Your PC isnt really stuck at home. You can access the desktop, your files, and even gaming horsepower on the go. You can turn on your PC from halfway around the world!
How, you ask? Lets start with catch-all remote desktop solutions before following up with more specific remote control and access tools for gaming, productivity, and more.
Remote desktop
Remote desktop software lets you access your computer and all its applications over the Internet using another device, essentially by streaming a feed of your desktop. This works from a tablet or phone, even over a cellular data network.
To do this, youll need to set up
{{#url}}a remote desktop server{{/url}}{{^url}}a remote desktop server{{/url}}
on the PC you want to connect to. We recommend
{{#url}}TeamViewer{{/url}}{{^url}}TeamViewer{{/url}}
for this: Its easy to use, completely free for non-commercial use, runs on almost everything, and doesnt require any port-forwarding or complex setup. [Be sure to set up TeamViewer for unattended access!]
Setting up TeamViewers Unattended access feature.
{{#url}}Parallels Access{{/url}}{{^url}}Parallels Access{{/url}}
is another good, polished alternative.
{{#url}} It really shines {{/url}}{{^url}} It really shines {{/url}}
when accessing your desktop from a smartphone or tablet, providing a more touch-optimized interface. Unlike TeamViewer, however, Parallels Access requires a
{{#url}}$20 yearly fee{{/url}}{{^url}}$20 yearly fee{{/url}}
Remove non-product link even for personal use.
Parallels
Parallels Access lets you work on your PC desktop from an Android phone.
You could also skip the polished, all-in-one solutions entirely. For example, you could enable the Remote Desktop feature in professional editions of Windows and use any RDP [Remote Desktop Protocol] client to connect to your PC remotely. Microsoft even offers
{{#url}}Remote Desktop apps{{/url}}{{^url}}Remote Desktop apps{{/url}}
for Android, iPhone, and iPad. You could set up a VNC [Virtual Network Computing] server on your PC to access it in a similar way, even if you arent using
{{#url}}a professional edition of Windows{{/url}}{{^url}}a professional edition of Windows{{/url}}
.
These DIY services arent as easy to use, however. Youll have to
{{#url}}set up port-forwarding{{/url}}{{^url}}set up port-forwarding{{/url}}
and dynamic DNS on your own to access them remotely. Theyll also be harder to secure, as any bot scanning your IP address from the Internet will see the services running on those ports and can attempt to break into them and compromise your PC. This isnt a risk with services like TeamViewer or Parallels Access, which handle the authentication bits on their own central servers.
Remote file access
You can access your PCs files on the go, too. To avoid mucking through a remote desktop session, your best bet is an easy-to-use remote control solution with an integrated file-transfer option.
In TeamViewer, just select file transfer while connecting to a remote computer with TeamViewer, and youll be able to access all the files on your PCs hard drive or upload files to your remote PC from your current device. The Android, iPad, and iPhone apps also have file-transfer support, so you can download files from your PC to your smartphone or tablet. [Parallels Access doesnt support direct file transfers.]
{{#url}}Ian Lamont{{/url}}{{^url}}Ian Lamont{{/url}}
Keep remote file access simple with Dropbox or another cloud storage service.
The average PC user will probably want to stick with
{{#url}}a cloud storage service{{/url}}{{^url}}a cloud storage service{{/url}}
instead of a remote file access solution. Place your files into a service like
{{#url}}Dropbox{{/url}}{{^url}}Dropbox{{/url}}
,
{{#url}}OneDrive{{/url}}{{^url}}OneDrive{{/url}}
, or
{{#url}}Google Drive{{/url}}{{^url}}Google Drive{{/url}}
and theyll sync online. You can then access them from anywhere via your web browser, the services mobile app, or its syncing client.
The upside is that your remote PC doesnt have to be powered on. The downside is that youre limited by the amount of
{{#url}}storage the service provides{{/url}}{{^url}}storage the service provides{{/url}}
. If youre worried about storing sensitive files online, you can always
{{#url}}encrypt files before storing them in the cloud{{/url}}{{^url}}encrypt files before storing them in the cloud{{/url}}
.
