The biggest headache to remotely access a computer is the port forwarding configuration. Few months ago I talked about accessing a remote computer in 2 minutes without port forwarding using Crossloop. It is one of the easiest way to connect to another computer at the opposite of the world even if the other person is a basic computer user. Just download, install, click share and give the access code to the person who wants to connect. Can’t get any easier than that… No need to worry about IP address, firewall or router configuration.
If for some reason you do not like or can’t get Crossloop to work, no worries as there are other alternative which might work better on your computer. This remote access tool called TeamViewer which I am about to show you has more features than Crossloop.
TeamViewer is a simple and fast solution for remote control which establishes connections to any PC behind any firewall and NAT proxy all around the world within just a few seconds. You can remote control your partner’s PC as if you were sitting right in front of it. There are more than 7 million users that trust TeamViewer. Let’s find out what is so good about it.
TeamViewer Features:
Encrypted Connection No installation required Works behind firewalls and routers Chat File Transfer Record Remote Session Support Multiple Monitor Remote Reboot Disable Remote Input Show Black Screen VPN Supports Windows and Mac OS Present my desktop to customer
Let me walk you through on how easy it is to remotely access a computer using TeamViewer. Let’s say Joe wants to connect to Sharon’s computer to help her troubleshoot some computer problems.
1. Joe will have to download the full version of TeamViewer which contains the remote access feature. As for Sharon, she can download the “Customer Module” which is smaller in size and doesn’t require installation.
2. Joe and Sharon will have to run the downloaded TeamViewer.
3. Sharon will be presented with a 8 digit ID and password which will have to give to Joe.
4. Joe enters the ID and click Connect to partner button.
5. Joe enters the password which he received from Sharon.
6. Joe is now connected to Sharon’s computer and able to view and control her computer.
There are a bunch of useful features at the top bar of the remote screen. You can easily transfer file, start a chat session so you don’t need to open up notepad to chat with your partner, record remote access session to have a log on what you did, remote reboot and disable keyboard and mouse to prevent the other person from messing around when you’re doing your job. One of the weird feature is the “show black screen”. This feature will make the remote partner screen turns black so you can do whatever you want without letting the partner know what you did. It’s a little weird isn’t it?
Other than that, recently TeamViewer released a version for Mac OS. The new TeamViewer for Mac even supports cross-platform access so you are now able to connect to a Mac from your Windows machine and back! Since they have a Mac version, I believe they will start working on a Linux version pretty soon as Mac is built from Linux.
By default TeamViewer uses only the outgoing Port 80 (HTTP), so no firewall configuration is necessary. It is also advisable to open port 5938 for incoming connections which may result in faster point-to-point connections.
I’ve heard about TeamViewer for quite a long time already but I’ve never really tested it. Now that I’ve tested TeamViewer and I am glad I did, it would be my first choice whenever I need to remotely help someone with computer problems.