7 Great Apps To Remotely Access a PC Or Mac From a Smartphone Or Tablet.
Desktop sales have been falling for years, and people are opting for much more mobile solutions such as laptops. This means that people are more likely to take their desktop experience with them rather than leaving a big old computer idle at home.
However, people still leave their laptops at home, in the office, or in a hotel. Serious work also favors the desktop, and mostly people using desktop operating systems for work purposes need access to that computer on the go.
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Fortunately, remote desktop software has become the target of the mobile revolution. This means you can take out your phone or tablet and mail yourself a presentation you forgot to put in Dropbox before you left for your flight.
These are the nine best mobile remote desktop apps. The best news? Most of them won’t cost you a cent.
Chrome Remote Desktop (Free: iOS and Android
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This is possibly the simplest remote desktop application we have ever used. With Chrome Remote Desktop (iOS and Android
All you need to do is download the Chrome Remote Desktop app for the computer platform of your choice, launch it, and follow the instructions to configure. Then launch the app from your mobile device. This app has proven to be quite reliable, and Google has some clever solutions for controlling something like Windows 10 from a tablet or smartphone screen. Chrome Remote Desktop is so easy to use that you’ll know you’re using it without even thinking. Microsoft Remote Desktop App (Free: iOS
and Android
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Since Windows is the most popular operating system in the world, you can’t go wrong with a remote desktop application created by the same people who brought us the ubiquitous software foundation in the PC world.
The Microsoft mobile app is available for both Android and iOS, and there is plenty of documentation to help you get it all up and running. This is also his main weakness. Setting up your computer and app for remote access can be a bit of a daunting task compared to the simple setup you get with something like a Google app.
However, power users of Windows and tech-savvy users will appreciate the reliability and power of the application. Best of all, in Windows 8+ you can use Direct Touch Mode. This will turn your iOS or Android tablet into a Windows tablet.
TeamViewer for Personal Use (Free: Windows Mobile, Blackberry, iOS, and Android
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TeamViewer is pretty much a household name in the remote desktop world, and the company provides enterprise-grade remote services for a license fee. The good news is, people who want to use the software for personal, non-commercial purposes can do it for free!
The downside is that there is code in the program that detects commercial use and then locks you. This is fine given the terms of the license, but if a false positive is detected, you must contact them to unlock the data. This is rare but annoying.
However, in terms of technology and functionality, TeamViewer is hard to beat. It supports premium infrastructure, and you can do more than just control desktops remotely. There is a long list of devices that can be accessed remotely using iOS or Android apps. If you have a Windows Mobile or Blackberry device, this may actually be your only option.
Everyone should try TeamViewer at least once if they are looking for the awesome remote desktop experience.
Splashtop Personal (Free: iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, Windows Phone)
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Like TeamViewer, the people at Splashtop decided to make their software free for personal use. However, they will sell you professional features through in-app updates.
Unlike TeamViewer, business functions can be billed monthly, whereas TeamViewer only sells annual subscriptions. The software supports many mobile devices and you can select one from the Splashtop Personal download page to suit whatever hardware you are using.
LogMeIn Pro ($ 349.99 / year: Android, iOS
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LogMeIn ended its free offering back in 2014, but remains one of the most recognized names in the remote desktop market.
The annual LogMeIn Pro plan is certainly cool for individual users, but it also includes a LastPass Premium subscription. You also get a terabyte of cloud storage. The individual level allows only two computers to be registered for access. For most people, this will likely be their home and work PC.
LogMeIn is a professional product that includes a high level of security and special features that are not available in free products. At least not all at once. For example, if the remote machine has multiple monitors, you can properly adapt them to the device you are using to control it.
You also get better uptime guarantees and support with a paid product like this one. Therefore, if you need remote access for critical reasons, LogMeIn may be the right choice.
VNC Viewer (free:
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VNC Viewer and its accompanying VNC Server provide one of the most versatile remote desktop solutions you can get today. All you need to do is install the Server app on the device you want to control remotely. Then install the Viewer app on the device you want to control it from.
The Server application covers almost all major desktop operating systems in use. Obviously Windows and MacOS are supported, but you get Linux and Raspberry Pi support as well. A viewer is available for all of the above and adds to the iOS and Android mix.
The software uses end-to-end encryption and password protection for every computer. You must use the credentials of the remote computer to access it. On mobile devices, the touchscreen acts like a touchpad, but Bluetooth keyboards are also supported if you need serious typing.
VNC works like a charm and offers flawless security and pretty good performance even at relatively low bandwidth. Sure, there is a paid version of the technology for more serious users, but most non-sysadmins will be quite happy with what you can get for zero cost!
NoMachine (Free: iOS and Android
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The slogan of NoMachine is “NoMachine for Everybodyâ€Â, which is also true for their main product, which is not intended for enterprises. It’s free, secure, and fairly easy to set up. While it’s a relatively unknown name in remote desktop software, NoMachine has quite a few things that can help you sell their products to you.
Their main goal is productivity. While most remote desktop software allows you to perform basic operations on a remote computer, the amount of latency and poor streaming quality cannot replace actual presence. NoMachine claims to be the fastest low-latency remote desktop software.
At the same time, they claim to have better streaming quality. Good enough for you to watch HD videos or play video games on the remote computer. Clearly this depends on your bandwidth on both ends of the connection, but if your main problem with other remote desktop software is that it’s too slow and ugly, NoMachine is definitely worth a try.
Conclusion
With products like the iPad Pro and Microsoft Surface blurring the line between desktop and mobile, we may one day not need remote desktop apps.
However, it’s good to know that there are a variety of solutions out there for nearly all mobile devices and desktop operating systems right now. Often completely free!
So now you can leave your home with complete confidence that your desktop is always just a tap or two away.
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7 Great Apps To Remotely Access a PC Or Mac From a Smartphone Or Tablet
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