PC remote control software
is becoming a common program for many computer users as more
and more people wish to access their PC's when they are away
from home or work.
One such program is Anyplace Control
by Anyplace Control Software. Remote control software allows
a person to control a remote computer from another location.
Anyplace Control, like other remote
control products, has two components, a host and a remote.
During the install of the small download, the installer prompts
for a password that will be used when a remote (client) connects
to a host computer. Recommended is an 8 character password,
and as always, a mix of upper case, lower case, numbers and
symbols make any password harder to crack. To increase security,
Anyplace Control also provides several levels of encryption
and IP filtering up to 320 bit RSA encryption. IP filtering
denies connections from any client system that does not come
from an authorized IP address.
Options
Anyplace Control has
several options of significant interest.
Allow multiple clients to a single
host
This is a very useful feature when more than one person
is trying to trouble shoot a problem on a remote computer.
The ability
to change the port Anyplace Control listens on
This feature may help with issues arising from working
behind a firewall.
Changing connection setting for low
or high bandwidth
Choosing the appropriate connection will make more efficient
use of resources.
Logging to a text file
Anyplace Control can create a log file in the program
directory to record date and time of access, as well as
the remote address that tried to connect to the software.
Installation as a service or a simple
application
A service will run as soon as the computer finishes starting
and usually does not require any user intervention. Installing
the software as a simple program requires the user to
start the program, either from the start menu or by placing
a shortcut to the program in the startup folder (another
option during the install). If the program software is
not run as a service, users will not be able to connect
to your computer until someone logs in to that computer.
Performance
Anyplace Control places
an icon in the system tray. When a client connects, the host
computer changes the icon to alert the user that another computer
is trying to take over the session.
Not Connected
Connected
Anyplace Control loads the initial
screen very fast. I was quite surprised on how quickly the
first screen loaded having used various flavours of VNC, pcAnywhere
and Remote Desktop. Beyond that, the software was quite responsive.
There is a slight delay between what happens on the host computer
and how the client views it, though the delay is not significant.
This however does cause a samll problem in tracking where
the mouse is because of the delay. A few other options that
Anyplace Control offers is logging off the current user, restarting
the remote computer, and shutting down the remote computer.
All of these functions are important features in a remote
control software and Anyplace Control performs very well with
each of these functions.
The admin module allows you to set
up multiple host computers to control as well as providing
full control or view only options of the client. Another nice
feature of Anyplace Control is that it will cache passwords
for remote computers, eliminated the need to remember many
different passwords.
Pricing
Anyplace Control can be purchased
online from and the price varies depending on
the number of licenses you require.
2 computers
$29.95
$15 per computer
5 computers
$69.95
$14 per computer
10 computers
$99.95
$10 per computer
100 computers
$499.95
$5 per computer
1000 computers
$1999.95
$2 per computer
Conclusions
Anyplace Control provides a valuable
option for remote computing. Whether working from home, not
working while at the office, or supporting other users, Anyplace
Control is a worth while option. Also, for use in a corporate
environment, the option to integrate in the NT domain or AD
model to provide access control based on network users would
be an excellent addition to this product.
The software represented the colours
of the host computer very well, providing full colour support.
An option to reduce the number of colours for faster transmission
would be nice as well. Finally, the help file was not very
extensive. Fortunately, the software is very easy to use and
you should not have to reference the help file at all.
