TeamViewer is a free tool that makes it incredibly easy to
set and use a VPN connection; a Virtual Private Network that lets you take
complete control of another PC from your own computer, whether they're
separated by a soda can or a continent (and as long as both machines are
running TeamViewer). It enables two-way connections in which users can flip
control back and forth. TeamViewer also lets you hold virtual meetings with
multiple participants (again, they all must have TeamViewer installed). With a
name like TeamViewer, you'd expect it to be an enterprise-ready tool, and you'd
be right: TeamViewer's robust simplicity is what happens when multiple users of
vastly different skills need to use software. After a while, the bugs get
squashed pretty firmly. But TeamViewer is free to non-commercial users. That
means you can use it to access your work and home PCs remotely, of course. But
you can also install it on your mom's PC (for example) and provide tech support
from home.
We installed and opened TeamViewer on two Windows 7 PCs; one
a 64-bit desktop, the other a 32-bit netbook. TeamViewer provides a user name
and password for each machine. You simply need to enter each machine's numbers
in the other to create a connection. The host PC's screen displays the remote
PC's desktop in a window, and the host machine's mouse and keyboard control the
remote PC's counterparts. We could open folders, files, and programs; run
processes; and change settings: anything we could do with the remote machine's
own controls, we could do from our main PC's controls, too, with TeamViewer. We
tried the Meeting tool, too, but since we had TeamViewer installed on just two
PCs, our pool of invitees was a bit small. TeamViewer offers some useful
options; for instance, you can limit it to file transfers if you don't need
total control.
eamViewer is simply the easiest tool of its type we've
used, and a far cry from the VPN apps of not so long ago. And it can cut down
on the phone tag when friends and family need tech support!
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