How do you remote desktop across the net?

[css_jay99]

I have at home connected to a network using a wireless ADSL router modem :-

1) Dell Desktop PC with win2k pro
2) Dell Laptop PC with winxp pro


I have another sony laptop(winxp Pro) which i carry around with me

I would like to know the easiest way of connecting to this two computers at home with my sony laptop so
that I can run a remote desktop connection. I was told a VPN will do the job but dont know how I can initiate a connection to the two PC's at home when they are both sharing
a single IP address to the outside world and then using NAT

cheers

css_jay99

[Cowboy Bob]

Use VNC and give each machine a different port number on its VNC server. Then route the relevent port number to the correct machine at your router.

[css_jay99]

I have the vnc software but find it to use a a lot of memory as compare to microsoft's RDC. It it possible to setup each RDC with diff ports

css?_jay99

[Cowboy Bob]

It it possible to setup each RDC with diff ports

Don't know, sorry.

[Daywalker]

Setip a VPN into the router then RTP onto each machine!

[NoddY]

Yes, VPN will work, as long as your broadband router supports it! PPTP is the simplest to use from a Windows Client.

Again, if your router is good enough, you can also connect to both machines via RDP concurrently without VPN. You do this by mapping two different port numbers on the WAN interface to different hosts on the LAN interface:

myhost.dyndns.org:12341 > dell_desktop:3389
myhost.dyndns.org:12342 > dell_laptop:3339

[css_jay99]

I'll give that a try this weekend

cheers

[VectraMan]

For the simple built in windows VPN, you need to setup your router to forward port 1723 to the machine on the LAN that's setup to accept incoming VPN connections. If you check the "allow to connect to other machines on the LAN" (or something like that), then when connected with VPN you'll be able to access files and printers as if you're on the LAN including using remote desktop to either machine.

The router needs to be one that's VPN aware, but I think most are these days.

[Paddy]

http://www.everydns.net/

[PAH]

I've used LogMeIn before now:

https://www.logmein.com/go.asp?page=products_free

Firstly it's free, and works over port 80 I believe, so no problems having to configure firewalls, routers, vpns. It was the only way I found to be able to connect to my work pc from home when they'd blocked all normal routes, including sniffing out GoToMyPC (a popular, but not free alternative).

They only start charging if you want to do more than remote connection, such as file transfers.