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Remote desktop software

Hey guys, Does anyone know if there's any decent FREE apps for the android that i can use for remote assistance? i work in IT and this would be very useful to me but im not willing to fork out cash just yet.
I know you can use VNC but this means installing software on client machines and setting that software upm which is no use to me.
thanks in advance guys

I have tried most and there are no good free RDC clients. (I started to write one myself but it was not very fun so I abandoned it.)
I would suggest biting the bullet and buying xtralogic's Remote Desktop client. At $19.95 it is the most expensive option but the controls on it are the best IMHO.
If you want cheaper ($7.98) there is Remote RDP by Walter Yongtao Wang but i find the controls are not as intuitive.
I know you said you do not want to fork out cash yet but the reality is if you want a good RDC client then for now you are going to have to pay for it. In the grand scheme of things $20 is a minor investment for the aggravation saved.

PhoneMyPC is the best one I've tried and I've played with almost all of them. Multitouch zooming makes it closest to what logmein ignition is on the iPhone. I think until logmein comes out with an Android app, it's the best bet even though it costs a few dollars.

yeah , i also use PhoneMyPC , works great , no problems

I have to agree. PhoneMyPC is extremely (surprizingly) fast and worked better than the RDP or VNC solutions from my testing.
I was very skeptical that it could perform well, but... call me a believer now.

Thanks for the answers guys, I'll try PhoneMyPc out first.
One more question, I would also like to Wake computers via LAN, Do these software's have the ability to send the "magic" WOL packets to wake a system up?
This is another feature i would find extremely useful.

Clearly my brain was not working last night. I misread what you were asking for. PhoneMyPC is nice but requires a client install.
If your goal is end client support and you do not want to require them to install an application you might consider UltraVNC single click for the client ( http://www.uvnc.com/addons/singleclick.html )+ a VNC viewer on android. While it will not perform as well as PhoneMyPC it has the benefit of being a zero foot print solution and works well in situations where the client may not want/be able to install applications on their system. I keep a build on my website and if a situation pops up that requires me to access the end user's machine have them download and run it.
Your request for WOL is a bit confusing though, which implies you are not going for end user support. What are you looking for:
- a solution to connect to your personal machine running in the same subnet as your phone
- a solution to connect to your personal machine from wherever you may be at
- a solution to connect to remote end users machines with a pre-installed application
- a solution to connect to remote end users machines without a pre-installed application
- something else.
WOL can be triggered remotely (with preparation) but regardless requires the machine to be set up properly and that you know the MAC address in advance, not likely in a remote end user scenario.

Does anyone know where can I get the PhoneMyPC installation file for the phone? I couldn't find any download link on their site.

On the market. search for "phonemypc". It is a commercial app (9.99 USD) so that is pretty much your only way to get it.

Trust me on this one, go with Remote Desktop Client from xtralogic.. I've been using it for nearly a year.. its the best RDP you will find, no client install needed.

PhoneMyPC is the BEST!
Wait... we're biased ;-)
I suspect the user base here is savvy enough to know much of this, but a few details for anybody who's interested.
PhoneMyPC uses a technology similar to VNC, but it's custom and generally performs better. It is a bandwidth-limited approach to remoting, and we chose this because (a) we wanted something that made no compromises on visual quality (no missing desktop wallpapers, no changed settings, no missing themes), and we see the trend in available bandwidth going steadily up for the forseeable future. This makes PhoneMyPC a good option for remote video, for example, because it is optimized for pictoral data rather than vector data.
RDP, on the other hand, is optimized for vector data, so typically consumed less bandwidth than PhoneMyPC, but much more CPU resources. It also has the advantage that it is built in to all Professional and Server Windows versions.
The biggest difference between the two however is how they handle the network. With RDP you must know and configure your IP, and you must update it when it changes (or use a DynDNS type solution). You must also know how to configure your router and other security mechanisms for port forwarding.
PhoneMyPC just works, because it uses our servers as a connection point between your phone and PC(s). You don't need to know your IP, or worry if it changes, becuase the PC will actually tell the phone what it's IP is every time you connect. You can use port forwarding to get a better, direct connection, but it is not required for the software to work.
Finally, RDP is a long-lasting, well established (and more or less un-changing) technology; that is an advantage from some perspectives. But if you compare what users are saying PhoneMyPC is at least as good, and it's new, still growing, always getting better, and we're not even close to done yet. That too is an advantage from some perspectives.
SoftwareForMe.com
Makers of PhoneMyPC

I've bought all of them, and I could never get Phone My PC to connect. RDC by xtralogic, Remote VNC Pro Android VNC work great (used with TightVNC).
EDIT: Any suggestions Softwareforme? Also constant f/c's when connected via wifi on N1.

