One of my sought after technical skills is troubleshooting computer problems. Friends and relatives usually call me when their beloved machines dies or gets infected with some nasty malwares and viruses. It is common that even my family in the Philippines calls me to help them with their computer issues. So how do I do that? You don’t expect me fly for 18 hours just to be there and fix it, don’t you?
In our job, as Nursing Informatics consultants, It is very common that you will hear the terms “remote access” or “remote desktop” and other similar technical verbiage which implies an act of accessing remote computers from another location. So I am sure this technology is not foreign to you. Big businesses have been using it for a while with tremendous benefits. Some of these applications are costly, but they have no problem getting such expensive softwares because its benefits hugely outweighs its cost.
It is, however, beyond the reach of common people like us.We do not need it in our private lives anyway. Unless you want to play practical jokes with your kids. I used to do this with them before. I call it “the haunted computer”. Unbeknownst to them, I previously installed Teamviewer in their PCs. Then, I remotely move the mouse, close the windows or type a word while they are using it. It’s so funny that sometimes they will run out of their room screaming.
So, What is Teamviewer and how will it make your life easier? Or Your Families Spooked. LOL!
Basically, it is a remote access application that enables you to operate PCs remotely from your own machine (it works on iOS and Android too) without having to be physically present in that remote location. You can control it, install applications, change settings, reboot it and many other things. You can even chat/video chat with your remote friends while on it. If you are a “techie”, I am sure you are familiar with remote access solutions like this. However, you might not be willing to shell out some serious cash because you do not need anyway. This can change, however, if I tell you that Teamviewer is Free. Yes! Zero as in “nada”, gratis, zilch!
I am cheap. I always look for free ones. I am sure you do too. Who doesn’t? c’mon!
If you are interested in using this application, check their website and read the manual. Send me an email if you want a detailed instructions on how to setup your own “haunted computer”. Seriously, you might be able to limit your kids computer use or monitor their online activities for safety reasons. You can also access your home computers from afar if you need to. There are many useful application for this baby especially when you become familiar with it. Here are the newest features that comes with version 8:
- Retina support
- Windows 8 compatibility
- Microsoft Outlook Integration
- Recording capability
- Linux Compatibility
- Multi-touch support
- etc etc.
Check Teamviewer Here. Believe me, you will find a lot of use for this software, but try the “haunted computers” first. it’s gonna be fun!
As for my kids, I don’t believe they will fall for it again. They already know their daddy’s modus operandi.