Teamviewer

[Jkulin]

Hi, I only use it via the Wi-Fi as I don't have a fixed IP address, but I'm sure other members on here have worked around that.

The licence is free if you use it fr personal use, the app I think was a couple of quid for my iPhone.

It is so easy to set up, when you install you can choose as a server or viewer or both, it updates your firewall and sets it as a service, all that is need is to create a 4 digit secure code, all I do is type the IP address is on the unit I wish to control and that's it, you can set alias's as well.

[groberts]

Thanks John, think I'm going to give it a try, though I have to say I printed off the HowTo and got stuck on the first page - it is not clear to me which is the Server and which is the Viewer?  

 

 

[Horwig]

6 hours ago, groberts said:

I run the mount, guiding and image capture on a PC by the scope but want to have a view and control of these factions form the house too just to keep an eye on things and if necessary make adjustments.  What can the RD in W10 Home do and how would I access it?

That is how I run my imaging, but it's under Win 7 pro, not too sure how win 10 works, but this might give you some info:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/help/4028379/windows-10-how-to-use-remote-desktop

I think it looks like you need Win 10 Pro on the viewing end, but assume not for the remote end

 

Huw

[Jkulin]

2 hours ago, groberts said:

Thanks John, think I'm going to give it a try, though I have to say I printed off the HowTo and got stuck on the first page - it is not clear to me which is the Server and which is the Viewer?  

 

 

The server is the computer that you want to view and the viewer is the client that allows you to view the server.

Just install both and it will install all the required files, you can always disable the server on your client machine if you never need to view that system.

[symmetal]

Just installed TightVNC on my headless mini-PC running Win-10 Home attached to the scope to try it out. I've been using it with TeamViewer without any problems.

How do you tell the server on the mini-PC to start in a specified resolution (or switch to a different resolution) as it starts up in 1024x768. The Windows server Command Line Options has no option to set this. The -geometry option which is used for the Linux version is not available for windows.

With Teamviewer you can set the server PC resolution at any time from the client PC.

Alan

[Jkulin]

Alan, when you launch TightVNC viewer there is a button for Options and to configure as the clipping: -

Once connected you can access this information from the tool bar.

Hope that helps?

[stash_old]

14 hours ago, groberts said:

Thanks John, think I'm going to give it a try, though I have to say I printed off the HowTo and got stuck on the first page - it is not clear to me which is the Server and which is the Viewer?  

The Server is installed on the machine you wish to control/view (so your Obsys). The client is installed on any computer that wishes to access(View) the server and its screen.

 WiFi and Wired - don't get confused - anything that works across Wifi will work across a lan and visa versa (ignoring speed)- this is totally transparent to any software that needs to use the network(TCP/IP) .

[cjdawson]

Just a really silly question.  So far everyone has been talking about Remote Desktop Solutions.

Are the two computers able to communicate via the lan cable between them?

A UTP Patch cable is intended to connect a device (computer) to a switch (or hub)  Then another patch cable connects to the other device.

If you have this arrangement, then there shouldn't be a problem with using either WiFI or wired connections.

 

If however you are trying to connect the two devices without using a switch a UTP Patch cable won't work, you'll need a cross over cable instead.    Then there's some network config stuff you'll have to do, and then you'll be able to connect run the remote desktop software.   In this setup, I'd recommend trying to down down the VNC Route rather than TeamViewer.

If you've got a hub/switch/router etc, and both machines can have internet access, then Wifi, Wired connection should be possible in any combination.

[groberts]

On 19/06/2018 at 21:49, RayD said:

There are some instructions here which should help.

Before going on I'm having one last go at Teamviewer.  I followed the instructions, to the letter, but still won't connect - any ideas e.g. is there something I need to do in the Windows Network Sharing section to make it work?  It sees to say something is sending bu not receiving.

As may be apparent by now , I haven't a clue about networking but how difficult  can it be connecting two computers with an ethernet cable - apparently very ?

 

[RayD]

3 minutes ago, groberts said:

Before going on I'm having one last go at Teamviewer.  I followed the instructions, to the letter, but still won't connect - any ideas e.g. is there something I need to do in the Windows Network Sharing section to make it work?  It sees to say something is sending bu not receiving.

As may be apparent by now , I haven't a clue about networking but how difficult  can it be connecting two computers with an ethernet cable - apparently very ?