[Q] Existing simple bluetooth data relay application?

I'm looking for Android Bluetooth / TCP/IP relay application.
-- Details --
I'm looking for RDP client which would be able to relay / bridge Bluetooth devices / peripherals to the RDP host (Windows server 2008 R2).
If there's no such RDP client, wehave a secondary option. Having separate background service which takes care of the data relaying part in background, and leaves the RDP connection / device display to foreground as completely separate process.
I've been planning developing such application. But if possible, I want to avoid re-inventing the wheel. Even if it sounds really simple, I'm sure there will be (too?) many problems before it works reliably.
I'm very curious to know, if such application already exists and where would I get it. I'm quite sure that someone has already made such an application. I just don't know where to look for it.
Additional bonus would come, if the application is quite easy to configure and if the sessions between RDP and this relay are easy to link and access on Windows server end.
As addition to the bluetooth relay, it would be nice to have a simple TCP/IP tunnel / bridge / relay feature in same packet. Allowing access to devices using TCP/IP without bluetooth using same app.
If it's true that such application doesn't exist. Would there be an market for such application if it's created? I could imagine I'm not the only person looking for such app.
I do have additional documentation & specification for there requirements, but I don't want to share it right here. I've been also discussion about this topic with a few Android Application developer companies, but as you might guess, this project won't be cheap. Therefore I'm looking for reasonably priced existing solution.
Here's simple use case sample. Customer is using industrial data collection solution where there are ten sensors attached to something being monitored which are then connected to tablet over bluetooth or wi-fi (TCP/IP). But the actual data processing / logging / control software is running on Windows server and can be accessed using RDP. Of course one solution would be using a full featured Windows laptop instead of that tablet, but we don't want to do that. So this expains what I'm looking for in more detail.
- Thank you
-- Footer --
KW: business, software development, android, thinclient, tablet, bluetooth, wifi, wlan, mobile
HTag: #android #peripheral #connectivity #remotedesktop #remotedesktopclient #softwaredevelopment #bluetooth #tablet #thinclient

Android phone powered Desktop

Android devices are so powerful today, and the hardware is becoming so powerful that I don't think that the software is utilising that.
We already have much of the technology in devices of today to enable a desktop environment to be streamed from our phones.
Display output: Chromecast (wireless display), MHL (Wired display & charger), etc.
Input methods: Bluetooth Keyboard & mouse, Accelerometer (to emulate mouse input), etc.
UI: Separate Launcher for the desktop UI.
With Microsoft bringing Windows 10 later this year as one OS for both the Phone & Desktop, surely that will allow them to work better in sync with one another, but that will still require a separate desktop computer and phone to create this kind of experience.
But Google now has the chance to simply output a separate UI from the same device that can display a phone UI all at the same time.
If we look at past launches of major Android builds then this coming Google I/O would be the perfect time to announce something like this, since they say that they usually deliver one major build that focuses on UI, and then one that focuses on major feature integration.
And not only would this allow for us to take our desktop with us everywhere in our pocket and connect wirelessly to any compatible display but also it could enable people in poorer economies to buy one device which could give them better access to the internet with a portable display integrated into the device, and also they could connect to the larger displays to browse the web or work on office documents with apps such as 'Google Docs'.
This could really be useful for people who wish to use their device in the work place too.
With Android mobile now offering multiple user profiles on their phones, surely they could create one profile for work, with all of their work apps available in both their phone and desktop UI's, but also a personal profile with all of their media applications & games available when out of work.
The desktop tower may still be useful for a few years to enable support for legacy applications whilst we are waiting for those applications to be ported over to Android/Android Desktop, but that shouldn't take too long considering how quickly we are see'ing apps becoming available to Android offering the kind of services that many of us desire, and if the developers only need to create one application back end for both the Desktop mode & phone mode, then it will be much quicker to bring apps to market with a small bit of time required to make a UI which can be scaled between the phone & desktop mode well.
There are multiple projects trying to create this very experience, but if it was a major part of the Android OS then finally people will get the experience that many people are waiting for, you only have to look at the comments on the developer pages of these projects to see that many people want this kind of experience.
With 64-bit now supported in Android too there is less of a reason to hold back this kind of experience.

I agree totally. Is this the only thread on this subject? Was going to setup Chromecast for video and Bluetooth for keyboard, mouse and audio. Doing this on a Jiayu S3A which is very powerful. Would like one place to discuss what works and what doesn't. Launcher options also need to be discussed.

ubuntu phone - yes, no, maybe?

