How to use Remote Desktop in Windows

Using a remote desktop con­nec­tion is a now common practice for many pro­fes­sion­als. The pos­si­bil­i­ty to access a server from the “outside” is an essential part of terminal services and help desk work. Home users also benefit from remote desktop control, using it to connect easily with their external work computer. But es­tab­lish­ing the con­nec­tion isn’t all that simple. Luckily there are now quite a number of remote desktop tools to make the task easier. What exactly is a remote desktop con­nec­tion? What should you look out for? And which practical al­ter­na­tives are available?

The term remote desktop refers to a con­nec­tion between your own computer (client) and another computer (server). Provided the technical re­quire­ments are met, the user can initiate a remote desktop session from prac­ti­cal­ly anywhere. They’ll then receive — depending on the clearance — full access to the remote computer. Picture it like this: From your home computer, you can access all of the programs, files, and network resources of your work computer, just as if you were sitting at your desk.

In order to set up a remote desktop con­nec­tion at all, you first have to observe some technical re­quire­ments. The control of a remote computer only works suc­cess­ful­ly if it’s connected to the same network or via the internet. You also need to make sure that the server is turned on at the desired time and is available over a func­tion­ing network con­nec­tion. Make sure as well that the remote desktop setting is enabled on the server. Lastly, ensure that you can access the re­spec­tive network from the outside and have per­mis­sion to create a remote desktop con­nec­tion. You can obtain per­mis­sion by entering a remote desktop user on the user list and having the password for the con­nec­tion setup.

Microsoft offers remote desktop users an in-house network protocol: The Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). The RDP is, in a way, the control tool of the terminal services (Remote Desktop Services) and ensures the execution of remote desktop commands. It controls the terminal server as well as the terminal client. It also regulates the trans­mis­sion of screen content, keyboard input, and mouse movements over the network. A server version of Windows is not necessary.

Third step: In the query window, enter the computer name. If you want to establish the con­nec­tion over the internet, you also need the external IP of the host system. Al­ter­na­tive­ly, you can also enter a host name if you are using Dynamic-DNS services (“Dynamic Domain Name System”). With the help of DynDNS tech­nol­o­gy, dynamic IP addresses can be linked to stable domains that allow you to connect to the target system. Then you enter your username into the cor­re­spond­ing field.

Fourth step: Your username as well as the as­so­ci­at­ed password need to already be included in the user list. A remote desktop con­nec­tion can only be es­tab­lished with your access data. After suc­cess­ful­ly logging in, you can see the desktop view of the remote computer.

Dangers of Windows: Firewall and WLAN router

Windows comes as standard with an active firewall that protects your computer from unau­tho­rized access. But this can get in the way of remote support or a remote desktop con­nec­tion. Since the RDP has its own port (3389) for com­mu­ni­cat­ing with other computers, the pro­tec­tion of the firewall is used for com­mu­ni­ca­tions outside of the network, i.e., over the internet. This means that a con­nec­tion won’t be able to be es­tab­lished. In order to use a Windows remote desktop, you need to add an exception rule in the firewall settings:

1. Click on “Start” and select “Control Panel”.
2. Click “System and Security”.
3. Under “Windows Firewall” select “Allow a program through Windows Firewall”.
4. Click on “Change settings” and click the box next to “Remote desktop”.
5. Click on “OK” to apply changes.

The WLAN router can also become a stumbling block and hinder the es­tab­lish­ment of a remote con­nec­tion. Un­for­tu­nate­ly, no settings for ac­ti­vat­ing RDP services can be found on the router itself. For that, you have to set up port for­ward­ing in your wireless router. The Windows Remote Desktop Protocol uses TCP-Port 3389. To forward to a router, like one from LinkSys, do the following:

1. Select Settings -> Internet -> Port for­ward­ing -> New port in the con­fig­u­ra­tion menu.
2. Under “Port for­ward­ing active for” select the “Other ap­pli­ca­tions” option.
3. Under “Label” enter “Remote desktop”.
4. Under “Protocol” select the setting “TCP”.
5. In the “From port” and “On port” fields, enter “3389”.
6. Under “On IP address” enter the IP address of the target computer.
7. Click on “Apply” to confirm the changes.
8. Under Settings -> Advanced settings -> Internet -> Dynamic DNS check the box next to “Use Dynamic DNS”.
9. Either activate your LinkSys router or your chosen DynDNS.
10. Save the entire con­fig­u­ra­tion under Settings -> Advanced settings -> System -> Save settings.

TeamView­er is con­vinc­ing in terms of both per­for­mance and range of functions. Es­pe­cial­ly in a pro­fes­sion­al context, the free tool is a popular solution. But there are drawbacks: Par­tic­u­lar­ly in terms of security and image quality, not all users are 100% satisfied. Besides TeamView­er, other free al­ter­na­tives also exist that you should def­i­nite­ly take a look at.