 

If you are connecting literally computer to computer with a single ethernet cable and nothing else, then you may well need a crossover cable.  If you have a switch then that shouldn't be necessary.  You can get around this by using the switch on your router if you have one, and connect both PC's to the router instead of a direct link.

[groberts]

3 minutes ago, RayD said:

If you are connecting literally computer to computer with a single ethernet cable and nothing else, then you may well need a crossover cable.  If you have a switch then that shouldn't be necessary.  You can get around this by using the switch on your router if you have one, and connect both PC's to the router instead of a direct link.

Thanks for your help and patience but I'm out of my depth here and need a cup of tea!

From earlier research and discussion I understood that with a modern PC and Cat-6 ethernet straight cable it would be OK and I thought it was working at one point but thinking that may have been via the ehternet?  I have no idea what the switch is or does, sorry.

Graham 

 

[RayD]

Just now, groberts said:

Thanks for your help and patience but I'm out of my depth here and need a cup of tea!

From earlier research and discussion I understood that with a modern PC and Cat-6 ethernet straight cable it would be OK and I thought it was working at one point but thinking that may have been via the ehternet?  I have no idea what the switch is or does, sorry.

Graham 

 

That's ok, I'll join you in a cuppa.

Not all PC network cards will allow just a straight through PC to PC connection without a crossover cable.  The switch basically works things out and switches over automatically if needed, so if you plug both PC's in to a simple 4 port switch, such as the one fitted to most routers, then you can use normal straight through (patch) cable.  The CAT6 cable is irrelevant to a degree as the wiring is the same, it's just the make up of the cable that differs.

If it has been working before then I suspect your network cards are capable of switching, so I'm a little lost if you've followed the instructions as it should then work.  

 

[stash_old]

I cannot stress enough that to make things simple please use a router (HUBS dont give out IP addresses) - even if you don't  (or want) to connect to the Internet.

This will take care of Addresses and cables - plus you can see lights to say something is working.

Just plug the 2 pc's into the same router (assuming wired) , start up the router(if not already running) , then start up the PC's.

If you know how to use "CMD" (command prompt) then type in ipconfig on both PC's - the output should be the same except for the last part of the IP Address which should be different on each PC - use the ETHERNET ADAPTER LOCAL AREA CONNECTION - ignore the wireless LAN deails. So you should get 2 addresses(1 from each ipconfig command) - say 192.168.1.11 and 192.168.1.12 - see below for e.g. from Windows Vista

Again on CMD try "ping" the other PC - so if the address of the other PC is 192.168.1.11 type "ping 192.168.1.11" (do not type the " chars) - try the same from the other PC only changing the IP address to 192.168.1.12. The ping should work from each and you will get "reply from XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX etc"

If the above has worked then your 2 PC's can see each other.

Take note of the address where you start the "SERVER" side of the software - this is the IP address that should be given when you connect on the other PC's "Client/Viewer" software (RDP or VNCVIEWER etc). Note Windows Firewall's sometimes block depending on the setup - so disable the firewall via settings/control panel if it doesn't work.

 

[symmetal]

8 hours ago, Jkulin said:

Alan, when you launch TightVNC viewer there is a button for Options and to configure as the clipping: -

Once connected you can access this information from the tool bar.

Hope that helps?

Thanks John. I had seen those config screens but they had no option to set resolution just what portion of your current resolution you wanted to display.

However, from the 640x480 Client window, doing the standard 'Right Click Desktop - Display settings' the other resolution options were displayed and selectable, and selecting 1920x1080 it changed and worked fine. What's more shutting everything down and restarting, when you connected to the server it automatically came up in 1920x1080. It seems to save the setting in the client config somewhere. ? I'll try TightVNC over a few sessions and see how it compares with Teamviewer. ?

This may not work on all headless PCs as I've found in the past some display cards won't allow you to select anything other than 640x480 in 'Display Settings' if no monitor is attached.

Alan

 

[groberts]

Thanks guys, much appreciated. 

I've done the command prompt thing and used the appropriate IP address but no joy.  The Firewall is something I hadn't considered and will take a look later. 

In the meantime I have to put this aside for a couple of days and will then get back.

Regards, Graham  

[happy-kat]

On 19/06/2018 at 22:36, happy-kat said:

Remote Desktop can be used with W10 Home edition,  there are less functions then with the pro version but still may be enough depends what you want.

