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| Remote Access |
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| Staying connected to your e-mail and files on the
go is a cinch with these handy services and
software. |
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| Over the years, road warriors have tried all
sorts of ploys to ensure that nothing important gets
left behind. No more. Now you don't even have to bother
to carry even the smallest subnotebook. Instead, you can
rely on the near certainty that a PC with Web access
will be available at or near your destination. Once
online, we're but a few clicks away from having remote
control over the PCs humming away at home and in the
office. All you need is a strong remote access
application. |
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| There are several ways to access a PC from a
remote location. We took a look at the major players in
the remote access arena. Our findings were almost
uniformly positive, as each of the programs and services
we looked at performed as advertised. Which solution is
right for you will depend on the nature and scope of the
connection that must be made. |
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GoToMyPC – Editor's Choice
We love the
simplicity, and believe it's worth the extra cost. While
GoToMyPC is the most expensive remote access solution we
tested, it makes life easiest for its users and, in
large-scale deployments, administrators, as
well. |
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| Many PC users would gladly give up 90 percent of
a program's features if it meant that the core ten
percent worked perfectly and didn't require a learning
curve. This is especially true in the installation and
setup phase. Because of both connection and security
issues, remote access programs are among the worst
offenders in this regard. For that reason, many users
will find that the best solution for remote access
doesn't involve software at all, but a Web-based service
called GoToMyPC. |
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| Offered as an alternative to dedicated software
solutions, GoToMyPC requires only that the host PC have
a dedicated Internet connection that can be left on all
the time. The host currently requires Windows 95 or
higher, although the company plans to add support for
Mac, Linux, and Solaris host systems in future
releases. |
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| The company offers two types of service: GoToMyPC
Personal, for individuals and small businesses that need
remote access for up to 20 computers, and GoToMyPC
Corporate, which is designed to allow a single
administrator to set up and monitor remote access
accounts for any number of employees. Both versions look
and work almost identically, differing only in the
availability of a few extra features in the Corporate
version. |
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| To get started with GoToMyPC, you visit the
company's Web site and sign up either for an account or
a 30-day trial. The process calls for you to select a
password for logging on to the system. (Your login name
defaults to your e-mail address.) The next step is to
download the host software, run the installation
routine, and create another password that's specific to
the host PC. This second password is required to access
more than one host PC from a single account. The
passwords are shared between the user and the host
computer only; they are never transmitted or stored on
GoToMyPC's servers. |
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| The GoToMyPC host software can be set to load
with Windows and run in the background all the time.
Other options are to load it manually as needed or have
it run when a specific user logs onto Windows. In
theory, the hardest parts of setting up a host computer
for remote access are configuring the IP address or DNS
name and configuring the firewall and network, if
applicable, to allow the communication to go through.
With GoToMyPC, none of that is necessary. |
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| Rather than wait to receive a "Can I connect?"
message from the client system that's trying to access
it, the host pings the GoToMyPC server every 15 seconds.
This eliminates the need to leave a port open. If you
don't have a firewall, GoToMyPC doesn't increase the
security risk. But if you do, GoToMyPC's operation is
transparent, with both the host and client PC hidden
from potential hackers. |
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| Once this minimal amount of setup is complete,
you can reach the host computer from any Java-enabled
Web browser. You simply log on at the GoToMyPC Web site
and then select the PC (if there's more than one on the
account) you want to appear on the client's screen. The
Viewer will then download, and the host's screen quickly
appears within the viewer. |
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| You can also create a desktop shortcut on
frequently used client PCs, eliminating the need to go
through the GoToMyPC Web site. The authentication
process is the same, so security isn't compromised by
this method. GoToMyPC protects the main data stream,
file transfers, chat, and keyboard and mouse input using
the 128-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). If
you're concerned about unauthorized local access to the
unattended host PC, GoToMyPC can blank the host screen
and lock the host keyboard and mouse. |
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| If the host system's resolution is higher than
the client's, the viewer will scale it down to fit. You
can also select full-screen mode, actual size (which
will require scrolling to view the entire screen), or
any of several zoom levels. |
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| Full access to the host computer is provided, but
that's just the beginning of what GoToMyPC offers. If a
printer is installed on the client system, you can print
to if from the host. You can also cut or copy and paste
data between applications in either direction, while
more extensive data transfer chores are handled by a
two-pane file-transfer system. |
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| GoToMyPC offers a feature called Guest Invite,
which is meant to be used while you're at a computer
you'd normally access from a client system. Much like
Windows XP's Remote Assistance, it can be used to invite
someone else to view or control your computer. Guest
Invite is an ideal way to make it possible for an expert
to troubleshoot a problem with your system. GoToMyPC
includes collaboration-friendly Chat and Draw functions
as well. |
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| The only significant drawback to GoToMyPC is its
high price. A one-year personal subscription costs
roughly what each of its standalone competitors sell
for. Is it worth it? If all you want to do is connect to
your office system from home to grab a few files,
probably not. However, if you want just about any
Net-connected computer to serve as a transparent window
to your own system, GoToMyPC is the one for
you. |
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