Today we shall have a look at a piece of remote desktop software called Teamviewer. Teamviewer is the software that we use to connect to our client’s computers remotely and solve any problem they might have.
Teamviewer can be installed from here and works on all the major platfroms. Once installed you will get a view identical to the one below.
Teamviewer console displayed on Linux Mint 12
You will notice that Your ID and Password are displayed. You must give this information to the person who will be taking control of your system. The Id of your computer will not change, however the password will change after every session thus removing the possibility of anyone getting onto your computer without your knowledge. Once a session has been established the client (the person who is getting the help) can retake control of their computer at any time by moving the mouse.
You will also notice that you have a choice of either remote control or file transfer. On Windows systems Teamviewer 7 also allows VPN connection (discussed below). File transfer is very handy when you have to transfer files over the internet quickly.
VPN connection
First we have to set up an unattended session which will allow us to log onto another computer with a specified password even if no one is in attendance. On the main console page you will Set up an unattended session which is located underneath Password. Click on this and enter the required details.
Once this is set up I always find it easier to setup a teamviewer account. There are two reasons for this. The first reason is I can then vpn into my systems using a web browser which can be convenient when you are out and about. The second is that the web interface allows me to manage all my accounts in one place. You can set up a teamviewer user account here and click on web login. Once completed you should get the screen displayed below.
All the computers that you have already setup will be visble in the top left of the screen under My Computers. You can add further computer accounts using the web interface by clicking on Add new partner which will then give you the screen below.
Change the Partner type to Compuer (as shown) and Group to My Computers (as shown). Fill in the ID and Alias as appropriate. The password is not the teamviewer password but any password you choose. Once completed the new partner will be visible in the top left of the screen under my computers. To connect to it just double click.
So to round off Teamviewer is a very versitile piece of software that allows you to take control of another computer by either a web based interface or your own computer. Go and have a play and see what you think.
About the Author
Hi I am Chris Wakefield the owner of ComTech IT Support. I provide Windows and Linux based IT Support, laptop repairs and computer repairs to both business and personal clients in and around Stirling.
For a list of what I can offer you why not visit my website www.comtech247.net where you will find a list of my services, testimonials, blog and much more.
Teamviewer, Ammyy etc. are hosted services. I would recommend an on premise solution from RHUB such as remote support appliances. It works from behind your company’s firewall, hence provides better security.
Try this Ammyy Admin http://www.ammyy.com
The software doesn’t require installation and registration. You can connect to any PC which is behind NAT.
This is exactly some thing I have to do more research into, thanks for the publish.
Personal preference really. LogMein is really good software and would fit nicely in any remote desktop strategy but I came across Teamviewer first!! Teamviewer does everything I need so I will be sticking with it for the time being.
Why use this over LogMein?