TeamViewer
Software Review:Â TeamViewer
As you may or may not know, my job revolves around technology support. Mostly computers, sometimes various other technology that someone needs help with, but 98% of the time it’s someone needing help with their Windows PC.
At work, I have all the tools that I need to remote-control someone’s computer and do whatever I need to do pre-installed, before a machine ever reaches someone’s desk. People’s home computers is a different story.
When you do computer support for a living, people hear about it, family and friends, their family and friends, and then their family and friends..   And when their computer breaks, they call me.
Trying to just get an accurate explanation of the problem from someone who just doesn’t “get it”, can be frustrating to say the least, and trying to talk them through a fix can be downright impossible.
So you start looking at remote control solutions. There’s lots available, from the free ones, Microsoft’s built-in remote assistance requests, to remote desktop, to vnc, and the solutions that cost money… PC Anywhere, Gotomypc, etc.
Most of them require you to forward ports on the router of the side you’re trying to remote control, poke holes in firewalls, install software on the host computer, determine what IP address to connect to, determine if the IP address has changed since the last time you logged in, etc. Now try getting the novice computer user who has just called you because he clicked something he shouldn’t have, and now has a nasty porn picture for a desktop wallpaper, to install some software, allow it through his firewall, configure a port forward on his router, find his IP…..etc. Yeah, I didn’t think so.
That brings me to LogMeIn. I’ve been using LogMeIn for months as a solution, I have LogMeIn free installed on most of my family’s computers, and many customers. It’s been a lifesaver. It’s fantastic software, free, and lets you do most everything you need to on a remote system to fix the problem. The one hassle with logmein however is actually getting it installed if I wasn’t physically at the location.
Now if the person I was trying to help was at least not the type that’s scared to death their computer will explode if they hit the wrong key, I could change my LogMeIn password, talk them through logging in as me, downloading and installing it, and then change my password back. It works, but it’s a pain, and with someone who is “technically challenged”, I’ve had even that simple process take up to an hour.
So finally we have “TeamViewer”. This solution is absolutely fantastic.
A quick rundown of the features include, in addition to remote control: File Transfer, VPN, a “presentation” mode, where you can send your screen to the remote end and they can watch you do something, the ability to “switch sides” and give remote control of your computer to the other end, making you the host and the other end the controller, and it handles multiple monitors fantastically. All encrypted with strong encryption.
There are two different files available for download from their website. The main install, and the “QuickSupport” or “Customer Support” module.
The main program is what you run on the “supporter” end, and can either be installed, or run as a stand-alone program (which could be useful if you’re somewhere where you’re not on your own computer, or just don’t want to install another program on your machine.)
The “Customer Support” module is a single .exe that the person on the far end has to run. No install required, no configuration, nothing but running the .exe (and allowing it access if UAC comes up and asks about it.) Typically you would just need to get them to browse to the web page, click it, and pick “run”. If you’re dealing with someone so technically challenged that they can’t get that far, then I’m afraid you’re going to be going for a drive.
Now all you have to do is instruct the person needing help to go to http://www.teamviewer.com, run the customer support module, and read the ID number and password that the program shows on their screen. No IP addresses, no firewall blockages, no confusing questions that the user has to answer. Fabulous.
From that point you can launch your end of the program, connect to them, and either quickly fix the problem, or install the full version of TeamViewer or LogMeIn yourself if you want a more permanent remote control solution available to me in the future. (TeamViewer does file transfer, session recording, and has a nifty VPN option available, but LogMeIn lists all of your computers by groups and name on the LogMeIn website so you don’t have to remember a whole slew of computer ID’s. I rarely need file transfer, and have a ton of computers to support, so I still install LogMeIn for future use. I guess you could do both if you wanted to have the best of both worlds.)
Download it at http://www.teamviewer.com/