Background
Editors Note: If you are looking for a decent free remote desktop software for supporting your family go check out my article on RealVNC here.
So you have reached the point in supporting your family where you have outgrown the free option of just needing a couple of easy to access remote computers for your family and your now looking for a relatively cheap but reliable remote desktop software. Personally I have tried several both for both personal use as well as professionally and have settled on ConnectWise Control previously called Screenconnect.
Pricing
While I am not going to talk to much about pricing as it is subject to change at anytime but I will mention that well a ConnectWise Control Standard License isn’t cheap by any means it is a steal compared to there competitors. It blows my mind how much remote desktop software licenses cost. If you ever want to cry go look up what a single license for TeamViewer Costs.
Setup
The basic setup to get you up and running is very easy and well some of the more granular features can become a little more complicated ConnectWise has an outstanding knowledge base that is easily searchable and at your disposal in addition to there support team.
I think it took me a total of maybe 2 hours from creating my account to being satisficed with how I had the dashboard configured. I do continue to make tweaks to how it is configured but that is more do to learning about additional functionality that I didn’t previously know about rather then not being satisfied with how it is configured.
Key Features
Tool Boxes
Tool Boxes allow you to run executables on a remote machine without having to manually transfer/download it. This can save a ton of time if you are setting up a couple of family members computers at once remotely just after say Christmas. With the use of an extention you can extend the functionality to commandline commands as well.
Extension Marketplace
The extension marketplace allows you to configure your deployment to better meet your needs, whether it is changing how something appears on screen or adding additional functionality there is likely an extension that will help you achieve what you want to configure.
One Time Support Sessions
While having easy remote access to your parents computer so you can help them fix there printer is great you may not want to always have access to your aunts computer, this is where one time support sessions are great. They allow you to set up a session that will download a custom version of the client connect tool so that when that session is done it automatically deletes itself.
Additionally ConnectWise Control offers the most options i have seen for connecting to the one time support sessions. I have included the list bellow:
- Code you enter on the website
- Email invitation
- Custom link you could send via chat app
- Calendar Event
Support Clients
While ConnectWise Control does not have the largest list of support clients out of the remote desktop software’s I have looked at it is still rather comprehensive. It supports:
- Windows
- Mac
- Linux
- Only Debian and Rhel based Distros
- IOS/Android
- You can only remotely view the screen not interact with it and you cant have persistent access it is only available via the single support sessions
Overall Thoughts
The UI and UX are enterprise quality although what would you expect from an enterprise remote desktop software. The pricing is extremely competitive and scales with you as your needs expand. Unlike most of there competitors with there standard license you have access to all the core features of the platform with no restrictions. Personally moving forward I am going to be using ConnectWise Control for my remote desktop software and I would recommend at the very least you check out there 14 day free trial. You can learn more about ConnectWise Control here.