Just because you leave the office doesn’t mean you have to leave the office behind. Remote-access services enable you to access and control your PC from any other PC, perfect for those times when you’ve forgotten an important document, need to review an e-mail, or just want to work someplace else for a few hours, like the local Panera Bread. You can also use these services for remote tech support. Here’s a quick peek at three I’ve tried and liked:
- iRemotePC This feature-packed service offers remote desktop access, file transfers, folder synchronization, and even guest access (meaning you can invite others to connect to your PC for live presentations and the like).
- LogMeIn A personal favorite, LogMeIn affords effortless remote access. Just install the software on the host PC, then connect from any browser. The free version doesn’t let you transfer files between the host and client PCs, but that’s the only major limitation. On the plus side, LogMeIn is now available for Mac users as well.
- TeamViewer TeamViewer is a bit different in that it’s not designed for unattended remote access: Users must be present at both the host and client PCs. Thus, this is more of a remote-control solution, one that affords live chat, file sharing, etc. Amazingly, neither party needs to install any software, making this about as user-friendly as it gets.
What’s your favorite method for connecting to another PC from afar? Click the Comments link at the top of this post and tell us about it!
