Control your computer from a remote location

Computer lovers don't have to miss their babies while they are away from home. Remote control software allows you to control your computer from a remote location. Remote control solutions vary from relatively simple text-based command line tools to full control software, giving you access to the complete grahical interface, sound, mouse and keyboard on the remote computer. In this article I will discuss some of the most popular remote control software that you can use on your computer at home.

Remote access via Telnet

Telnet is a protocol designed for remotely controlling a computer over an TCP/IP network like the internet. Telnet is one of the oldest applications of the internet. Telnet provides text-based remote access to a computer. A Telnet user that accesses a remote computer can enter commands to operate the computer. Operating a computer with text commands requires some knowledge of the computer's operating system and command syntax. Today, Telnet is still often used in Linux environments. Windows XP, 2000 and Linux support Telnet.

In Windows XP or 2000 you can access Telnet by going to the command prompt: Start > run > type 'cmd' > press 'OK' button. In the command prompt that appears type 'telnet' and press enter. Then connect to a server by typing open <server address>. The server address can be either an IP address or a regular internet address.

SSH - Secure Shell

SSH is a protocol that encrypts data before it is sent. SSH is a popular tool for remote computer control in the Linux community. One of the important features of SSH is that it can function as a 'tunnel' for other protocols. For example the X Window system can be tunneled over SSH. X Window is a system that facilitates a graphical connection between two computers, allowing complete control over the remote computer's graphical interface. Putty is the most popular SSH/Telnet client for Windows.

Remote control via Terminal Services

Terminal Services is a component of the Windows Server editions (Windows 2000 Server, Windows Server 2003, etc). It allows server administrators to remotely control the server. Terminal Services provides full access to grapical environment of the server and to it's keyboard and mouse functions.

Windows XP Professional also carries Terminal Services technology in the form of Remote Assistance and Remote Desktop. With Remote Assistance you can call on the help of a remote friend or colleague or offer help when someone needs you. You can learn more about Remote Assistance from Microsoft's article 'Using Remote Assistance to Get Help When You Need It'.

Remote Desktop is an application that let's you take full remote control of your Windows XP Professional computer (Windows XP Home edition does not support Remote Desktop). Remote Desktop is a great remote control tool if you're in a Windows environment. The steps below show you how to set up a Remote Desktop session between two computers.

Remote Desktop setup for Windows XP Professional

1. First, we must set up the host computer to allow incoming Remote Desktop connections.
   1. In the Start menu choose Settings > Control Panel.
   2. Double-click the System icon and select the Remote tab in the System window.
      
   3. Now check allow users to connect remotely to this computer and click OK
2. In order to be able to connect to this computer remotely we need to know its IP address.
   1. In the Start menu choose Run...
   2. In the box that appears, type 'cmd' (no quotes) and press OK
   3. In the command window that appears type 'ipconfig'. Write down the IP Address. If you see an IP address that start within one of the following ranges, the computer is part of a private network.
      
      192.168.0.0 - 192.168.255.255
      172.16.0.0 - 172.31.255.255
      10.0.0.0 - 10.255.255.255
      
      If you see any other address, you are connected directly to the internet.

Note: If the Windows XP Professional computer you want to control remotely is in a private network, you can't get direct access to it over the internet. In order to get access via the internet you will need to configure your network router. Basically, what you have to do is tell your router to which computer Remote Desktop traffic should be forwarded. That is called 'port forwarding'. Port forwarding is needed whenever you want to access a service running on a computer in a network from outside the network, that is, from the internet. For Remote Desktop, TCP port 3389 should be forwarded in your router. Please consult your router manual or the manufacturer's website to learn how to forward a port. If you are on a local network, first try to take control of the computer you just configured from another computer in your local network. This doesn't require the configuration of port forwarding on the router.

Tip: you are advised to set a good password if you allow remote control of your computer. In the Start menu, select Settings... > Control Panel and then select User Accounts if you want to create a new account or secure existing accounts.

Tip: firewalls can cause trouble when trying to set up a Remote Desktop connection. You can temporarily switch it off to avoid connection problems, but be sure to configure your firewall properly once you really start using Remote Desktop. In Microsoft's Remote Desktop FAQ you can learn how to configure the Windows firewall.

You can move to a different computer and try to take control of the computer you just configured. This doesn't have to be a Windows XP Professional computer. The host part of Windows Remote Desktop is integrated only in Windows XP Professional, the client part is integrated in both XP Home and Professional. The Remote Desktop client component can also be downloaded from Microsoft and run om different versions of the Windows operating system: Windows 95, Windows 98 and 98 Second Edition, Windows Me, Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 2000.

1. In the Start menu select Programs > Accessories > Communications > Remote Desktop Connection
2. In the Remote Desktop window that appears click the options button
   
   
3. In the Computer field enter the IP address of the computer you want to get access to. You wrote this down earlier.
4. In the User name field enter the user name of an account on the computer you want to access.
5. Fill out the account password in the Password field
6. Leave the domain field empty if you are not working with a domain
7. Click Connect

If all is well, you should now have full remote control of the Windows XP Professional computer.

RealVNC

RealVNC is a very popular piece of remote control software. It is available for both Windows and Unix/Linux systems. Besides, is totally FREE. You can download the program from their website. The server part of Realvnc is needed to let others control your computer through Realvnc. The client part is needed to control another computer from your computer through Realvnc. Realvnc too, allows complete control over the host system's graphical user interface. I myself use Realvnc quite often to control my home computer when I am at work or at a client. It's a free, light, simple and just great remote control tool.

More information on remote control software

Manage remote Linux servers and workstations with ease - A small tutorial showing how to take remote control of a computer using Putty, a popular SSH client.

Using Remote Assistance to Get Help When You Need It - Learn how to ask or offer help using Microsoft's Remote Assistance.

Remote Desktop Connection Software Download - Download Remote Desktop client software for use on Windows editions other than Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home edition.

Realvnc Homepage - The website of my favorite remote control tool. Download it for free at Realvnc.com.

RDesktop website - RDesktop is a Linux client program that can connect to Windows XP machines running Remote Desktop.

Apple remote Desktop Client - The Apple Remote Desktop client can connect to Windows XP machines running Remote Desktop.

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