Author Topic: LogMeIn (Read 18414 times)

m_s · « **on:** October 05, 2005, 01:56 PM »

Does anyone have experience of using LogMeIn, or know of any similar (free) products for controlling remote computers? I came across it in the October PC Mag roundup of free software, and it seems really good to me. But I wonder about security. I'm sure I can configure firewalls etc. to work with it, but tonight I had to turn off Kerio on the remote machine in order to access it. Anybody tried it?

mouser · « **Reply #1 on:** October 05, 2005, 02:00 PM »

Don't know LogMeIn.
i've used Remote Administrator and RemotelyAnywhere in the past and been quite happy with both (both commercial).

a lot of people seem quite happy with some open source VNC software.. i'll let them post about that.

elpresi · « **Reply #2 on:** October 05, 2005, 09:50 PM »

Hi,
I use free UltraVNC to provide remote assistance to my friends:
http://ultravnc.sourceforge.net/
It has good features and good performance.

Since the UVNC server (450k) can directly connect to the viewer (set to listen mode) on my pc I do not run into problems with their firewalls/routers restricting inbound connections (and that would require port forwarding otherwise).

mouser · « **Reply #3 on:** October 05, 2005, 09:53 PM »

that was the one i was having trouble remembering the name of.
lot's of people seem happy with UltraVNC.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #4 on:** October 06, 2005, 04:56 AM »

I love the spelling mistake on the first page ...

UltraVNC is an easy to use, fast and free sotware

Anyone fancy a drink ?

m_s · « **Reply #5 on:** October 06, 2005, 05:08 AM »

I'm trying to run UltraVNC, and it looks really good - more powerful than the free LogMeIn (I think as powerful as their paid service). But I can't figure it out. I've visited the forum and read the FAQ, but I'm still not getting this. Could you talk me through it slowly, elpresi? How do I connect to the remote machine? I haven't even figured out clearly which is the Server and which the Listener! Or if you can't explain, can you point me to somewhere? Thanks.

elpresi · « **Reply #6 on:** October 06, 2005, 10:06 AM »

Hi m_s,
the server has to be installed on the pc that will be remotely controlled; you can then control that pc remotely with a web browser or with the viewer program.
With the server running (just execute server and enter password), the remote control session can be initiated in 2 different ways:

1- by entering in the viewer or browser the IP address and UVNC password of the remote pc
(in this mode if the server is behind a firewall or router, you will need to configure the firewall to accept incoming connections and the router to forward port 5800 to the local IP of the remote pc)

2- with the viewer in "Listen mode"(a special shortcut is created for this purpose during installation), the pc to be controlled can initiate the connection to the viewer by entering the viewer's IP address in "add client". This is useful if someone is at the pc to be controlled (as when remote assistance is needed).
(if the viewer pc is behind a router/firewall, you will need to forward TCP PORT 5500 to the viewer's local IP address)
If you want to access an unattended remote pc, then use the 1st option.

You have installation and setup instructions here:
http://ultravnc.sour...t/install/index.html
And very useful forum:
http://forum.ultravnc.net/

I have not tried LogMeIn, but as I understand it, the major advantage it has is that there are no router/firewall issues, at the expense of performance (as data travels thru central server as opposed to a direct p2p connection)

lanux128 · « **Reply #7 on:** November 23, 2009, 06:38 AM »

pardon for re-visiting this old thread. Since then LogMeIn has grown considerably and i was wondering if any of the users could come forward and give their thoughts/experience on its current service condition. fwiw, i'm thinking of subscribing to their pro version.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #8 on:** November 23, 2009, 06:41 AM »

Not the answer to your question but I have gone over to TeamViewer (and actually bought a license). It is a fantastic bit of software and I much prefer it to LogMeIn.

TeamViewer allows secure connections - it is pretty quick and you can optimize for speed if you have a slow connection. It allows remote support but also has VPN capability.

The nice thing about remote support is that you can record the session for your client and they can play it back.

Add to that for private non-commercial use it is totally free!

nite_monkey · « **Reply #9 on:** November 23, 2009, 10:08 AM »

I use logmein free version, and I find it to be a pretty solid service. I have it installed on my friend's computer, so whenever he has a problem, I can just remote into his computer and fix it. Their service is pretty fast and reliable. I have cable, and my friend has dsl, and I can see his screen perfectly, and there is only a slight bit of lag when something big updates on the screen, such as a window opening or closing. And the best part is, I don't have to forward any ports on my firewall, or his. I don't really know much about logmein's encryption, but I do know they use some sort of it, I forget what right now though.

MrCrispy · « **Reply #10 on:** November 24, 2009, 04:28 AM »

Have been using LogMeIn free for years. Its installed on my pc, a few friends and my parents. I've tried all the alternatives such as TeamViewer, Ultra/TightVnc, Hamachi etc and prefer LogMeIn. It has always worked and the performance is just fine. There are no nags and I can launch a remote session from any browser. There is a slight security concern as all traffic is tunneled through their servers instead of being true p2p, but not something that bothers me.

yksyks · « **Reply #11 on:** November 24, 2009, 05:38 AM »

... There is a slight security concern as all traffic is tunneled through their servers instead of being true p2p, but not something that bothers me.
-MrCrispy (November 24, 2009, 04:28 AM)

I'm not that sure. If I connect from one PC to another on the same LAN, the traffic rate far exceeds the capabilities of my limited DSL line, so there must a p2p connection.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #12 on:** November 24, 2009, 06:58 AM »

Further comment about Team Viewer - the new version 5 (currently in beta) also allows you to use a webcam/microphone to talk to clients whilst providing support. I haven't tried ti yet but it could make life a lot easier than having to be on the phone with one hand!