Remote desktop turned out not successful on Windows 10 home for my situation. What worked brilliantly was Windows 10 remote assistance request to the tablet running 8.1. had perfect control of sharpcap using this arrangement connected to the camera which connects to the desktop inside (long usb cable) while outside with tablet.

[stash_old]

17 minutes ago, happy-kat said:

Remote desktop turned out not successful on Windows 10 home for my situation. What worked brilliantly was Windows 10 remote assistance request to the tablet running 8.1. had perfect control of sharpcap using this arrangement connected to the camera which connects to the desktop inside (long usb cable) while outside with tablet.

If it works for you - great glad to hear

[han59]

The RDP (remote desktop protocol) can be activated in the Win10 home edition. Normally it is deavtivated. I have done it for a friend and he can access with Win10 home his Win7 system in the observatory.

Google for "How to enable remote RDP access in Windows 10 Home edition"  I think the program was RDP Wrapper Library, but it is already some time ago i used it. It enables the native RDP build in the Win10 home edition.

Han

[stash_old]

Sorry the guy who wrote that is so pro Microsoft I thought it was Bill Gates - quote "VNC suffers from having a lot of almost-but-not-quite compatible implementations, resulting in an ecosystem where not all clients work well or at all with all servers. I’ll not cover VNC any further in this article"  IMO what rubbish

[RayD]

RDP wrapper isn't just a case of enabling a service that's there waiting for use, it is installing a third party application to fudge the Terminal Services Client to obtain a service on a platform for which you do not have permission, and which would violate your license agreement with MS.  I, personally, don't think we should be promoting its use here.  RDP is only legitimately and legally available on Pro or Enterprise versions of W10.

Products such as VNC, TeamViewer and alike are perfectly legal, do not infringe any licensing agreements and offer a very good alternative for people who do not want to pay the £99 to upgrade to the Pro version of W10.

I'm not Pro MS in any way btw, I just don't believe in the use of software (any software) in any way other than in accordance with the terms of the license which you agree to when you buy it, whether that is paying Robin £10 to use SharpCap Pro, or MS £99 to use W10 Pro.

[Dr_Ju_ju]

If you haven't upgraded to Win10 (and there are plenty who haven't)  then RDP is available in all versions.....  even in Home version it is there, just need to enable some 'switches' which are part of the OS. Like a lot of things Microsoft does is often half-a**ed, don't talk to me of Exchange 2003....

[noah4x4]

I ran Teamviewer; then later tried Windows 10 Pro/Remote Desktop to wirelessly connect a 7i5 Intel NUC at my 'scope to a laptop indoors in 'Mission Control'. I was running Atik Infinity/Artemis camera software; Microtouch Focuser and Nexremote on the NUC and then controlling all remotely from the laptop. I persevered for a while with both 'remote' options, but suffered problems caused by the wireless connection suffering from frequent lag or occasionally completely locking up.  I was also disappointed with the images on my HP celeron laptop screen.

Eventually I connected everything at the scope to a USB hub; and from that directly to the NUC (now in 'Mission Control') by a 10M 'active' USB cable. All the performance issues vanished. The NUC is then connected by HDMI to a 1080P monitor that offers crisp clear sharp images.

My experience with wireless control was far from satisfactory and until I reverted to the (single) USB cable solution I spent to more time struggling  with equipment than EAA observing.  I think much depends on the degree of computing power required to support your peripherals. But in my experience a cabled solution is much more reliable. 

[Dr_Ju_ju]

That's why I'll NEVER use WiFi connections (its for the untrusted DMZ) all other household connections are 'hard-wired' Gb network, I have an awful lot of switched ports around the house & garden.

[stash_old]

12 hours ago, Dr_Ju_ju said:

That's why I'll NEVER use WiFi connections (its for the untrusted DMZ) all other household connections are 'hard-wired' Gb network, I have an awful lot of switched ports around the house & garden.

While you are 100% correct about wired being more reliable/faster I must admit the newer 5GHz wireless set ups are better both in speed,reliability etc than 2.4ghz connections. However it is at a price  - decent 5ghz kit is expensive especially compared to using "outside" grade network cabling and a few switches.

People must also remember that the whole system is only as fast as the slowest component.

But I still concur stick to wired IMHO for longer distances.

Plus using any remote software check the set up as the default settings are about speed not quality (resolution).