Column: Remote support benefits kids in distance learning

Online learning from home, combined with parents who have to go to work, has created a quandary for many families. What if the kid needs help, either with their lessons or just plain old tech support?

The good news is that remote control software is a reliable technology. Remote control software matured a few years ago, thereby revolutionizing the way in which information technology organizations provide technical support. With a couple clicks of a mouse, an engineer is able to see and control exactly what is happening on your computer, vastly improving problem resolution time.

Can such software be used for parents to help their kids? In many cases this is an unqualified “yes.” However, remote control software is primarily designed for Windows-based computers, given its dominant position in the workplace. Some remote access applications also support Macs.

UltraVNC (uvnc.com), for example, is a popular remote access application. It’s free, and dependable, having been around for years and being open-source. But it runs only on Windows.

TeamViewer (teamviewer.com) supports Windows and Macs and is also free for “personal” use. It uses a proprietary algorithm to decide whether you are using it for personal use or you’re just a cheap IT organization who doesn’t want to pay for the license. While TeamViewer is purposefully tight-lipped about how this algorithm works, our experience shows that it is fair and reasonable.

When used for just a handful of devices, the free version works just fine. Once you get flagged as a “corporate” user, however, it ceases to function, and there’s pretty much no going back.

School kids, however, often use iPads, Android tablets or Chromebooks as their platform of choice. And therein lies the rub.

TeamViewer runs a limited­-function version on those platforms. It allows you to view the device but not actually control it. So if your kid needs help logging into the online class, for example, you will have to talk him/her through the process, which can be frustrating. “Click that one … no not that one, the other one. No, the other other one.”

In fact, iPads (and all Apple iOS products) discourage remote control software, citing security concerns. As a result, there are no options for remote control of those products, just remote viewing. Even with a Mac, certain settings need to be adjusted for remote control software to work properly.

Chrome Remote Desktop (remotedesktop.google.com) can be used to remotely control Chromebooks from PCs, Macs, other Chromebooks, phones and tablets. A remote control session needs to be initiated by the user — in this case, the kid. This is a relatively simple step, but another step nonetheless.

For Android-based tablets, a product called AirDroid (airdroid.com) provides remote control capabilities. There is a free version which should be sufficient for most folks. AirDroid allows remote control of an Android tablet from PCs, Macs and other Android devices.

The installation can be a little tricky, but detailed instructions are available.

The only catch is that if the remote tablet gets restarted, it will need to be physically reconnected to the controlling device. This is a rare case, as a normal screen lock due to inactivity does not trigger a system restart.

AirDroid works on Amazon’s Fire tablets but is not currently available in the Amazon Appstore. This necessitates the installation of the Google Play app onto the Fire tablet, which is tricky, but detailed instructions are available on the web.

AirDroid also works on iPads, but like Teamviewer has only remote view capability. It cannot be used for remote control.

John Agsalud is an IT expert with more than 25 years of information technology experience in Hawaii and around the world. He can be reached at jagsalud@live.com.