LogMeIn

Remote Control: Using LogMeIn to access your computer via iPhone

Mocha VNC Lite allows you to access your home or office computer remotely via iPhone. Unfortunately, if you want to access your VNC disabled computer behind its firewall, you'll need to open ports and set up port forwarding. Plus, the connection link is not secure, since it is not via SSH.

However, there is LogMeIn, an online service that offers remote access for Mac or PC. You can use this service to access your computer remotely through your iPhone. Just follow these simple steps:

1. If you don't have one already, create a LogMeIn account. (It's free.)

a)Go to LogMeIn.com from the computer on which you would like remote access and create the account.

While creating an account under personal remote access, select "LogMeIn Free: Remote Control Only."

b) Complete your registration. (Be assured that your personal information is safe. We can vouch for this--in the two years we have used this service, we have not received any SPAM!)

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c) Download and install LogMeIn.

2. Once you have an account, login into LogMein.com. This can be done from the computer you want to control, another computer, or your iPhone.

3. Click on My Computers. (Top right corner.)

4. If you followed the download instructions, your computer with the LogMeIn
software on it should be on the list.

if you don't have any computers on the list, then you need to add one.

5. Click the name of the computer you would like to control. It should be online. In our case, it is PC.

6. You will be presented with a login prompt. Enter the credentials of the computer you want to control.

7. If your login is successful, you should be connected to your computer. You will see the LogMeIn control panel on your remote controlled computer.

8. Go to the LogMeIn control panel and select Preferences.

9. Under General Preferences...

...select Remote Control Settings.

Under General Settings, find the Default Remote Control option and select HTML from the drop down box.

Click Apply at the bottom of the page.

10. You are now ready to control your computer from your iPhone. Just go to LogMeIn.com and follow steps 5-9.

11. Click on Remote Control in the LogMeIn control panel.

12. Success! You now have remote access to your computer from your iPhone!

We had a chance to test LogMeIn using our iPhone and one of our computers.

While the set-up is easy, be aware of the following issues:

1. If your computer has a password-protected screen saver, you will not be able to access it remotely.

2. Since you are in HTML mode while using LogMeIn, every action needs to be refreshed. (Click, refresh, click, refresh, etc.)

3. Since LogMeIn is not designed for the iPhone, you will not be able to type anything, as you won't have access to a keyboard. (Wow! This is a first time we wished the iPhone had a physical keyboard component.)

4. Only single clicks work. Don't waste your energy on that second click. It won't do anything.

LogMeIn appeared to be a very promising option for remote access via iPhone. Unfortunately, given the limitations listed above, we determined that unless you are in desperate need of accessing your computer's information from a remote location, using LogMeIn is not worth it.

Regardless, it is still quite the novelty. LogMeIn has enough features and functionality that you can show your friends how you can control your computer remotely using your iPhone.

At this point, we will stick with VNC Mocha Lite as our iPhone remote control of choice. But with a few tweaks, LogMeIn has the potential to be just as viable an option.

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