| Let me tell you my own story that led me to do | | | | update or the other pre-requisite software wasn't |
| my own search for the best remote access | | | | installed properly and the installation of my remote |
| software out there. About three years ago my | | | | access software wasn't going to work as it |
| wife gave birth to our second child. I work from | | | | should. |
| home, and the only extra room in the house | | | | I could not have been more wrong. I am not |
| happened to be my home office. | | | | kidding when I tell you that this was one of the |
| So as you can probably guess, the new baby kind | | | | first times I had ever truly been blown away by |
| of took over my office space, and by extension, | | | | what a piece of software could do. |
| also took over my main desktop computer. Now | | | | I would say it took probably about 10 minutes |
| normally this would not have been a problem, | | | | before I was completely set up, logged in, and -- I |
| since we also have two laptops in the house. But | | | | am NOT kidding you -- controlling my desktop |
| what happened was is I basically found that it | | | | computer from my laptop. Now, I want to be |
| was becoming more and more of a waste of | | | | clear about this -- I'm not talking about "sort of" |
| time to have to keep transferring files back and | | | | or "virtually" being able to get to files on my main |
| forth between the two computers. | | | | computer. I'm talking about literally controlling that |
| What I needed, at least until we worked out a | | | | computer, and everything about it, remotely. |
| solution that would let my new son get the sleep | | | | I'm pretty lucky because, as I said, I do get to |
| he needed while still giving me access to my | | | | work from home, so in a true emergency if I |
| computer during the evening, was a way to | | | | really ever needed to get back into my office to |
| access the main computer even when I couldn't | | | | get to my computer I certainly could (my son |
| necessarily access my office. | | | | would have just had to miss a few minutes of |
| Enter remote access software. I have to admit | | | | sleep that night). But for people who don't have it |
| that I was a bit skeptical that it would even work | | | | as good as I do -- who live 15 minutes or half an |
| at first. You know how things are with computers | | | | hour or a full hour away from their office -- I can |
| -- there's ALWAYS something that gets screwed | | | | see how this kind of program could be an |
| up and requires some calls to a support line. (And | | | | absolute lifesaver. Not to mention a relationship |
| if you're lucky, whoever is on the other end of | | | | saver if your significant other doesn't like your |
| the line will actually speak the same language as | | | | workaholic tendencies. |
| you.) | | | | All in all I do have to say that remote access |
| So it was with that in mind that I downloaded and | | | | software in general is some of the most |
| installed some of the remote access packages | | | | impressive stuff I've come across in recent years |
| that I found online. I'll get to the ones that I think | | | | (the other being voice-recognition dictation |
| are the absolute best in the second, but first I | | | | software -- but that's for another article; you |
| just wanted to give you an idea of how these | | | | wouldn't believe this stuff!) and it definitely does |
| things work. | | | | work as advertised, as long as you get a quality |
| So, like I said, here I was all ready to be | | | | package. |
| completely frustrated because this plug-in or that | | | | |