Rawns Posted January 21, 2014 Posted January 21, 2014 Has anyone here tried Centrastage and thoughts? Looks like it is £1 per machine and includes a remote support client and other tools. Only problem seems to be you need to install a client to access other clients and you cannot remote in through a web browser. We use it at our LA for remote support to schools. It works well most of the times but more whenever they have platform updates, it usually breaks one aspect of it for a few days which is rather annoying! You also do have to have an agent installed on the remote device but it is a very powerful tool for the price. You can get a free account which allows you to have 5 'managed' devices and unlimited 'OnDemand' devices too so well worth a try to see how you get on.
Quatermass Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 Anyone using either GoToMyPC or RemotePC? Any pros and cons for either?
sonofsanta Posted January 22, 2014 Author Posted January 22, 2014 Right, so, tested the Chrome Remote Desktop extension and that seems alright for the occasional user - fairly straightforward to use, decent quality, only needs a Google account and Chrome. It doesn't have many settings or options at all though, particularly around display - so trying to view my dual 1280x1024 screens from a single 1280x1024 screen was painful and is a no-go. Ok for those with a simple set up in school, but won't be enough for me. LogMeIn Pro is looking like a decent option, then, particularly with the 50% off. Does anyone know if there's a restriction on multiple logins to one account though? The small business package (£289 pa for 10 computers) is pretty good value compared to the usual subscription, but if only one person can log in to an account at once it's not workable.
Koldov Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 LogMeIn Pro is looking like a decent option, then, particularly with the 50% off. Does anyone know if there's a restriction on multiple logins to one account though? The small business package (£289 pa for 10 computers) is pretty good value compared to the usual subscription, but if only one person can log in to an account at once it's not workable. I am also looking at this, both my Head and Business manager have expressed an interest in being able to remote in. Obviously I don't want to buy 2 seperate accounts and the £29 p.a. for the first year is obviously a good enough carrot to dangle (which I'm sure they are banking on). However I would also like to remote in to my school PC and the server, so maybe the 'Pro for power users is an option, if we can share the log in... Kol.
Quatermass Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 I've always liked LogMeIn but the ludicrously abrupt withdrawal of their free version isn't just annoying (and a PR own goal), it's a bit worrying about them as a business. We're moving to GoToMyPC for now.
sonofsanta Posted January 22, 2014 Author Posted January 22, 2014 Yes it does, as for the EES question I can't really help there - anyone else know? Just looking at this again as an option - do you need a per-device CAL for every remote machine that will be accessed through the gateway, or just one for the RDS Gateway server itself? (MS documentation is clear as mud, as ever)
sted Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 Just looking at this again as an option - do you need a per-device CAL for every remote machine that will be accessed through the gateway, or just one for the RDS Gateway server itself? (MS documentation is clear as mud, as ever) and I THINK if its staff use only to your rds you do have rds cals via ees
edutech4schools Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 do you need a per-device CAL for every remote machine that will be accessed through the gateway per user or per device. per user worked out best for us.
sonofsanta Posted January 22, 2014 Author Posted January 22, 2014 and I THINK if its staff use only to your rds you do have rds cals via ees Do you have anything showing that? Can't see RDS CALs listed in the Core or Enterprise suite. per user or per device. per user worked out best for us. The people using remote logins all have their own office machine anyway, so quantity is the same. Which is why I'd hoped that the RDS Gateway counted as the one device and we could do it for the minimal cost of one device CAL
sted Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 Do you have anything showing that? Can't see RDS CALs listed in the Core or Enterprise suite. not to hand it was something my boss said he had seen somewhere in the agreement
Koldov Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 Something I'd really like to do, but I don't have the skill level... Also, buying CAL's and the time spent getting it all up and running versus something like LogMeIn for one or two users... is it even viable/worth it? Kol.
sted Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 (edited) Something I'd really like to do, but I don't have the skill level... Also, buying CAL's and the time spent getting it all up and running versus something like LogMeIn for one or two users... is it even viable/worth it? Kol. for 2 people imo no be easier to set up 2 win7/8 vms with fixed ip and some other remote software. imo rdp isn't worth it for <10 probably <20 having said that the 1 I did wasn't hard granted I cheated and users need a local certificate and their host file altering but it works Edited January 22, 2014 by sted
edutech4schools Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 The hardest bit is getting a certificate. 1 request cert 2 install cert 3 install rds role 4 install rds gateway 5 install rds licensing service Or something like that... It takes me about 30mins or so and once its done is very reliable. I will try and find time to put together a basic step by step. 4
sonofsanta Posted January 22, 2014 Author Posted January 22, 2014 Chucking a new VM up won't take long (I assume it doesn't need much in the way of spec - single core, 2GB RAM?) and I can get the cert sorted as there's space for another SAN on our UCC cert, though that means reimporting it to the other web servers that use it. It's just the question of licensing really, as it may well be cheaper than LogMeIn.
