There are several iPhone apps to view and control your PC remotely.
Chris Hondros/Getty Images News/Getty Images
Remote-control programs allow you to view and control your PC from anywhere using your iPhone. Although the iPhone screen is smaller than a PC desktop screen, most of these programs will adjust the screen size for you. You have the option of viewing in full-screen and scrolling around or viewing a compressed version which fits on your iPhone. There are several available options depending on your needs and budget. Some programs, such as Mocha VNC Lite or WinAdmin, also require some changes to your router in order to connect over the Internet.
Step 1
Download Mocha VNC Lite on your iPhone and RealVNC on your PC. Mocha VNC Lite is a free app that uses the VNC protocol to connect to your computer. During the installation of RealVNC, select the service option to have VNC start in the background every time Windows starts. If your computer connects through a router to the Internet, as opposed to directly using a modem, forwarding is required. Your router will need to be configured to forward requests to port 5900 to your PC. Consult your router's manual for specific instructions. After installing Mocha VNC lite on your iPhone, you can connect to any computer running the VNC protocol. VNC programs are available for most operating systems, including Windows, Mac and Linux.
Step 2
Download WinAdmin onto your iPhone and enable Remote Desktop on your PC. WinAdmin uses the remote desktop protocol to connect to Windows-based systems. You can enable RDP by right-clicking the "Computer" tab in the "Start" menu. Click the "Remote settings" link and select the option to enable RDP in the "Remote Desktop" section of the System Properties window. Click "Select Users" to add the users you want to allow. WinAdmin can be used to connect to any RDP enabled system. If your system is not directly connected to the Internet, you'll need to configure your router to forward port 3389 to your computer. Consult your router's manual for specific instructions.
Step 3
Download Jaadu Remote Desktop for Windows on your iPhone and enable RDP on Windows. Jaadu Remote Desktop can also connect to any RDP-enabled PC and includes some additional features. It can stream audio from your PC to your iPhone and includes different video quality levels to adjust depending on your Internet connection speed. See the previous step for instructions on enabling RDP and port-forwarding for Jaadu Remote Desktop.
Step 4
Create a LogMeIn account, download Ignition on your iPhone and LogMeIn Free on your PC. LogMeIn is designed to connect to a Mac or PC remotely over the Internet using a special browser add-in. The iPhone version of the app allows you to connect to any computer running LogMeIn. The app allows you to set quality settings depending upon your connection speed and view different monitors on multiple-monitor systems. It's designed to work with the Free and Pro versions of the desktop LogMeIn program. Since it's based on a custom protocol, it doesn't require any port-forwarding even on systems that aren't directly connected to the Internet.
Tip
- These applications will also work on an iPad.
References
Resources
Photo Credits
- Chris Hondros/Getty Images News/Getty Images
