Best Remote Desktop Clients on Chrome OS
Being the tech-guy for your parents or other close relatives can sometimes be a challenging experience especially with folks that have very limited knowledge about the recent advances in technology.
The dread of welcoming a new laptop or computer of any sort to the fold can be mind-numbing as you may soon realize that your phone is never going to stop ringing as you deal with the sometimes silly questions like “How do I turn this thing on ?” “Where are my word files kept?” “How do I use the internet on this thing!”
Certain simple issues can be solved through the telephone (it usually requires pressing a button) but, there are times when you having to explain solutions that just don’t seem to cut it, and you might be forced to make a trip to your parents or any of your relatives in distress.
Traveling several miles for simple computer problems can be time-consuming but luckily though, there are several tools you could summon and aid you in resolving the said issues.
Some of the most efficient means is to deploy remote desktop platforms like Chrome Remote desktop or Teamviewer provided the said computer is a Chromebook or has Chrome browser installed – otherwise, your options are limitless (on other platforms).
These programs easily give you the means to access and temporarily take control of someone else’s computing allowing you to assess and make changes where required.
Now, irrespective of the program you decide to go with, how you connect and the end results are very much similar.
TeamViewer
One of the biggest names in the business, Teamviewer can grant you a secure and quick way to access and control computers remotely from your Chromebook or even within the Chrome Browser.
This is made possible due to its availability as a Chrome extension. The program’s extensive feature set means that you can easily provide assistance to anyone no matter where you or the other person is as if you are sitting next to them.
The program is amazing for what it does and some of its most interesting features offered by default for single users at no expense include:
- The ability to you to connect to computers anywhere including files and contacts
- Connect to several devices using ID and password
- Supports multiple monitors if you like to multitask
- You can chat in real time with another person
How to Install Teamviewer
On Chromebooks, there are two ways to get Teamviewer up and running on your device. The first and simplest way is to install the browser add-on is from the Chrome web store.
The second option is via the Play Store where you can download the Android app variant of the software provided your Chromebook supports Android apps.
The Android version of the program offers some interesting features exclusive to it like touch support and access to tablets and smartphones.
Chrome Remote Desktop
Like Teamviewer, Chrome Remote Desktop allows you to remotely access other computers primarily through the Chrome browser and as you may imagine, it is platform-agnostic.
Depending on what the issue you want to address is, the other computers can be made available on an short-term basis for scenarios such as ad hoc remote support, or on a more long-term basis for remote access to your applications and files.
You can access systems from any platform including Linux, Windows, and Mac OS.
The program, like Teamviewer, offers two different modes of access on Chrome devices. One of them is through the Web Store where you can add it to the Chrome Browser and the other is an Android app available via the Play Store.
Take a Pick
Using either of these programs on your Chromebook boils down to a matter of preference as both platforms offer enough to not just remotely access computers within a secure and immersive environment. Using similar security standards — Teamviewer uses 256 Bit AES Session Encoding, 2048 Bit RSA Key Exchange– session between computers are securely transmitted.
Either software makes it easy to gain access from one machine to another, but using the Chrome Remote Desktop program felt more natural and smooth on Chromebooks and the availability of Android apps on both platforms means you have varying ways to go about setting up a remote desktop connection on your Chrome device.
Thanks
you’re welcome
FYI, if you are trying to connect TO a ChromeOS device from anything else, TeamViewer requires an expensive Business license + “MDS” add-on. Learned that the hard way after subscribing (not able to get refund) and then TeamViewer Support saying not all notebooks are considered notebooks.