Remote Connection Software

I've been using Windows Desktop Connection (comes with Windows) to connect my Win11 mini-PC to my Win10 desktop at home.

I'm losing connection multiple times a night. I have tried changing some recommended settings in my Windows remote PC group policy editor to resolve this but it's still happening.

Does anyone have any suggestions either for settings in Windows that might alleviate this or is there another free remote desktop app that will work without this issue?

Thanks!
Jerry

I usually use Chrome Remote Desktop. It’s free, but I think you are limited to a 30-minute continuous session.

If you don’t need to monitor your session all night, it might be the way to go. Otherwise, I don’t know Remote Desktop well enough to help.

I use Windows remote desktop and it works well but the connection will drop if the WiFi signal out back to the telescope gets too low. It's easy to reconnect though so I haven't found it to be a problem. The only real solution is to boost the wiFi signal out to the telescope. A booster/repeater should work, I just haven't tried it yet.

Vincent Savioz:
I usually use Chrome Remote Desktop. It’s free, but I think you are limited to a 30-minute continuous session.

If you don’t need to monitor your session all night, it might be the way to go. Otherwise, I don’t know Remote Desktop well enough to help.

Yes CRD has been very reliable for me. BTW there are no timeouts if you create a PIN to access it.

Jerry Gerber:
I've been using Windows Desktop Connection (comes with Windows) to connect my Win11 mini-PC to my Win10 desktop at home.

I'm losing connection multiple times a night. I have tried changing some recommended settings in my Windows remote PC group policy editor to resolve this but it's still happening.

Does anyone have any suggestions either for settings in Windows that might alleviate this or is there another free remote desktop app that will work without this issue?

Thanks!
Jerry

The disconnecting issues are more likely to be a result of bandwidth issues at the remote site. I had the same problems at DSPR using any connection software solutions.

Dark Matters Astrophotography:
Jerry Gerber:
I've been using Windows Desktop Connection (comes with Windows) to connect my Win11 mini-PC to my Win10 desktop at home.

I'm losing connection multiple times a night. I have tried changing some recommended settings in my Windows remote PC group policy editor to resolve this but it's still happening.

Does anyone have any suggestions either for settings in Windows that might alleviate this or is there another free remote desktop app that will work without this issue?

Thanks!
Jerry

The disconnecting issues are more likely to be a result of bandwidth issues at the remote site. I had the same problems at DSPR using any connection software solutions.

My sense too, they cannot get fiber optic at DSPR and are stuck with Musk's satellite system. Other than that I am happy there.

Jerry Gerber:
Dark Matters Astrophotography:
Jerry Gerber:
I've been using Windows Desktop Connection (comes with Windows) to connect my Win11 mini-PC to my Win10 desktop at home.

I'm losing connection multiple times a night. I have tried changing some recommended settings in my Windows remote PC group policy editor to resolve this but it's still happening.

Does anyone have any suggestions either for settings in Windows that might alleviate this or is there another free remote desktop app that will work without this issue?

Thanks!
Jerry

The disconnecting issues are more likely to be a result of bandwidth issues at the remote site. I had the same problems at DSPR using any connection software solutions.

My sense too, they cannot get fiber optic at DSPR and are stuck with Musk's satellite system. Other than that I am happy there.

Indeed. It is a good site. Glad to hear you are enjoying it.

I'm using TeamViewer. My setup in the garden is equipped with a little Huawei LTE router because I don't have a wireless connection that reaches my garden. I just "bought" (it's basically free) a second SIM card from my mobile provider that uses the same data volume. I've set up TeamViewer to launch on Windows startup and configured the easy connection method that you can use when you have a TeamViewer account. Works pretty well. Just type in the password, and you're on the machine.TeamViewer sets up a tunnel connection between you and the other client, just like a VPN, and it also uses a very small amount of data.

Jerry Gerber:
I've been using Windows Desktop Connection (comes with Windows) to connect my Win11 mini-PC to my Win10 desktop at home.

I'm losing connection multiple times a night.

How is your mini pc connected to the network? Via cable or via WiFi?
You could take a look in the Windows Events and could take a look what causes the connection issues. Maybe your mini pc is just losing internet connection. In that case you would receive the same errors with different remote software.

Lars Bartels:
Jerry Gerber:
I've been using Windows Desktop Connection (comes with Windows) to connect my Win11 mini-PC to my Win10 desktop at home.

I'm losing connection multiple times a night.

How is your mini pc connected to the network? Via cable or via WiFi?
You could take a look in the Windows Events and could take a look what causes the connection issues. Maybe your mini pc is just losing internet connection. In that case you would receive the same errors with different remote software.

