Guest WearTheFoxHat Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 Right, a few people have asked how to setup Windows Remote Desktop on the Pocket PC to enable connectivity to their home PC via the internet. This “How-To” is still in development, but the steps below should give you a good idea of how to set it up! 1. Do you have a fixed internet IP address? If you don’t know then the chances are that you haven’t, and you have a Dynamic IP address. This means that the address you home internet connection is given can change every time you reconnect. Therefore you need the ability to always know what your home IP address is. DynDNS fits the bill perfectly for this (especially as it is free!). It links your home IP address with a name that you register. Put simply a DNS address will allow you to remember “joebloggs.dyndns.org”, rather than some internet IP address, such as 123.123.123.123. Ok ... so go register your name at www.DynDNS.org 2. Right you’ve registered your name at DynDNS.org. Now we need an agent to ensure that DynDNS.org constantly receives polled updates of your changed IP address, and can then link it to your registered hostname. We have two options here: a) If you home internet firewall router has a “Dynamic DNS” option within its settings, then chances are that you can input your DynDNS details in there and the router will auto update the service for you. :) If NOT, then you will have to install the DynDNS software agent onto your PC, and this will update the DynDNS service. Personally I prefer option “a” as it requires less software running on the PC! 3. Next you need to ensure that the PC you wish to connect to, either has a fixed IP address or a reserved DHCP allocated IP address. It must also be an address within your network range used on your home network. E.g. 192.168.1.12 or 10.10.10.12 4. Next, if you haven’t got Remote Desktop working on your home LAN, then on the PC you wish to use you need to go into control panel and system, then configure remote desktop. Ensure that your account has a password. Also ... If you are using windows VISTA, then you need to ensure you select "Allow remote desktop to this pc using any version of remote desktop". This is because with Vista onwards Remote Desktop employs a higher security level. 5. Do you have a wireless network at home? If so, I would strongly suggest testing remote desktop on your handset, to ensure it works before doing internet based testing. This ensures its working properly to save pulling out hair! :-) Simply point it at the IP address you have specified above, and enter your username and password. 6. If that works fine, then you will need to poke a hole in your hardware firewall. (If you’re using windows software firewall, then when you enable Remote Desktop it should allow it.) If you have only one PC you wish to connect to ... then you need to enable port 3389 to connect through the firewall. You will also have to give a destination IP address. This means that when you are on the internet and connect to “joebloggs.dyndns.com” it will route traffic to your PC, through the firewall on port 3389 and into your home network and to your PC on the IP Address specified. 7. Ok .. if you have more than one PC you want to connect to .. then read this bullet, otherwise skip this point! Now ... if your router is one which will allow you to have an incoming port at one number and a target port at another, then we can make this a bit more secure and flexible. (e.g if we can forward port 33890 to 192.168.1.10 on port 3389). My reason for suggesting this, is hiding the remote desktop port number out of the standard range and on a non-default port make it more secure. However it also means if you have several PC's at home you wish to connect to, then you can set them all up! For Example: Pc1 -> 33891 forwarded to 192.168.1.11 port 3389 PC2 -> 33892 forwarded to 192.168.1.12 port 3389 etc This then however means when you launch remote desktop, that you have to connect to "joebloggs.dyndns.com:33891" etc. 8. Ok we should be all set now. Get your device and give it a try! Hopefully I have covered everything off. If not, then I am happy to amend this post, or if a friendly moderator wishes to, then they can do ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tasman Posted January 25, 2008 Report Share Posted January 25, 2008 Nice write up, thanks. I've been using DynDns for a while, and it's really useful (esp as a backup website when the main host is down :) [memo to me: change host when year's up]). As for Remote control, this software would only work on Win XP Pro or Win2000 Pro wouldn't it ? Win XP Home does not have the ability to "remote to" only "remote from". If on XP home, VNC (UltraVNC is my preferred flavour) is a nice alternative, there are VNC clients for PPC around as well (and for free :D ). Another alternative, discussed a few weeks ago on the forums is Logmein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest En_croute Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 We have two options here: a) If you home internet firewall router has a “Dynamic DNS” option within its settings, then chances are that you can input your DynDNS details in there and the router will auto update the service for you. I never realised my MIMO Netgear Router had this feature (pre figured for dyndns.org) - but it does!! Many Thanks ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WearTheFoxHat Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 I never realised my MIMO Netgear Router had this feature (pre figured for dyndns.org) - but it does!! Many Thanks ! Hey no worries, its such a useful little tool to be able to get to home systems. Especially when your router does it automagically! Glad I managed to help someone out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WearTheFoxHat Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 Nice write up, thanks. I've been using DynDns for a while, and it's really useful (esp as a backup website when the main host is down :) [memo to me: change host when year's up]). As for Remote control, this software would only work on Win XP Pro or Win2000 Pro wouldn't it ? Win XP Home does not have the ability to "remote to" only "remote from". If on XP home, VNC (UltraVNC is my preferred flavour) is a nice alternative, there are VNC clients for PPC around as well (and for free :D ). Another alternative, discussed a few weeks ago on the forums is Logmein Yeah ... whichever service you use, RDP or VNC then it is cruical that you are able to get back to your home machine. Which is why DynDNS (or similar) help so much. RDP has advantages over VNC in terms of bandwidth. Simply speaking, VNC send a picture down the line of what your screen looks like, whereas RDP just sends the information of how the screen should display, and then the changes. Thus RDP should be more responsive over slower GPRS connections. VNC will give you an actual remote control of the desktop, so if someone were sat at your desk then they would see you login and the mouse moving etc. However RDP keeps the PC locked, and diverts the terminal to your phone. Which is more secure if you dont want people watching your screen either. (I realise you might already know this, but it helps advise people whom read this thread). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Transform Posted January 26, 2008 Report Share Posted January 26, 2008 does anyone else have the problem where once they have finished and disconnected, and clicked the icon on the welcome screen to go back to the desktop all the icons rearrange themselves which is quite annoying!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Menneisyys Posted January 27, 2008 Report Share Posted January 27, 2008 Also make sure you read my Remote Desktop Access Bible at http://www.modaco.com/content/Pocket-PC-Ge...-pc-via-mobile/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest monkeygadge Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Hi Guys, I've been running a remote desktop from my XP laptop to my Vista Ultimate Home PC using DynDNS for some time now - it works like a dream. I recently upgraded to a HTC Touch Dual which does not come with Remote Desktop installed. After searching forums I found RDP-Finster.CAB which allowed me to install on my device. The problem is that when I try and connect it gives me a warning of "Internal error". Can anyone help? Thanks, MG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest defaultuser83 Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 You could also try using a remote access software like I'm InTouch - http://www.imintouch.net/ - to connect to your PC from a Pocket PC. Of course, this would also require spending some money but would probably be a bit easier to setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dunc Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 You could also try using a remote access software like I'm InTouch - http://www.imintouch.net/ - to connect to your PC from a Pocket PC. Of course, this would also require spending some money but would probably be a bit easier to setup. This seems to work.... has for me anyway.MS_Remote_Desktop.cab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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