Sometimes you just need to get to a file, access a program or just check up on something that you otherwise cannot do from your iPad. For most, remote computing starts out being an occasionally used feature on their iPad that slowly becomes more and more useful.


The following guide is intended for individuals that have a single desktop computer sitting at home that they personally use and wish to access from across the internet on their iPad.

Screen Sharing and Remote Desktop

Both Apple and Microsoft have built-in solutions for allowing remote access to the desktop. Apple uses a technology known as Virtual Network Computing (VNC) and can be configured from within the sharing preferences. Microsoft uses its own Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) which is configured on the remote tab of the System Properties (just search for “remote” from the control panel).

Screen Sharing and Remote Desktop Settings

Once configured you can use clients like VNC Viewer (Free, Universal) or Microsoft Remote Desktop (Free,Universal) on your iPad to connect to your desktop provided you are on the same local network.

Discovery over the internet

Apple does have a service for iCloud users know as Back to my Mac that will locate and connect to your Mac from across the internet. The trouble is that this is only for Mac to Mac connections and in recent years it has proven to be very slow and less than reliable. Microsoft on the other hand does have a remote discovery service, but it requires you to set up and configure a Remote Desktop Gateway.

Google has recently shown off its own solution, which simplifies discovering desktops from across the internet and is known as Chrome Remote Desktop. While Google recently released an Android version of this Chrome app, it has not yet released an iOS version. Perhaps later this year.

Remote Discovery Host Applications

Being able to quickly and easily locate and connect to your desktop from your iPad over the internet is the goal. Dealing with firewalls, port forwarding, and static ip addresses can be a real hassle for most users to configure manually. All of the apps in the following list have a host application that you need to install on your desktop. This application will automatically take care of making the connection between your iPad and your desktop over the internet. For the most part all you need to do is download, install, and log in to their remote service.

iPad apps that connect remotely

PocketCloud - Even though it’s an ad-based app, PocketCloud (Free, Universal) is the best free way to access your desktop computer from across the internet. What I liked most about PocketCloud was how its Touch Pointer made using a mouse on iPad’s touch screen a whole lot easier. It allows you to easily move the mouse around the screen by use of a big virtual mouse transparently displayed on the screen. You can access both the right and left click, as well as easily scroll documents up and down.

You will need to download the companion app for either PC or Mac in order to auto discover your desktop computer from across the internet. There is a Pro version of the app for $15 that not only removes the ads, but also allows you to add more than one computer to your remote discovery list. You can upgrade your free auto discovery account to a premium account for $24/yr which will allow you to access files, stream videos, and search your desktop more directly from within the app.

Source: www.gigaom.com