By Shunming Liu 

I was using WebEx for network meetings for many years, but mostly for a business. That needs a lot of money to get the related service. Is there an alternative solution for having a virtual meeting on line for free? The answer is yes. I think that Team Viewer will be a right choice.

TeamViewer can be used with a remote control, desktop sharing and file transfer. Most important is free for private use. To connect to another computer, you only need to run TeamViewer simultaneously on two computers. The software will generate the partner ID automatically when you begin to run the software at both computers. Just enter your partner’s ID into TeamViewer, and then you can establish a connection immediately.

Although running TeamViewer is quite straightforward, please still allow me to share some more information with you about this software. First, you need to download and run an installation file named TeamViewer_Setup_en.exe (there is download linkage info at the end of the article). It will take up about 20Mega Byte of disk space. Select the appropriate program according to the user instruction graphically.

For the remote control, both computers must run the TeamViewer firstly. After the software is running, TeamViewer servers will automatically assign an ID and password to you. The ID is fixed, but the password is random and each execution will be different. The left side is your ID and password. If the other party wants to initiate the meeting, you guys need exchange the ID beforehand, and then put the ID on the right side input box, right after that you both can be connected to each other.

If you choose the Remote support connection, it will show you the other desktop on your computer. You can control it just like you are sitting in front of the other person’s computer. In the lower right corner of the connected desktop, it will have a small control window, you will know who is connected, and you will be able to decide to either end the connection, or chat for further conversations.

Beside this remote control, TeamViewer still have a lot of other functions. I want to list a few below:

1) Friends and family can support and access to the unattended computers (Windows, Mac, Linux).

2) Full keyboard control, including Ctrl, Alt, Windows and other special keys.

3) Remote reboot.

4) Listening and viewing on a remote computer, including system sounds, music or video

So far, this software is the only one that has remote control software, which not only runs smoothly inside the network, but also it can penetrate a variety of firewalls. The biggest advantage of this software is that both parties do not need to have a fixed IP address. Both sides can control each other as long as connected to the Internet. I hope you will like this tool and find it’s useful during this semester learning.

Software Download:

http://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx

Shunming Liu is a member of computer technology senior seminar course and planning on a career in network engineering.