Using documents in the cloud
Microsoft Office users can save documents to Microsofts free OneDrive cloud storage service, then access
{{#url}}the Office Online website{{/url}}{{^url}}the Office Online website{{/url}}
in a web browser to view and even edit the documents from wherever you are. Office Online is completely free. OneDrive is integrated into Windows 8.1 and is available as a free download for previous versions of Windows.
The
{{#url}}Office Mobile applications{{/url}}{{^url}}Office Mobile applications{{/url}}
for iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone also allow you to view and edit Office documents stored in your OneDrive account for free. Office for iPad provides
{{#url}}a more powerful editing experience on the iPad{{/url}}{{^url}}a more powerful editing experience on the iPad{{/url}}
, but note that all the mobile apps require
{{#url}}an Office 365 subscription{{/url}}{{^url}}an Office 365 subscription{{/url}}
for editing [viewing is free].
Office for iPad.
Microsoft Office isnt the only game in town.
{{#url}}Google Docs{{/url}}{{^url}}Google Docs{{/url}}
is completely free, runs in a web browser on your PC, and allows you to edit your Google Docs or Microsoft Office documents from anywhere via a web browser or mobile apps.
Wake your computer remotely
PCs have long supported a feature known as Wake-on-LAN. When Wake-on-LAN is enabled on a PC, the PCs network interface listens for a specially formed packet, even while the computer is powered off, hibernating, or in sleep mode. When the computer receives the packet, it powers on.
You could take advantage of Wake-on-LAN to turn on your PC over the Internet. This would allow you to leave your PC off except when you want to access its desktop or files remotely.
Configuring TeamViewers Wake-on-LAN feature.
This can be done in two separate ways. You could forward the appropriate ports from your home router to the computer running on your local network, and then use a specialized software program to send the Wake-on-LAN packet to your home IP address.
Or, you could use a special software application that sits inside your local network. When it receives the signal, it sends the Wake-on-LAN packet to a computer on the same local network. TeamViewer [once again] offers this feature, allowing you to send Wake-on-LAN packets to other computers on your local network if one PC with TeamViewer enabled is powered on. TeamViewer has
{{#url}}a complete guide to setting up Wake-on-LAN{{/url}}{{^url}}a complete guide to setting up Wake-on-LAN{{/url}}
, from configuring the BIOS and network adapter to Windows and your home router. Much of the process is similar even if youre not using TeamViewer, although youll need a mobile or desktop application that can send the Wake-on-LAN packets for you if youre opting not to use TeamViewer. The latest version of Parallels Access offers this feature, too.
Game streaming
When youre done being productive, you can also use your computers graphics cards power to play games when youre away from it.
{{#url}} Steams killer in-home streaming feature {{/url}}{{^url}} Steams killer in-home streaming feature {{/url}}
allows you to stream games running on your gaming PC to other Windows, Linux, or Mac computers on your home network. You could try to stream games when youre out of the house by connecting your PC
{{#url}}to a VPN server{{/url}}{{^url}}to a VPN server{{/url}}
running on your home network but even if you tricked Steam into streaming over the Internet that way, performance wouldnt be great.
Jared Newman
Nvidias GameStream feature lets you stream games from your PC and play them on your Shield handheld or tablet.
Nvidia also offers its own
{{#url}}GameStream feature{{/url}}{{^url}}GameStream feature{{/url}}
, which only works with recent Nvidia graphics cards. Unlike Steams streaming feature, Nvidia does allow you to access your home PC and
{{#url}} stream games from it over the Internet{{/url}}{{^url}} stream games from it over the Internet{{/url}}
, although this feature is in beta. The problem here is that this feature can stream games onlyto
{{#url}} an Nvidia Shield handheld console {{/url}}{{^url}} an Nvidia Shield handheld console {{/url}}
or
{{#url}} the Shield tablet{{/url}}{{^url}} the Shield tablet{{/url}}
. You can connect your Shield to a television and stream to a larger screen, but you need the Shield hardware to act as a receiver.
The mobile revolution may be marching on, but the PC is still important to many users lives. Remote control is one area where the right tools let PCs, smartphones, and tablets be more powerful by working together.