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Ask HN: Alternatives to Team Viewer?

45 points| riebschlager | 9 years ago | reply

I have several machines around the country that I need to remotely manage. Team Viewer has been unreliable and I'm looking to move our organization away from it.

Can anyone recommend a better remote management solution?

57 comments

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[+] simlevesque|9 years ago|reply
RDP ? Why doesn't anyone use the official protocol for remote desktop on Windows ? It's fast. I say this as a unix dev that likes to RDP into a Windows box to test stuff.
[+] detaro|9 years ago|reply
Many people don't think of RDP because it isn't great for support-type jobs: you can't share the screen with the local user. But for administrative purposes where that is not required it is a good way to go.
[+] pat_space|9 years ago|reply
windows 10 home doesn't include RDP
[+] bluedino|9 years ago|reply
You can't share the screen with RDP, and you have to VPN in, or port forward with NAT...
[+] mandeepj|9 years ago|reply
Don't you need a static IP for using RDP? Not everyone have a static IP
[+] sixothree|9 years ago|reply
And Remote Desktop Connection Manager...
[+] reitanqild|9 years ago|reply
Let me add to this that in addition to OP stating that it has been unreliable I think there are two other big reasons to move away:

1. TeamViewer is used a lot for Microsoft scams and AFAIK they don't care very much.

2. Dark patterns. TeamViewer upgrade their protocol all-the-time and once one part has updated the others have to as well, forcing the cost on everyone. (And the pricing is outrageous IMO. When you can get a full office suite for less than the subscription cost of the remote support solution then something odd is going on.)

[+] mutaaf|9 years ago|reply
Chrome Remote Desktop is the best solution I have used. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chrome-remote-desk...
[+] mieses|9 years ago|reply
It's difficult to configure chrome remote desktop for persistent sharing and autostarting, at least in linux. THen it times out every few minutes asking the local user to continue approving access. It doesn't seem to compete with teamviewer by design.
[+] abcd_f|9 years ago|reply
(a bit of port forwarding or VPN) + (VNC or RDP) ?

What you get from TeamViewer/LogMeIn/etc. is the zeroconf aspect of the experience, which in turn is because they provide of a central rendezvous/discovery point. If you know where your peers are, you don't really need an assisted remote management service.

[+] creshal|9 years ago|reply
> Can anyone recommend a better remote management solution?

What of teamviewer's features do you need? Screen sharing? Forget RDP. Zeroconf / NAT punching? Forget VNC. And so on…

If the machines already are in a VPN and you don't need screensharing, RDP is probably the most reliable solution.

[+] 0x0|9 years ago|reply
Maybe you're thinking about Windows (you didn't specify), but if you happen to be on OSX, then a lot of people don't realize that iMessage in Messages.app has screen sharing built in. "Buddies" menu -> "Ask To Share Screen".
[+] w8rbt|9 years ago|reply
You should list more detailed requirements. Are the hosts you manage behind network firewalls and/or NAT? Do you expect to be able to initiate requests in, or does the client initiate requests out?
[+] jerelunruh|9 years ago|reply
The best alternative that I've used for end user support is Remote Utilities: https://www.remoteutilities.com/ They have an executable that non-technical users can easily download + run in addition to a version for unattended access.
[+] Machiq|9 years ago|reply
If you are an Industrial Machine builder/Industrial OEM, you might be interested in our marketplace for remote diagnostic services. The remote screensharing tools are backed into the platform via WebRTC. We however don't offer remote control.

www.machiq.com

[+] sashk|9 years ago|reply
I've been using join.me and HipChat's builtin screen sharing. Back in days, when I had to manage many Windows hosts, I've used Radmin (https://www.radmin.com/).
[+] edoceo|9 years ago|reply
I've been using SimpleHelp. Self-hosted. Not perfect but very good, reasonable cost. Install an agent or use a one-time app.
[+] ben_pr|9 years ago|reply
I use nomachine, works on Linux and Windows. I have a VPN installed at all locations and the software runs behind that.