Quick Tips

My Favorite Remote Support Tools

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One of the things that most if not all Technical Support types will come across is doing remote support. I've used a good number of remote support tools, ranging from the built-in windows netmeeting (yes you can use this to do remote support) to services like GoToMyPC.

Those of you at home who end up helping family or friends have probably used remote support tools at one point or another. What do you use? Is it better than the alternatives? Have you tried the alternatives? Here are some remote support software that I have tried and used.
  • Windows NetMeeting - It's free and works well when you have someone on the other side who knows a little bit of what they are doing on a pc. Most likely you already have it on your windows pc.
  • Windows Remote Desktop
  • LogMeIn - I've used and really recommend this. There is a free service, which I use and it works very well. The paid versions give you more control and features.
  • Teamviewer - I wrote about Teamviewer in a previous post. It is very simple and works very well.
  • Timbuktu - I first came across this software years ago through a colleague supporting Macs. This is cross platform compatible and has many enterprise features as well.
  • PCAnywhere - at $200 its one of the more expensive ones out there. It has some good features. Personally, I don't use it since there are free alternatives.
  • GoToMyPC - You probably know this one, since they advertised a good deal in the past and still do in technical magazines. They have other features for meetings etc, that they try to push on you. It works and works well.
Here are some more, that I have not tried. They do seem pretty good though, at least according to what I read on the websites and reviews from others.
  • CrossLoop - an online service, site looks simple enough to navigate.
  • mRemote - for the more advanced, this tool supports many protocols.
  • UltraVNC - Very popular with some sys admins and server folks. It's free, though they accept donations.
  • TightVNC - Like UltraVNC, this is also free. Available for windows and linux
  • Mikogo - Andrew Donnelly from Mikogo pointed out his company's solution. This looks like an alternative for GotoMeeting and allows you to do remote support and meetings.
You can find some reviews from Lifehacker about some of these solutions above. Here is a list of 40 from Mashable's Remote Access list from September 2007. What software do you use for remote support? What is your favorite and what do you recommend to others?

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13 comments:

Andrew_Mikogo said...

Hi,
Have you used Mikogo for remote support? It's a free app for both commercial and private use. Easy to use and no installations or registrations required for clients to join a session. 256bit AES encryption used.
You can find a list of Mikogo features on our Twitter page.
Drop by our site, check it out and let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Andrew Donnelly
The Mikogo Team

FrugalNYC said...

Thank you for your comment and for pointing me to your Mikogo solution Andrew. I'll add it to my post as another helpful tool and will definitely take a look at it.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
Thanks for adding Mikogo to your list. Yes, Mikogo is also a great tool for online meetings and presentations because you can invite up to 10 participants to view your screen.
Let me know if you are after any further details about Mikogo.
Thanks again for taking the time to check out our app and add it to your list.

Regards,
Andrew
The Mikogo Team

FrugalNYC said...

Andrew,

I'll be sure to reach out to you when the occasion arises. Best of luck and success on your product!

Anonymous said...

You must try TeamViewer, I've used it so many times with people who barley know how to use a computer it's that great.

www.teamviewer.com

FrugalNYC said...

Hi Anonymous,

I have to agree with you on Teamviewer, I wrote a quick post about it here http://frugaltech.blogspot.com/2008/12/teamviewer-remote-support.html

It is one of the few tools I keep on my USB thumb drive, and I wrote about it so I can a quick point of reference to point a friend/colleague to when I need to use it.

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Computer service said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
John Mike said...

Hi, Thanks for the nice post and nice list related to Remote Support Tools..Remote support

Unknown said...

Wow, these was really very wonderful sharing of the information. I am looking for such kind of information and finally finds it. The remote support tool is become very beneficial, advantageous and important today.

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Astrology said...

I would like to convey my love for your generosity in support of those people who require guidance on this particular concept. Your special dedication to passing the solution up and down has been pretty insightful and has specifically helped employees just like me to attain their goals.

Unknown said...

Logmein, TeamViewer, PCAnywhere etc. are no doubt quality remote support tools. Additionally, one can even consider deploying on premise remote support appliance such as RHUB or Bomgar appliances in order to remotely access computers from anywhere.

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