how to remote / remoting

i've read numerous articles on remoting

i have tabs open on the best n remote software utilities (are on my read list for today)

I have used 'remote desktop connection' from a 'client' laptop to a 'host' desktop, and it is working fine

that is my background

the reason for this post is the frequent how-to s that become a source of confusion instead of being a helpful tool

this is the problem exactly:

when a remote how-to does not distinguish between remoting into a client/host that is on the same local area network, wide area network, and across the internet

i have read how to remote across the internet using 'remote desktop connection,' when i am sure rdc is used only for computers on the same lan

also, the how-to articles that i've read are not specifying using remote utilities/software for connections across the internet

for example, the wikihow article on remoting talks about "your public ip address," it doesn't explain how a computer on a local area network could have a "public" ip address.  this is a source of confusion

then the wikihow article goes on to discuss using "remote desktop connection" without distinguishing whether the client/host are on a lan, wan, or internet

and it is basing the connection on the return from https://www.whatismyip.com/ which gives me My Public IPv4 address, but not specifying in either the wikihow article, or on the link that:

this is the ip4 address of my router, not the desktop pc which i am trying to connect to

moving to the next article from flashrouters.com:

"Windows Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) is a feature that enables you to connect and use another Windows computer, either within your LAN or via the Internet," and

"How do I Setup a Remote Desktop Connection?

Edited by hmazuji, 17 November 2020 - 01:44 PM.

note:

the article on flashrouters.com discusses port forwarding in order to use rdc

what if i need to go through a modem then a router

even if i only have a modem, and i have to set up port forwarding, i would rather not because it's not in my comfort zone.  i would rather not experiment on my customers network, and i don't think i'll be able to program the modem/router from this side of the network.  i don't have the hardware in front of me.  will the modem require a reboot ?  now i will have to read another article for configuring port forwarding on the specific model of my modem

professional growth does require a degree of being outside the comfort zone, but i'll experiment with my home network

I see your confusion here. Before I studied a little networking, I used to find this sort of thing very confusing myself.

I may be able to help, but first, I suggest you clarify your issues into just a few questions.

RDP, can in fact be routed over the WAN/Internet. That's part of what Remove Invitation does. Remote Invitation simply uses RDP and adds some coding for invitations and stuff and packages it in a user-friendly way.

https://rktechstudio.com/how-to-send-remote-assistance-invitation/

Savvy IT people will generally want to use another layer of encryption, though. For example, I'm experimenting with RDP over SSH.

We call where the connection ends termination in IT. So, for example, a web browser could connect to your router over the Internet via HTTP (web protocol) or HTTPS (SSL-encrypted web protocol). If it terminates at the router, you'll be able to log into the router's web interface (all things being equal).

Now, if you use (local) port forwarding on the router and configure the router to port forward all connection from say, a certain machine on the Internet to an internal IP address on the LAN, then that connection terminates on that internal LAN IP client (let's say your Xbox).  I know, the term "local port forwarding is confusing as heck here).

The next step up is Remote (port) Forwarding. I'll let you Google this. I suggest reading up on Port Forwarding and Remote (port) forwarding and understanding those terms. However, you may still get confused until you understand the difference between routed and non-routed areas of networks.

Also, it's good to understand what NAT (Network Address Translation) is and the basics of how it works.

Anyways, clarify your questions, and I'll try to answer them as best I can.

Edited by Shplad, 06 February 2021 - 02:25 PM.

" Before I studied a little networking " lol.  have you ever read/listened/watched pride and prejudice

No, why?

it's one of my favorite movies

but getting back to the topic, that link you sent was great - it was actually spot on, where all the other articles were b.s.

i was able to get it to work.  the one thing i didn't like was it deleted all my mru (win 7) windows explorer shortcuts, and erased all my other previews, however, i can reload the previews by opening the windows again.  but my windows explorer mru shortcuts are gone and not coming back

in particular, i was surprised to see this work on win 7, but there it was

thank you for that link

Huh. I'm so busy/tired that I don't even remember recommending it. But hey, I'm glad it worked.

As someone who did some teaching, personally, I find most IT/computer-related learning

resources to be dreadful. I carefully curate my own materials, and try to make sense of it all.

Best wishes.

follow up

i don't know if m.s. remote desktop had anything to do with my system crashing from a 15gb ntuser.dat file, but my desktop had to be restored

also, i noticed that once i set up r.d., that all my mru links and thumbnails disappeared.  i wasn't very impressed with it

has anyone looked into google remote desktop

EDIT: Sorry, I started going on and on without addressing your first question.

I'm not aware of RDP causing huge user profile files. Based on experience, I would

guess that RDP is not the problem, but I'm not sure.

Honestly, most technicians use Teamviewer. It really is superb. The only problem is that

recently, when I'm working on other peoples' machines using the free tier of service,

I sometimes get kicked off my TV connection in 15 or 20 mins. And Teamviewer doesn't

warn you when it's going to happen.

I looked at getting the paid tier of service, but the price is just ridiculous.

There's always GoToMyPC, LogMeIn and a few other services. I had an absolute nightmare

once with LogMeIn-it trashed my system to the point where I could even boot. Other people

seem to report good experiences.

There's also VNC, which is free, and often available in open-source versions. You might

want to look at it. I don't remember if it has all the fancy functions that TeamViewer does,

such as rebooting and being able to log on again without worrying about getting a new

password.

Edited by Shplad, 19 March 2021 - 05:15 PM.

thank you.  that's a lot of information.  when i get through it, hopefully within the next few months, i'll post an update

Sorry, I should clarify: When Teamviewer kicks you off your free connection, it's not a bug,

it's planned behaviour. It's probably just happening more quickly due to so many people doing

remote work since Covid hit.

If you're looking for a good remote desktop tool, I find Quick Assist the best (even better than Team Viewer). It has no fancy tools, but its the simplest one to help someone with (seeing as it comes with windows and is simple for someone to open up, especially for someone who would find it hard to even open TV, never mind install it, which most people I help would have issues with). This is a good guide how to use it, but it shouldn't be necessary - it gives instructions once you open it. Note that it also uses RDP.

However, my limited experienced is based on helping people who don't really have much of an idea how to use a computer as a favour, not doing any complex admin stuff, or any proper IT stuff.

I have never heard of Chrome Remote Desktop, but I looked around it now and it seems very good and intuitive, especially that computers can be set up to be named easily and accessed whenever its online, but it has even less features than Quick Assist.