Trouble setting up Remote Desktop Access

  • Thread starter Thread starter Johan
  • Start date Start date
J

Johan

Hi

I'm trying to connect my laptop (running XP Pro on
broadband) to my home PC (running XP Pro on broadband). Am
new to networking, so Remote Desktop seems so hard !

How do I know my remote computer's "Computer Name" when
connecting? I'll connect via internet (too far for LAN)
so what does "host name" mean? On broadband, I don't have
a static IP address so assume that bit to be irelevant.

Thanks a lot.
 
Use the public IP of your home PC. If the PC is behind a firewall/NAT/router forward/open TCP Port
3389 to the private LAN IP of the PC your trying to reach.

If your ISP assigns a dynamic IP address, then look at using one of the dynamic naming services. In
my case I use a FREE service from No-IP.com. The No-IP.com software runs on one of my XP Pro boxes
and on a time schedule basis contacts the No-IP.com servers. The No-IP.com servers then know what my
current public IP (DHCP assigned by my ISP) is and maps that to a fully qualified domain name. That
information is then propagated over the public internet. I then call the destination PC, from a
remote location, using the fully qualified domain name. It works very well for me using Remote
Desktop or a PPTP VPN link.

http://www.no-ip.com

Others, some free and some $$$$...

http://www.remotenetworktechnology.com/ow.asp?Remote_Network_Home/Connections

--
Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights...
 
I'm trying to connect my laptop (running XP Pro on
broadband) to my home PC (running XP Pro on broadband). Am
new to networking, so Remote Desktop seems so hard !

How do I know my remote computer's "Computer Name" when
connecting? I'll connect via internet (too far for LAN)
so what does "host name" mean? On broadband, I don't have
a static IP address so assume that bit to be irelevant.
Click to expand...

Use the public IP of your home PC
 
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