RealVNC has always been one of my favorite VNC tools for remotely accessing my computers over the Internet, or just helping a friend remotely troubleshoot their computer. It’s a great tool for anyone looking for an easy solution to access and control Mac, Windows, or Linux computers from any of the supported platforms without shelling out your hard-earned money on expensive hardware or software. But that is not all; RealVNC also has an Android app called VNC Viewer to remotely access and control your computers from Android. The company recently dropped its price to free from a whopping $10, making RealVNC even more attractive over its competitors. The Android client gives you full remote access to a PC right on your smartphone or tablet, all from an intuitive user interface that just works!
I wrote an in-depth review of the service back in 2012 where I explained all of its brilliant features, how it works, and how to set it up on your computer. For those who missed it, here’s a quick rundown on how to set it up on a computer.
After installing RealVNC on a machine, you must obtain a free license key from the product page. After you receive the license code, enter it in the corresponding field during setup and click Next.
RealVNC also asks you to specify the authentication password, which is required to connect through another computer or device. Once you’ve successfully completed the initial setup process, you’re presented with the VNC server’s control panel, displaying connection details such as the IP address you’ll need to connect to the device.
Now launch VNC Viewer on your Android device and tap on the + button to add a new connection. You’ll need to enter the same IP address you noted in the VNC server’s control panel, plus any custom names to identify you on your device. This will add the remote device to the main screen, from where you can tap ‘Connect’, enter the authentication password, and tap OK to connect to it.
Once connected, VNC Viewer gives you complete control over the corresponding machine, allowing you to open files and applications, and perform any other actions on the computer directly from your smartphone or tablet. It also displays an overlay at the top that allows you to open keyboard and mouse controls, access the help section, or disconnect from the current VNC session.
VNC Viewer also includes pinch to zoom to quickly zoom in and out of the screen. Also, those who have dual or triple screen PC setups will be happy to know that the app supports multiple displays as well. You can simply swipe left or right to display the desired screen, or zoom out for a panoramic view of all connected screens.
VNC Viewer is available on Google Play for free, and based on the news so far, the price change is permanent. Still, it won’t hurt to grab it ASAP.
Install VNC Viewer from Play Store
