to.
 
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