New way to access remote macs, without the need for ARD!

Remote L.A. to N.Y. with Timbuktu and Skype

I got a frantic call from my wife who’s visiting my sister in NY. It seems her iBook has that forever spinning wheel we’ve all had to face at some point or another. After talking to her, I deducted it was a corrupt image in her iPhoto library. Probably from her last import. It’s happened twice before. The problem is that although she’s a digital lifestyle junkie, she relies on me to fix any technical issues and I’m in LA. So I venture out online to see if I can tap into her computer remotely and was delighted to find out Timbuktu’s new Skype ‘tunnel’ feature. The New Timbuktu Pro uses Skype’s connection to pass through routers and firewalls and establish a direct connection. In the past, you could only connect remotely if you had a static IP address, something most people don’t have. Best of all, you can connect to a Mac or a PC.

So here’s a tutorial on how to connect remotely to another computer over the internet with Timbuktu and Skype.

THE TIMBUKTU AND SKYPE TUTORIAL
Step 1: Get Timbuktu and Skype
Step 2: Set up Timbuktu to use Skype
Step 3: Add new buddy to Skype
Step 4: Connect to Remote Computer
Conclusion

↑ Step 1: Get Timbuktu and Skype

Both local and remote computers need to have the latest version of Timbuktu Pro and Skype.

Download a trial or buy from Netopia.com. Licenses go for about $100 per computer. A multi-platform version is available. Skype users get a $40 discount.

Download the latest Skype version at Skype.com. It won’t work with an old version. Skype is free, at least for what we need to do with it.

↑ Step 2: Set up Timbuktu to use Skype

Make sure both applications are installed and running on both computers. In the remote computer, go up to the Timbuktu Pro menu item and select “Timbuktu access via Skype.”

↑ Step 3: Add new buddy to Skype

You might skip this step if you already use Skype and have each other in the buddy list. If not, from the main Skype window in the local computer, select “Add” an enter the remote computer’s Skype username. Once added, the user will become available in Skype’s contact list.

↑ Step 4: Connect to Remote Computer

From Timbuktu Pro, select ‘File > New Connection’.

From the new connection window, select the Skype tab, then select the remote user from the list. Make sure that the user has a check-mark in the green icon and the word ‘yes’ in the ‘Timbuktu?’ column. It will not work otherwise. The check-mark means the user has a compatible version of Skype and is logged in. The ‘yes’ means the user has ‘Timbuktu access via Skype’ selected as we did in step 2.

From the Timbuktu top menu select ‘Service > Control’ to connect to the remote user’s computer. This will give you a new window for you to choose how to connect to the remote user. My only available option was to ask permission, which prompted my wife asking her if I can control her computer.

Once the remote user grants you permission, you can gain access to their computer and save the day.

↑ Conclusion

This system is very easy to set up. However, I was stuck with a skype user that had the word ‘no’ in it and I couldn’t connect right away. I looked in Timbuktu’s help documents and website but they didn’t have any mention on how to make the user be accessible through Skype. Eventually I stumbled on the menu bar item and discovered that was my missing step. Seems easy enough, but they could have saved me an hour if they mentioned it in their documentation.

My remote desktop experience was very slow. I will move a window and wait for it to redraw like I did back in the 56k modem days. But that really has to do with the internet bandwidth than the actual application.

It would be unfair to compare Apple’s Remote Desktop to Timbuktu Pro since they really target different markets. Apple’s Remote Desktop is for local network administrators whereas Timbuktu Pro is for cross-platform remote connections. I’ll admit, $200 for 2 licenses is no walk at the park, but it might be invaluable for a lot of people. Besides, it’s a good thing when you can help people you care about but are too far away to pay them a visit.

technorati tags:mac, software, remote, support, skype, timbuktu