Remote PC Access
Software: An
easy Understanding...
Remote PC Access Software
Hello, My name is Josh. You must
understand that you should be extremely carefull when looking for and
downloading software that enables Remote Access. And you must have the
right knowlage in order to do so.
That's why
we've created this special page within the site to advise and to clear
up all the ins and outs of Remote Access Software....
Any
computer that is able to connect to the internet, has a
TCP/IP address, or is on a LAN (Local Area Network, is able to be
remotely
administered. Firstly, the user of the PC must enable or install
software on
the system that is needed remote access to. Then the user of the PC
will be
able to connect to the host system from a different computer using the
Remote
PC access software that he would have to install.
Most
of the time, both computers would need to be connected
to the internet, and the IP address of the server/host system must be
known.
Remote access is therefore much less advantageous if the server/host is
using a
dial up connection, which is not always online, and usually would have
a
dynamic IP.
When
you connect to your computer using remote access, a
window displaying the desktop of your pc would usually appear. You then
may
have control of your computer, as if you were sitting in front of it
yourself.
Certain versions of windows, (versions of XP) have a built in remote
access
package. This package is called Remote Desktop Connection. Another
possibility
of a free Remote PC access Software, is VNC, this offers similar
functionality.
Accessing
your computer via Remote PC access Software has
many advantages. For example, you would be able to access your computer
from an
internet cafe. Or if you are away from home, perhaps in an office, you
would
also be able to access all of your computers contents.I
will
go
through a
few more options now, and
you will see why remote access is a very useful tool.
You
are able to Shut down, or reboot or restart your
computer, via another computer over a network. You are able to access
your
peripherals, for example a network device, or a printer. A printer is
very useful,
as you could hypothetically print off anything, from anywhere in the
world. You
could also access data streams such as CCTV footage.
You are also able to
modify your computers settings or
folders. For example, you could edit another computer's registry
settings, over
a network. You could also modify system services as well as being able
to
install software on another machine.
Like
me, and many others, I'm sure you have experienced something
like this. You arrive at school, or work, or the copiers with your USB
stick,
or CD and find out, to your dismay that your work didn't copy over
properly
when doing the transition from your hard drive.
If you have ever been
far from
home and wished that there were some way of getting to your computer,
whether
it be to see and arrange or use files, or to edit settings, or to get
some
contact info or any other information you have stored, well these are
all good
reasons to set up your computer for Remote Access. So what is it
exactly?
To have the ability
to have remote access to your files and
information stored on your pc, over the internet from anywhere on the
planet is
useful for work and play, as well as being really cool in a geeky sort
of way.
There are several programs and systems which offer different types of
services
which enable this kind of access. They range from the built in systems
that
windows offers, to highly developed software packages that have been
created by
larger companies.
There
are two types of general remote access, one is being
able to access your files remotely, and the other is being able to
access and
control the desktop remotely. File access is intended to give you the
ability
to look through, copy, edit, and do anything with any of your files
from a
remote location, using the internet. Whilst having control over the
desktop of
your computer allows you to view the desktop of your home computer as
if you
were sitting in front of it yourself.
Unfortunately,
most current remote access software does have
some drawbacks. The most obvious, and major one of which, is that
current
technology is not capable of coping with lag. And since you are working
over
the internet, the view might be slow and unreal at times.
Development
of this software has been ongoing for many
years, and possible the best and most well known implementation of this
remote
access software is VNC (Virtual Network Computing). VNC is free
software that
allows you to view and interact with your computer remotely. It runs on
almost
all knows operating systems, and requires very little power.
VNC is split into two components. The
server, which allows other pc's to connect with the computer remotely,
and the
viewer, which connects up with the server and must be installed on
client machines
to be able to work. The viewer authenticates with the server using a
session password,
which is set up when the VNC program is opened for the first time.
Wireless Remote PC
access Software is also
appearing on many new wireless devices, such as the Blackberry, the
Pocket PC,
and Palm devices, as well as a lot of mobile phones. Usually these
possibilities do not provide the full amount of access that is possible
using
VNC or Terminal Services, however they do allow the ability to perform
a range
of tasks, such as rebooting, resetting passwords and the ability to
view system
event logs, therefore you are reducing or perhaps eliminating
completely the
need for system administrators to keep a laptop on person, or to be in
reach or
the office.
Settin up your
computer with some sort of wireless remote pc access software would be
very benifitial for you if you away from your pc at any time. Some
versions of Windows have it already installed, all you have to do is
configure it, and it shouldnt take much time at all to be able to do.
Imagine being able to
access your files and folders from anywhere in the world. Ist like
carrying a laptop that dousnt weight anything. With this freedom you
can be at your office anywhere, do schoolwork from anywhere, and have
access to all you need and want from anywhere. You can keep your files
and folders secure in one home location, and have access to it over the
internet from all over the globe.
The software is being
refined, but soon enough, remote pc access software will be so intune,
you will be able to move around your computer with no lag whatsoever,
as if you were literaly sitting right infront of it right then and
there.
The
ease of use and
abilty to transfer files from pc to pc over a simple network which
takes seconds to set up, is so usefull. This technology has advanced
greatly over the last years, and it is really shaping up.
Generally
speaking,
VNC
over
the internet is not completely secure, since the traffic that
is sent
is not encrypted or protected in any way. Therefore it is not advisable
to use
remote access for sensitive data. Practically speaking though, it is
fine for
everyday use. Using an encrypted version of this connection however,
such as
VPN (Virtual Private Network) is defiantly recommended for more
business type
of use.
If you happen to be
set up with Windows XP professional on
your home computer, then you are already set up to use Remote Access.
Windows
XP Pro includes the Remote access technology that allows you to use
your PC
from any internet enabled computer running windows 95 or later.
Remote
desktop allows a person to remotely login using his
username and password that he/she would use on his home computer. The
desktop,
as well as all the drives and files is now remotely accessible over the
internet. Windows XP pro has a generally more advanced version of VNC,
and is
more secure with passwords and administrative privileges.
To
be honest, it really depends on what computer you using
to remotely access the one at home. You will have afew options besides
just
being able to manipulate the files on the computer that you have remote
access
to. You will be able to also run programs, and edit files as well. You
would be
able to open a word document and edit the contents, the same with a
PowerPoint
presentation, or perhaps an excel spreadsheet.
What
you cannot do when using remote access however is
exchange files between your client computer and the remote computer. To
access
this ability you must be using a client computer with windows XP or
2000. Then
you will be able to share within the networks on a remote machine,
allowing you
to drag and drop files however you choose.
