Favorite remote access software?

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keoghan

6 posts

Wannabe Geek

#8867 4-Aug-2006 06:01

Forgive the lack of a U in my spelling of favorite. I'm a yankee living down here in NZ :P.

As I'm sure many of you know there's no dearth of remote access software out there now; pcAnywhere, GoToMyPC, LogMeIn, TightVNC, radmin, Microsoft's own Remote Desktop, and any number of home-brewed, open source programs out there. Some are free and some aren't, and some have features that are not to be found in competitor's versions.

So what are your favorites, and why? Personally, I use logmein since we use that at our offices (i'm actually using it to type this), but I was a gotomyPC guy in the past. The things I like about it are the web interface which skirts the whole issue of dynamic IPs and the fact that our customers are so receptive to it.

Let me know what you think!

NokiaRocks

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#43287 4-Aug-2006 07:49

I use logmein for my laptop, cause it means i dont have to open any ports and can access it easy from work. (No client download).
I use VNC professional on the server so I can access it wirelessly using my laptop all while being 128bit encrypted.
I've used Windows Remote Desktop in the past, but found it was annoying as it logs out the user when you close the connection.

freitasm

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Geekzone

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#43289 4-Aug-2006 08:42

I use LogMeIn IT Reach to manage our servers because it gives all sorts of information. But I use GoToMyPC (I have a Corporate license) to access our PCs.

I like the fact that both have Windows Mobile clients, so I can access the machines from almost anywhere, even if I don't have a PC with me.

I don't like VNC or RDP because their need of open ports on the host machines.

thehunter

5 posts

Wannabe Geek

#43791 11-Aug-2006 22:39

I have always been a fan of VNC, however dont use it much these days, I liked the way it was not OS specific, so was handy to VNC to a linux or a Mac. However maybe other remote tools are also. Its also a fairly small download if you have a client on dial up that is giving you grief, and you really need to take over the machine yourself! GIVE ME THAT MOUSE lol.

freitasm

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#43792 11-Aug-2006 22:49

While true, the VNC is very "portable" there is always the problem that it installs a server and requires open ports through a firewall. Programs such as LogMeIn and GoToMyPC on the other hand will work through most firewalls because both computers are actually clients - the host connects to a server, which in turn relays to the client when a connection happens.

jpwise

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#43888 14-Aug-2006 10:28

I'm still a fan of VNC. I tried quite a few options several years back and finally settled on VNC. Portability, Ease of use, and cost (free version. It does need ports opened on the firewall/router if you have one, but that's almost a given these days. You need to pinhole the firewall for a webserver, email, etc,etc, so another one for vnc isn't a huge problem. I use it quite a bit to tap into home and check emails etc.

Jp.

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maninimepo

72 posts

Master Geek

#44969 30-Aug-2006 05:19

I use RealVNC extensively at home.

I have a Linux file/print server that has VNC running, but I use OS X and three other users use XP, so I love the fact that VNC is so universal.

It's free too, I have no licensing to worry about.

For me the fact that it needs ports open is an advantage. I have a VNC server running on every computer in the house bar my own, so that I can log in and resolve issues from anywhere. Knowing that port 5900 is closed on my router's firewall gives me peace of mind.

freitasm

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#44977 30-Aug-2006 08:09

Fair enough. In my case I need "remote" access, meaning from outside my home office - while overseas or from my Pocket PC on a cafe downtown. So those other remote access tools are great tools.

I am now using Hamachi to create a virtual private network (withouth the hasle of configuration) and it's great! I've been posting in my blog about the tools I use here. Have a look on this post (and the links to previous ones) and you will see some of those.

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marklore

1 post

Wannabe Geek

#45193 2-Sep-2006 11:23

You can try this free one here http://www.antesoft.com/remotepc. It's not as performant as others but works well behind routers without port forwarding.