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #13 on:** December 09, 2009, 05:55 AM »

Further comment about Team Viewer - the new version 5 (currently in beta) also allows you to use a webcam/microphone to talk to clients whilst providing support. I haven't tried ti yet but it could make life a lot easier than having to be on the phone with one hand!
-Carol Haynes (November 24, 2009, 06:58 AM)

I have now upgraded to TeamViewer 5 now and it is really nice. Not only can you provide remote support, give presentations or connect to systems via VPN connections you can use a simple file transfer to send and receive files over the internet but now you can also use webcams and VOIP to provide face to face support sessions without having to hang on a phone at the same time.

If you can't use VOIP TeamViewer even provides a telephone based conferences for in country telephone prices (both people in the conference call in to the local telephone service and are connected via TeamViewer). It isn't especially cheap to use but is probably cheaper than a lot of telephone services in some countries.

TeamViewer has three connection methods:

best - download and install the software so that it can be used whenever needed
for occasional support clients can download and run a slim client app (TeamViewerQS) without installing the software
access client computers (or your own computers) via a browser

all this is free for non-commercial use.

If you want to use it commercially you can customise the TeamViewerQS module with your business name, logo etc.

lanux128 · « **Reply #14 on:** December 09, 2009, 07:00 AM »

TeamViewer is quite enticing but price-wise it looks a tad bit expensive. or is it because both services price their products differently? one charges based on number of PCs while the other charges for a period of time.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #15 on:** December 09, 2009, 07:29 AM »

TeamViewer is available in different versions. Free for non-commercial use but if you are using it commercially the outlay is quite high.

Having said that the license for a single user like myself is a lifetime license for the version you purchase. Compared to other providers with similar products (eg. LogMeIn Rescue, the nearest equivalent to TeamViewer, costs $1,188.00 per license per year on a subscription basis) the cost (499 Euros) is not high and at least there are no ongoing susbcriptions to pay out.

I queried this when I purchased it and what it boils down to is that the license for the version you purchase (and any updates within that version number) are available as long as TeamViewer exists (you are using the company servers so presumably if TeamViewer go out of business that's it). Obviously the servers will be updated to cope with new features as new are added in new versions. Users have the option of buying an update (which is 25% of the full price currently) or sticking with the version they have got. They have assured me that if the version becomes incompatible with the servers in the future they will wither provide an upgrade or a version that is compatible for free to licensed users.

The only drawback to this system are that old versions cannot talk to new versions (so if I am running a life time license of version 4 then I can't talk to clients using version 5+). The home page of TeamViewer has quick links to allow clients to access the service and they are always the latest version so it isn't very convenient for an earlier version user. Having said that there is nothing to stop you hosting a suitable version on you home page for cleints to access the right version and older versions are availablbe on the TeamViewer website via the download page - so you could either host the correct version or provide a link to it.

By the way the other good point about TeamViewer is that if you are using it for free it is identical to the commercial version and all features are available (unlike LogMeIn free which has somewhat restricted functionality).

Before I settled on TeamViewer I had a play with UltraVNC but IMHO it was not practical for clients who need to set it up remotely before you can connect - it was a bit too geeky for most clueless people. It is probably fine if you are visiting family and friends and can set it up for them.

Deozaan · « **Reply #16 on:** December 09, 2009, 01:35 PM »

I use LogMeIn Hamachi for VPN to play "LAN" games over the internet. It generally works really well.

I've also used LogMeIn a couple of times. It did the job I wanted. But I've never used anything else like it (except playing around with VNC as an early teenager trying to freak out my mom by moving the mouse around or typing things), so I can't really comment on how good or bad it is compared to other similar products.

MrCrispy · « **Reply #17 on:** December 10, 2009, 08:22 PM »

Can TeamViewer establish a remote session without requiring interaction from the remote pc, in the freeware version? And does it let you discover the remote pc's through a website? Basically I'm asking if it duplicates LogMeIn free functionality as it does seem to have more features.

CleverCat · « **Reply #18 on:** December 11, 2009, 12:23 AM »

Is it better than Remote Assistance on Windows Live? Probably a daft question...

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #19 on:** December 11, 2009, 06:39 AM »

TeamViewer free is identical to TeamViewer commerical as far as I can see apart from the fact that you get a non-commercial use warning at the end of the session in the free version if the person connecting to your system is using a free version.

Provided the machine that you want to access is switched on an has TeamViewer installed (and the appropriate options selected) you can access remotely even from the login screen. You can also reboot the machine and get access back when it has restarted.

When the software is installed (or even just run as the QS version) a unique 9 digit id is allocated to that machine. You can set up an optional account atthe TeamViewer website where you can store thse IDs (with a meaningul name). On each PC you can specify a password that can be used to access the machine remotely. You can either store that password in your account with the machine ID or you can type it manually as required. You can then access those machines either via the website (like LogMeIn) or you can use the TeamViewer Application.

Once the account is set up you can manage machine connect details (add new ones, edit exisiting ones, add/remove/change passwords etc.) from the "Partner List" popout side window.

The only thing I see in the very expensive LogMeIn Rescue edition that isn't in TeamViewer is BIOS level access.

steeladept · « **Reply #20 on:** December 11, 2009, 07:04 AM »

I haven't used any of those meantioned, I use CrossLoop instead. It is very simple and very straightforward. It utilizes VNC, but it makes everything completely transparent. You install it on your machine, the remote machine installs it, and you set up a connection through their server. It is completely free for home use, and it couldn't be easier. I understand it is very similar to LogMeIn in this respect, but I have never compared the two to find out.