It is possible to get 3 different phones with ubuntu phone now, none of them too expensive.
good.
i wonder what people's experience or informed opinion is?
ubuntu is pushing "convergence", which basically means that one operating system runs on all devices, that i can use my smartphone as a computer...
how far along is it?
now there's loads of blog articles and reviews out there, but most of them focus on comparing ubuntu phone (UP from now on) to other phone OSs - with their fully grown app universe. of course UP comes up short!
but that's not what i'm interested in. OS stability, and the standard browsing, music and video, and of course phone and sms is good enough for me.
but, i want the same freedom i have with my linux desktop install: to Do Things.
(my most important project is still to get a usable connection to the data & media stored on my kitchenserver.)
the day before yesterday i had a chat with someone on #ubuntu-phone - i think it was a dev.
i asked if i can use & upgrade it like any normal ubuntu/debian-based, install apps and utilities and so on.
basically he said, gui apps are difficult because UP uses a different gui model than Xorg, but basically yes, but you loose you guarantee that OTA (over the air) updates will work. but they should, regardless.
yesterday i was browsing the ubuntu phone section on ubuntu forums; of course people only post if something doesn't work - it looks like a normal and healthy distro forum to me.
OTA updates come in almost daily, i gather. very lively development.
there was, however, a lot of familiar discussions about how to get some app or other working; familiar from my 2 android phones: convoluted and fragile solutions, like installing ubuntu desktop in a chroot.
UP even recommends adb (android debug bridge?) as the only way to access the phone from your computer. or the standard mtp connection. so it's the same **** as everywhere.
the other aspect is this:
- ok, android is big, evil google, but there's a few established solutions around to use it without an account, use f-droid instead of play store, well documented security hacks and so on.
- UP certainly isn't the white knight here, but if not google, what do they use, is it really "better" than google and can i opt out easily?
yes, i am seriously considering to buy a UP phone, as soon as i get the feeling that it is an improvement freedom and security wise.
i wonder what people's experience or informed opinion is?

bump
...just a gentle one before the weekend ends.
i'd love to get some answers...

An app, web.android.com, like web.whatsapp.com?

Dear Members,
Imagine: An Android Black Box without any screen but only USB Power+Data and Wi-Fi ports to be connected with a Lap- /Desk- top computer and the combo used as a Superphone
I have been planning for a long time to use internet — like the thread I had posted in Unix StackExchange in
unix.stackexchange.com/questions/86380/reading-sim-data-via-file-managers-using-usb-datamodem, around September 2013.
There I had posted the links of an idea: If Mobile-> Internet access Modem, why not datacard->mobile, posted in both Knoppix and Debian forums, around March 2013.
A killer of an idea came to me while I began using web.whatsapp.com
I have been doing research on the alternatives of the Android OS available on the web. These two links are sufficient for what I am going to present:
beebom.com/android-alternative/
itsfoss.com/open-source-alternatives-android/
Won't it be easier if, rather than to build free and Open-source alternatives to Android, Android itself is enhanced for its use with a computer, keyboard and mouse, using an app like the Whatsapp Digital Optical Code scanner, to have the display and button- and touchscreen- controls transferred to our lap- / desk- top computers, like we can in Whatsapp via web.whatsapp.com?
In Linux there already are ways to remotely control a desktop via appropriate permissions with a GUI interface.
This way, Google remains happy, while we too remain free from restrictive policies.
There are many emulators already available on the Open Source Linux systems, like QEMU, VirtualBox, and so on, not to mention the proprietary VMWare.
The app needs to have two parts:
(1) A rudimentary functionality of a Transceiver/Emulator, to slip right between the Hardware and the Android OS, creating a "What You Ask Is What You Get" one to one virtual communicator, and side by side, relaying the signals to the main app.
(2) A virtualisation of the user input signals and transceiving the same with the Android OS.
The main application having all the remaining functionalities to connect the Android OS with the Lap- / Desk- top via Wi-Fi, internet and its in-built optical scanner.
Of course, the App needs to have a cloud application to store all the data of the users on the cloud securely via SSL security like Whatsapp.
The App could earn its profits from the revenue structure Google has erected to have the app paid via advertisements. Interested users like us would also be more than willing to pay for the app, I believe.
In the end, again, a device could as well be developed to combine an Android SmartPhone Black-Box (without screen) Hot-plugged with a standard lap- / desk- top and forming a seamless combination of the two into one super-unit via Free and Open Source Software.
To conclude, I seek this opportunity to inform that I am a very empowering closet-entrepreneur, but I have my own limitations because of my inability to accept certain existing structures. So rather than forming an entrepreneurship venture, I like freely to share information. FOSI instead of FOSS, I for Ideas.