I use a streaming computer/TV with a wireless keyboard/mouse. A constant irritation is trying to navigate the browser from the couch when small details are on the edge of visibility. I have shortcuts for frequently visited sites and the Windows zoom function also helps, but it can still be awkward.

I have been looking for a better solution for some time. What I finally settled on, to my own surprise, is Google’s remote desktop. This is an extension for Chrome browsers (and maybe also Firefox, not sure).

Once installed the remote desktop is easy to activate and works very well. I have tried it on an old Android tablet as well as my notebook. The lag would drive a gamer to despair but it is no problem for anything else. The notebook computer normally sits on a shelf behind the couch anyway and now whenever I want to change a channel I just grab it and briefly activate the remote function. It works brilliantly well and I can easily see what I am doing on the notebook screen. As soon as I have set up what I want, I disable the remote connection and carry on watching my video.

If you have the same issue and have a tablet or notebook handy to use as a controller, this is an ideal solution. I wouldn’t want it on my main computer because I don’t trust anything that accepts remote commands, regardless of the security, but for a computer that is only used to browse video sites I think it is brilliant. I know this won’t be news for a lot of people, but I overlooked it for a long time so it may still be worth mentioning.