StevieM Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 (edited) Two weeks ago, our bursar asked me if it would be possible for her to have access to SIMS/FMS from home. I said I would set up a free LogMeIn account for her. Fantastic. Last week, our head forwarded to me an email from the LEA advising that they would be introducing secure remote access later in the year as part of our SLA. Brilliant! Yesterday, I got the email from LogMeIn saying that the free service was being (had already been!) withdrawn. Oh, poo! For the sake of simplicity, I'm tempted to pay the £29 for the first year but that would be rewarding them for the scandalous way they pulled the plug without ANY prior warning. Edited January 22, 2014 by StevieM
chazzy2501 Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 Direct Access is relatively easy to configure. (if you already have a server 2012 anyway) Server 2012 running DA (it has as wizard) a single external ipv4 address (yes it works behind a NAT now) with port 443 enabled. A Windows 8 or 8.1 Enterprise PC (client)- From here you could RDP to the correct PC or install all the software they need and enjoy full access. or use GoToMyPC and pay. 1
Netwacky87 Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 (edited) Just going to throw Meraki into the list, this can do basic remoting via a website...also does more than LogMeIn Edited January 22, 2014 by Netwacky87 Added URL
GeekyPete Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 Two weeks ago, our bursar asked me if it would be possible for her to have access to SIMS/FMS from home. I said I would set up a free LogMeIn account for her. Fantastic. Last week, our head forwarded to me an email from the LEA advising that they would be introducing secure remote access later in the year as part of our SLA. Brilliant! Yesterday, I got the email from LogMeIn saying that the free service was being (had already been!) withdrawn. Oh, poo! For the sake of simplicity, I'm tempted to pay the £29 for the first year but that would be rewarding them for the scandalous way they pulled the plug without ANY prior warning. Take a look at centrastage. But it kinda assumes that the person connecting is the Tecchie and not an end user. Still free though for 5 managed stations (unattended connection) and 100s of attended connections.
sted Posted January 22, 2014 Posted January 22, 2014 Direct Access is relatively easy to configure. (if you already have a server 2012 anyway) Server 2012 running DA (it has as wizard) a single external ipv4 address (yes it works behind a NAT now) with port 443 enabled. A Windows 8 or 8.1 Enterprise PC (client)- From here you could RDP to the correct PC or install all the software they need and enjoy full access. or use GoToMyPC and pay. you say that about dive spent i dont know how long tearing my hair out with that it just hates me
CapnPugwash Posted January 27, 2014 Posted January 27, 2014 This is a pain... but they are a business. Over the last couple of years I've met lots of people who use LogMeIn but I've only ever met one person who was paying for it. I think we will probably buy into it for a year but spend the next year looking for an alternative. At the moment with a 50% price reduction I can just about swing it with finance. I doubt I'll be able to do that next year when the price doubles.
StevieM Posted January 27, 2014 Posted January 27, 2014 This is a pain... but they are a business. Over the last couple of years I've met lots of people who use LogMeIn but I've only ever met one person who was paying for it. Totally agree. However, I think the main complaint is the fact that they sent out the email telling people that they were stopping the free service on the day that they stopped it. No advance warning, it was just gone. If they had sent an email 2 months ago saying it was ending on 21 Jan, people would have had the option to either buy in before hand or find an alternative provider. I probably would have bought in then, but not now.
Gibbo Posted January 27, 2014 Posted January 27, 2014 I can see Teamviewer going the same way. Loads are going to jump to that program now and click "personal" and use it for free without giving it a moment's thought.
DPrince Posted January 27, 2014 Posted January 27, 2014 We did pay for Logmein Pro - we actually have a mixture of free and pro accounts, managed through Logmein Central. Having just checked my account, apparently Central customers are not affected by this change, and I am still able to deploy free clients if I want to.
Koldov Posted January 27, 2014 Posted January 27, 2014 Of course they weren't going to give much notice... They didn't want to give anybody time to research an alternative! Good job we have EDUGEEK to advise us eh? Teamviewer already have a cheeky FAQ on what people need to do to move from LogMeIn Free lol! Yeah, sure it's a business and they have obviously reached a point where they have captured enough market share to cash in on making it pay only, I too wonder where the likes of Teamviewer, AVG and such will eventually go. In the LogMeIn statement they have said that the 'free' version was only seen to be used by 'home users' accessing files at home and that those users now utilise the vast array of cloud storage options. Therefore in their business model they will not see any continuing profit or return from free users converting to paid. Guess they didn't consider all the 'home user' IT bods using it for remote support to friends and family, not that any 'home user' accessing a few files would need the 'pro' advantages... Surely +95% of users would actually be tech savvy and would have actually been using for 'business' purposes and therefore should be paying for it? I was a bit miffed with the limited notice period and all, but I can see the logic and I'm not entirely sure if I don't agree with them. Kol.
beancole Posted January 27, 2014 Posted January 27, 2014 I just used LogMeIn to log into home and install Teamviewer.
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