RDP, Remote Desktop Protocol, is arguably the most popular one used by the most people when it comes to remote access. It’s built-in on Windows and it works great. The only problem is that if you want to use it to remote access your home PC you will need to open the port 3389 on the firewall to allow the connection come through. It’s no big deal to most of us who deal with this kind of thing quite often but not so much for average people.
Here are 3 free tools that let you remote access your home PC without fiddling with the firewall settings.
Teamviewer
TeamViewer is one of the best remote access tools on the market. It runs on almost all platforms that are available on the market and supports unattended access when configured. It’s also completely free for personal or non-commercial use.
To set up unattended access to your home computer, download the installer from their website and select “Installation to access this computer remotely” option during the installation.
Once installed, follow up a simple wizard to set up unattended access. And you are all set. The TeamViewer screen will be up with your ID and Password ready.
To gain remote access, just fire up TeamViewer application and type in User ID and Password to connect.
If you need to remote access multiple computers, setting up a free account with TeamViewer would be a better idea so you can have a central location to manage all your connections.
AnyDesk
AnyDesk is another remote access tool that works similar to TeamViewer. It’s designed from ground up with a new video codec called DeskRT that is specifically designed for graphical user interface. It’s claimed as the fastest remote desktop software on the market. It’s also free and portable, works mostly on Windows platform with support for both 32-bit and 64-bit editions.
By default, to connect a remote computer via AnyDesk it requires the other party to accept the connection before you can gain access but you can set up unattended access by simply providing a password.
Chrome Remote Desktop
Chrome Remote Desktop is a Chrome app that allows users to remotely access another computer through Chrome browser or a Chromebook. If you are using Chrome as your primary browser, why not using it so you don’t have to have another tool to mess around. It’s also fully cross-platform, providing remote assistance to Windows, Mac, and Linux users, or access your Windows and Mac desktop at any time as long as you have Chrome installed and in use.
You will need to have a Google Account to use the app in Chrome. To set up an unattended access, launch the app in Chrome, and click Get started button in My Computers section, and Enable remote connections button to enable unattended access on the computer.
Google moves even further, bringing the Chrome Remote Desktop feature to the web. You will be able to login to remotedesktop.google.com and start connecting to remote devices. The portal is currently still in beta but you can still access it and get started. If you have existing devices already set up for Chrome Remote Access, they will be listed on the portal.
All above are good. Additionally, you can also use on premise R-HUB remote support servers for all your remote access needs. It works on all platforms and is easy to use.