Apart from the solid physical form, a computer is pretty flexible when it comes to access and manipulation. Multiple input methods can be used to control it, and you don’t even have to be in visual range to take over.
Remote control has greatly advanced throughout the years, and thanks to the ever-increasing Internet speed around the world, monitoring from a distance can be done in real-time. This comes in handy if you prefer to work with a desktop PC rather than a notebook, but there are important tasks you need to attend to, and there’s nobody around the PC, not even yourself.
With a little bit of research and testing, we managed to find just the app to control your computer from a distance, move your cursor, manage active tasks, or even shut down the computer. The application comes with a free version that offers a lot of variety and options, and below you find the needed steps to set it up and use it.
The third PC input besides your keyboard and mouse
Step 1: Download and install Unified Remote, the PC component you need.
Step 2: Add Firewall exceptions when prompted and install any necessary drivers required for the service to properly run.
Step 3: Restart your PC for changes to take effect, although not necessary all of the times.
Step 4: Now go grab the actual controller for your Android or Windows Phone.
Step 5: Simply install the remote counterpart on your phone and run it, with the connection automatically established.
The desktop counterpart is mostly there to allow you to take over specific controls from a distance. There’s not a lot to do except access an online account manager where it’s possible to set the server status, manage accounts, view connections, view activity logs, and even set up custom profile sets.
Using the phone component is no rocket science either. Shown in a list, you get to access different remotes, such as mouse and keyboard control, file manager, media, power, scroll wheel, start menu, task manager and a lot more.
The free edition offers enough flexibility as it shows. Controlling your mouse and keyboard from the phone is incredibly easy, flawless, with no latency and pretty smooth and accurate emulation. Power options are also at your disposal, with options to simply lock the screen, put the PC to sleep, restart or shut it down completely.
To sum it up
All in all, you’re not always there to perform some PC tasks, even if it simply consists of shutting it down. The market for remote control applications is abundant, with a lot more alternatives, but Unified Remote manages to stand out from the crowd with a quick setup process on both the phone and PC, smooth overall actions and emulation, with no experience required to understand it.