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remote control of pc via android phone
Stoic Joker:
This might (be fun to play with) work for the remote wakeup part.
4wd:
Re. the WoL app, I originally had Wake on LAN WAN installed and it seemed to work, then it stopped - don't know why.
Since I already had Fing installed for LAN survey, I tried it and it worked so I uninstalled the other since I no longer need to wake up the machine over the internet at this point in time.
So perhaps give Wake on LAN WAN a try also.
Just found another input method in the Microsoft RDP app, there's a target in the top banner, (oddly enough it doesn't appear on my tablet, 1440x900), you touch that and the screen zooms with a target in the middle. Put your finger in the target and you can drag the screen around until what you want is under the target, then tap to open. Works very well if your phone doesn't have a "standard" Windows resolution, (eg. phone is 800x480).
but isn't ES File Explorer's purpose already satisfied with Microsoft Remote Desktop ? I mean can't I open/transfer etc files via the latter? -kalos (February 19, 2015, 07:49 AM)
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Your first post is ambiguous:
is there a way to control my laptop via my android phone?
I basically want to wake it up from sleeping, browse it as usual, open files, transfer files, perform actions, run and kill programs, etc and then make it sleep again-kalos (February 19, 2015, 03:51 AM)
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Transfer files from/to where?
If it's from the computer to your phone, (or vv.), then a remote control app isn't necessary - just a file manager that can access your computer by whatever means, (ftp, etc).
Also, FWIW, while I can remote access the computer from my phone using RDP, (or something else), it is a hell of a lot easier to turn on it's WiFi HotSpot and use a tablet. Considering you can pick up 7" Windows 8 tablets for under AU$100, and Android tablets for a lot less that's what I'd be doing rather than going cross-eyed using a phone.
Vurbal:
@SJ & Vurbal: YMMV naturally, I'd tried other forms of remote access apps but I'll stick with the Microsoft one until something else comes along that's better for my use.
Instead of having you immediately trying to move the mouse pointer or click a button by trying to get your finger in exactly the right spot, (how many of us can see where the pointer is through our finger), it defaults to moving the mouse pointer by moving your finger anywhere on screen - you don't need to stick your finger on the pointer. You can position the mouse precisely and then tap anywhere on screen for an LMB click or two-finger tap for RMB.
You can zoom in/out as usual to expand a portion of the screen but I find I don't need to do that for pointer positioning, sometimes for reading something.
You can also switch to the normal method of the mouse being positioned under your finger if you have a bigger screen.
Microsoft RDP is also the only thing that's ever shown me exactly the same thing as I see on the computers monitor unlike various forms of VNC I've tried.
And I don't need any third party software/servers to use it.
-4wd (February 19, 2015, 03:30 PM)
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I'm not a huge fan of VNC either, and it's more than just that issue. The VNC servers I've used also seem prone to suddenly develop fatal connection problems with no error messages or clear indication of what suddenly changed. IIRC I only used it on that Android phone because there was no reasonably priced RDP client available at the time. I want to say I only found one, and it was something like $25. I'd have paid that if it was a work thing, but not for my minimal home use at the time.
Not quite sure what you mean Vurbal, gesture support? Not AFAIK. There's four or five versions of keyboard interface and what looks like handwriting input, (I think).
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I'm not exactly clear on what I mean either. ;D Mostly I was trying to ask an open ended question, without over explaining what I meant. I know, who would ever accuse me of that?
So here's the verbose version. The Windows RDP client has variations on the standard Windows keyboard shortcuts like Alt-Tab for switching Windows. They're not the same ones you use for your local Windows session, for obvious reasons. Those are great for a standard keyboard/mouse oriented interface, but using a keyboard is doing things the long way on a touchscreen.
The equivalent to hotkeys in a touch interface, when there is one, is typically some sort of multitouch gesture, like when you pinch to zoom. On Android there's also the menu button, but, for various reasons, I can't imagine that being used (or useful) as an alternative to the keyboard shortcuts. I figured if there was something equivalent, it would involve a capability also available in Windows Phone, which brings me back to gestures.
It would surprise me to see, but I didn't want to dismiss the possibility out of hand. Microsoft developers tend to be very good when the suits get out of their way.
4wd:
The equivalent to hotkeys in a touch interface, when there is one, is typically some sort of multitouch gesture, like when you pinch to zoom. On Android there's also the menu button, but, for various reasons, I can't imagine that being used (or useful) as an alternative to the keyboard shortcuts. I figured if there was something equivalent, it would involve a capability also available in Windows Phone, which brings me back to gestures.-Vurbal (February 19, 2015, 06:07 PM)
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Ah, I see - this link gives the basic gestures available: Getting Started with Remote Desktop Client on Android
And if the host is a Windows 8 computer you also have access to it's touch screen gestures, (as per the note near the bottom of that page).
Haven't found something for Alt-Tab yet which is rather annoying now that you've brought it up - might be worth putting an email to MS support asking about it, (haven't really needed that since it's easy to hit the Taskbar or SysTray for the stuff I use).
Vurbal:
The equivalent to hotkeys in a touch interface, when there is one, is typically some sort of multitouch gesture, like when you pinch to zoom. On Android there's also the menu button, but, for various reasons, I can't imagine that being used (or useful) as an alternative to the keyboard shortcuts. I figured if there was something equivalent, it would involve a capability also available in Windows Phone, which brings me back to gestures.-Vurbal (February 19, 2015, 06:07 PM)
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Ah, I see - this link gives the basic gestures available: Getting Started with Remote Desktop Client on Android
And if the host is a Windows 8 computer you also have access to it's touch screen gestures, (as per the note near the bottom of that page).
Haven't found something for Alt-Tab yet which is rather annoying now that you've brought it up - might be worth putting an email to MS support asking about it, (haven't really needed that since it's easy to hit the Taskbar or SysTray for the stuff I use).
-4wd (February 19, 2015, 06:37 PM)
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That's actually more than I was expecting, and there is, apparently significant support for using an external mouse. I'd be more inclined to use it with a tablet than a phone anyway, which presumably is what they had in mind.
Of course, at that point I'd rather just stick with my Win8 Transformer Book. The touchpad and keyboard are both kind of pathetic, but, at least the way I use it, they're just there to supplement the touchscreen anyway.
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