Good question, I am not sure, I'll have to ask Chris how my PC is connected. I am guessing wi-fi. I'll take a look at Windows Events and see if that will tell me anything.

I have used Chrome Remote Desktop, TeamViewer, AnyDesk, and Apple's screen share.

TeamViewer: stable and smooth one. Allows multiple login. But I heard it will charge you (by considering you not a personal user) if you use it too often. So I always reserve it as a backup option. I like it the most, but use it the least frequently.

Chrome: I use it in a daily basis. Not as stable as TeamViewer, and it appears to have bugs. Only allows single login. So sometimes I use Chrome and let other users login with TeamViewer at the same time.

AnyDesk: buggy. I only keep it as a backup option.

Apple screen share: This is the best among the four. Fast, high image quality, and easy to use (but probably less secure). But obviously this only works on Apple computers. For my daily works and astro works that are hosted by Macs (all my mobile imaging is done with Macs), this is my number one choice. My remote telescope is controlled by a PC, so I have to use one of the above three instead.

I use Chrome Remote Desktop if there is an internet connection available to the PC(s)

If operating with no internet service I use TightVNC.

I now use Parsec which was designed for Gaming, incredible image quality and smoothness in functionning.

Worth a try and for personal use you are not limited in time or number of Pc's

It's doesn't work in local only with internet access.

THIBAUD Lucas:
I now use Parsec which was designed for Gaming, incredible image quality and smoothness in functionning.

Worth a try and for personal use you are not limited in time or number of Pc's

It's doesn't work in local only with internet access.

Hi Thibaud,

What do you mean by "doesn't work in local only"?

Jerry

Jerry Gerber:
THIBAUD Lucas:
I now use Parsec which was designed for Gaming, incredible image quality and smoothness in functionning.

Worth a try and for personal use you are not limited in time or number of Pc's

It's doesn't work in local only with internet access.

Hi Thibaud,

What do you mean by "doesn't work in local only"?

Jerry

I would venture a guess that he means you cannot connect directly to a machine locally, and that you must use an Internet connection.

chrome remote forever and always. I've been running 8+ telescopes with this for years now

Bray Falls:
chrome remote forever and always. I've been running 8+ telescopes with this for years now

Chrome Remote Desktop is a great solution. I use this as a backup to the Tailscale VPN + Windows Remote Desktop solution that is my primary.

Windows Remote Desktop, for those unaware, is the actor previously known as Windows Terminal Services that used to only ship with Windows Server products. This is why the executable, for example, is mstsc.exe (Microsoft Terminal Services Client).

It is an extremely robust solution used by most Fortune 500 companies for decades (those that are Windows shops anyhow) to connect to millions of remote servers across significantly longer distances than we do in this hobby.

You can't go wrong with either solution, and in fact I'd recommend both be in place for any remote system.

Chrome. I have five tabs in my browser connected to five scopes at this very moment—two in my back yard and three 600 miles away. I’ll leave all five tabs open all night (and all day tomorrow, and all night tomorrow night, and so on). It has been extremely reliable, and the price is right.

I think your problem is Starlink. I recently escaped from owning a Model S for several years. Nothing ever works like Elon says it does.

Timothy Martin:
Chrome. I have five tabs in my browser connected to five scopes at this very moment—two in my back yard and three 600 miles away. I’ll leave all five tabs open all night (and all day tomorrow, and all night tomorrow night, and so on). It has been extremely reliable, and the price is right.

I think your problem is Starlink. I recently escaped from owning a Model S for several years. Nothing ever works like Elon says it does.

The Starlink experience I had at the site the OP is at and the site I am at currently are completely opposite. At DSPR I had a terrible time with disconnects, at HCRO I rarely ever see a disconnect and if I do it usually reconnects on it's own in a few seconds.

Both use Starlink, but both do have different network topologies. There's a possibility that the network at DSPR isn't optimized in the same manner.

That's good to know Bill. I will talk to Chris at DSPR and see if there's anything they're willing to do on their end to see if optimization of Starlink is possible.

I have been using RemotePC with good luck. Hard to beat trying it since the first year is three bucks….

They also have a backup solution you can use as part of it although I have not.

Bill McLaughlin:
I have been using RemotePC with good luck. Hard to beat trying it since the first year is three bucks....

CRD beats it by three bucks in the first year

How do you keep Chrome Remote from quitting after 10 or 30 minutes? I am told there's a limit! There must be a workaround in order to do astrophotography!

Thanks,
Jerry

You have to set it up to log in with a pin#. I used to use it that way and it worked fine without constantly asking if you want to stay connected.

Related discussions