Controlling Desktop w/ PPC and WIFI questions

[nasaman007]

Hello,

I currently have an HP 2215 and Nokia 3650 phone. I have a few questions:

1) Is it possible to control my desktop with my PPC via WIFI? For example, is it possible to close or open a program, Outlook, or control Winamp or other programs while sitting on my couch, at the kitchen table, in bed? For example, while reading on the couch, it would be nice to control the music coming from my computer or mute it when the phone rings.

2) Is it possible to do the same type of thing over the internet using GPRS and my nokia 3650?

I'm pretty new to all this wireless stuff and networking issues. I can us AS over wifi while at home and I connect via BT all the time to my Nokia and surf and downloard emails.

Thanks for any help!

[SHoTTa35]

yeah, it's called Terminal Services. It's installed on the Ipaq so whip away. YOu just need to set up your desktop (like remote desktop in WinXP Pro) to accept those connections and you can control it just like sitting there.

Can't find it now but it's pretty cool...

[Sooner Al]

If the desktop PC is running XP Pro Remote Desktop then you can use the built-in Terminal Services Client to access and control the desktop. Look at these pages for help with that...

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/resources/support/pocketpc/support_topic.asp?cid=0&tid=15
http://www.oecadvantage.net/ajarvi/TSC.html

If you can access the public internet with your PPC/cell phone combination you can access a Remote Desktop session over the public internet. If you go through a firewall/NAT/router forward/open TCP Port 3389 to the private IP of the target XP Pro PC. Call using the public IP address. I do that over a 56K dial link from my iPAQ 3835 to my home LAN. In my case I use a VPN tunnel so I can reach any of my three XP Pro boxes...

http://www.oecadvantage.net/ajarvi/PpcVPN.html

If your desktop is NOT running XP Pro then an alternative is VNC. Get the server software from...

http://www.realvnc.com

or

http://www.tightvnc.com

Get the PPC VNC client from http://www.allware.com.mx/

Note that the VNC data stream is NOT encrypted like the TSC/RD data stream is. Over a private LAN that should not be a big deal. Over the public internet using VNC through a VPN tunnel is a workaround to that security issue.

Almost forgot to say you can do all the above via a direct Remote Access Server (RAS) connection to your PC. To setup a RAS link to your PC look at the readras.doc file in your C:\Program Files\Microsoft ActiveSync folder.

[nasaman007]

Thanks a lot for the help. I am running XP home edition. I'll look into the items that you offered for review over the next couple of days.

Thanks again!