Review of Remote Desktop Control Software
Remote Desktop Control is a means of displaying the screen of another (remote) computer on your display whilst at the same time allowing you to use your mouse and keyboard to control that computer. This article provides a comparison and review of a number of software products for the remote desktop control of a computer.
Contents
Introduction
There are frequently times when it is desirable to be able to control a pc other than one you are currently sitting in front of. For a webmaster or network administrator this might be to make configuration changes at a server. For others it might be to allow them to connect to a work computer from home, or to connect to a home computer from work or to provide remote support.
The purpose of this review is to show what products are available, and to give an indication of the strengths and weaknesses of each against a common set of criteria.
Feature Summary Comparison
The following table provides summary information about each package reviewed. Our full review is available by clicking on the product name.
| Solution | Operating Systems | Console | Sessions | Client | Advantages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoToMyPC | Windows |  |
1 | Web browser and applet. | Easy to configure, no need to worry about firewall settings and accessible from any browser. |
| Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) | Any version of windows since XP or since Windows Server 2000. | |
1, 2 or more | Remote desktop client. | Built into Windows. Offers multiple connections on Windows server. |
| TeamViewer | Windows, Mac, Linux, Mobile | |
no limit | TeamViewer application, or web browser. | Can be used without any installation. No limit on the number of viewers. |
| Techinline | Windows | |
1 | WebBrowser (plug-in) | Targeted to support departments. |
| VNC | Windows, Linux, Solaris, HP-UX | |
1 | VNC Viewer or web browser. |
Cross platform (Windows, Unix and others). |
Where:-
- Operating System
- Those operating systems for which the desktop can be controlled. Only those operating systems listed can be controlled, although some solutions may support clients on other operating systems.
- Console
- Whether the remote control solution can control the console. The console is the desktop used when someone logs in locally to the computer. (Unix boxes support the notion of multiple displays, but this isn't a concept present in Windows.)
- Sessions
- The number of people who can be independently connected to the same computer at any one time.
- Client
- What client software is required to connect from a remote PC to the one being controlled.
- Advantages
- Principle advantages flagged up during the review.
Please see the review of each solution for further information. To see the review simply click on the name of the solution.
Selection Wizard
To help you make the right choice, we have put together a Wizard that will help guide you through the selection process:
Click here to
run the wizard now
Do you know of other remote desktop control software that you would like included? All we require is a full copy of the software. Contact us to arrange a review.
The information on this page, and the information contained in the review pages, is believed to be correct. If you find any errors or omissions please report these via e-mail to: feedback@cryer.co.uk.