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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

GoToMyPC - Access Your PC from AnywhereThere 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 Yes 1 Web browser and applet. Easy to configure, no need to worry about firewall settings and accessible from any browser.
Remote Desktop Connection XP, 2000 server, 2003 server No 1, 2 or more Remote desktop client. Built into XP and Windows servers. Offers multiple connections on Windows server.
VNC Windows, Linux, Solaris, HP-UX Yes 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 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.

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.

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

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.

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