Want to feel at home on those holiday nights when you're not sleeping in your own bed? Having the tech comforts of home with you on the road can go a long way towards making you more relaxed, more productive and less bored. If you want to be able to listen to your home iTunes library, check in with your favorite bookmarks or print off that shopping list you saved, there's an easy way to do it.
There's no place like your home computer. The good news is that it's easy (and cheap!) to get access to your at-home machine while you're holed up on the sofa at your parents' house for the holidays.
Remote Login
With remote login, you don't need to be anywhere near your computer to use it. Remote login services allow you access to your home computer—including all your personal applications, documents, settings and even that desktop wallpaper of your cute puppy—from any web-connected computer in the world.
While you've probably seen remote logins at a professional level (it's the same type of program the IT folks at the office use to control your machine from theirs), there are services out there that cater to consumers like you who just want to be able to log in from anywhere.
One of the most popular is LogMeIn. LogMeIn Free is true to its name and absolutely free. It'll get you remote access to your home computer to browse your personal bookmarks or play your favorite iTunes playlist.
For a little more cash, you can get a few more features, like the ability to transfer files or print your remote files to a local printer. LogMeIn Pro costs $69.95 for the year for access to one computer, or you can subscribe monthly for just $12.20 per month.
And if you'd rather check up on your home computer from your mobile device? LogMeIn offers a full-featured iPhone, Android and iPad app for $14.99.
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I was hoping you'd list several options and actually compare them. If you're going windows machine to windows machine, Remote Desktop is a standard windows program and works wonderfully, but I want to find an option that lets me log into my windows machine at work from my ipad, and I know there are more options than just LogMeIn.
I'm a big fan of TeamViewer
this feels like a sponsored post.
Most windows machines have Remote desktop to view, and you need the better or "ultimate" versions to use remote desktop. You can also use VNC server/viewer/ for free.
OSx has built in VNC server/viewer its completely free, there are tons of Open source software and support online
there are also free iOS and android apps for VNC
first poster should check out splashtop. fee is nominal and it works just like remote desktop.
Splashtop is great.
I use Teamviewer (http://www.teamviewer.com/pt/index.aspx).
He is smarter than the Logmein, and its Android version and free.
Try it!
Accessing your desktop while you're away means that it's running all the time, doesn't it?!
So you really consider to let your computer turned on doing nothing 24 hours a day, while you're traveling around the world?
So what 's with all those "energy-saving-", "eco-" & "green-IT-" posts?! If someone really cares about that topic and want so save some energy, it's turned off!
Shouldn't be that difficult to stay away from your computer for a few hours / days. And if not, you should maybe start thinking about it.
The other question is, why are you at your parent's house? If everyone just sits there on the sofa, listening to his/her home iTunes library and watching the beautiful desktop wallpapers to fade you could also stay at home ... better spend some time with your family and have some great hours/days, visit an old friend or maybe go for a walk! Your iTunes library won't be sulky and run away just because you didn't listen to the songs for several hours ;-)
Kennii said exactly what I was going to.
So you're going to keep your computer up and running all day while you're away for a week or two? What a waste. Unless there was something extremely important I needed to access it's not worth it. And if there were, well, I'd probably sack up and actually take my laptop with me!
I use teamviewer, but more for my 72-year-old mother's new laptop. I got sick of trying to help her over the phone .. now I can use any computer with a browser or my android tablet or phone to just log in and fix the issue...
For a non-free solution, which uses email to access a remote PC (send you files, view its desktop, send keystrokes, etc), you should try ControlByMail from www.vic2pc.com like I did. Since it's emailed-based, you can even use your cell phone to access your PC. It's what I do.
Remote access to your computer is not just for vacation; I use it almost every day at work. I work at a university, and I have meetings in buildings all over campus. I can go to any computer lab on campus, log in to my office computer remotely, and work in between meetings if I have time. But now that I have an ipad, I want to be able to do that with the ipad.
@k1tsun3 - I use team viewer from an Android tablet.. I bet they have an iPad version...
Thanks, Kaz, I will take a look at it.
This definitely looks like a Sponsored post from logme in
I use Team viewer all the time from my various machines.
They have Android and iPad apps and for many other OS platforms - Windows, Mac and Linux. Always free.
I personally will recommend anyone to use Team viewer instead of log me in.
Thanks,
Anurag
@Kennii: Just noticed what you said about power being on all the time for remote access. At the risk of sounding like an ad, I did mention the use of ControlByMail; well you can set the remote PC to go into Standby at night and wake in the morning, automatically, so that it's not drawing power 24/7 while just sitting there. So there's your "green" aspect. :)