Screen-sharing Freeware
I’ve been looking for some good screensharing freeware today. My basic requirements:
- free (as in beer) – no strings attached – i.e., no trial-ware, subscriptions, that I have to go through in order to use it
- has to work regardless of my network setup – whether I’m behind a router or a server or whatever… the fact is, I don’t know what type of network I’ll be in at any particular moment since I’m using a laptop and rove around quite a bit
- simple – doesn’t require me to do a lot of configuration for the network besides maybe finding out what my WAN IP is (pretty easy to find)
- ideally, doesn’t require software for the viewer end – though this is somewhat negotiable depending on how invasive the software is, or how much setup is required by the viewer. I’d rather they get to use a Java client in their browser than install software on their computer.
The results of my search today:
RealVNC 4.2.1 Free Edition (download)
Pretty simple, doesn’t have a lot of options for configuring the stream settings in such ways as video quality or re-rendering the stream to the size of the viewer’s resolution in the browser-java applet. However, it does make it very simple to transmit a stream, and you don’t absolutely *need* the viewer client to see the stream if you already have the Java applet installed. Anyone can view the stream via your IP address + port information in a link such as http://192.0.0.1:5801/ , where your IP is 192.0.0.1, and the port you’re transmitting at is 5801. Simple, and you can put a password on it.
Also, there is no intermediary server involved with this – the host client *is* the server, so you aren’t dependent on some company’s servers to make this service work. Just some interweb connections.
CrossLoop (download)
Very simplistic setup for both the host and the viewer, but both need CrossLoop installed. Supports file-sharing and viewer control of the host, which can be toggled on/off by the host. This can work in virtually any networking environment, and also purportedly uses bandwidth more efficiently due to using TightVNC protocols rather than the legacy VNC. I’ll probably end up using this one as a fallback for Real VNC since I’d prefer to have the viewer use a browser rather than have to install software on their computer.
Update (10/02/07): I ran across this a blog post titled “40+ Ways To Access Your Computer Remotely” at the mashable.com social network news blog, which was linked via crossloop’s blog. This appears to be a pretty comprehensive / summary post of a lot of remote access solutions out there, but it doesn’t provide too many individual details about any particular solution. Nonetheless, a good starting point if you’re hunting for a particular method of access under particular conditions… searching the ‘net for individual solutions is a pain in the ass.
ScreenStream (download)
This one unfortunately didn’t meet the standard of working in any network situation. I couldn’t figure out how to get it to work over an internet connection to the the outside world, but it does perform admirably over the LAN. This might just be my own ignorance of how to set it up, but it’s enough of a barrier that I didn’t feel like figuring it out when I have other simpler options that work. Nonetheless, it is free and works well. There is an option in the software for changing the quality of the stream from a hi-low continuum, and the viewer only needs a browser which is a big plus for me. Maybe I’ll figure out how to use it over the WAN someday.. I liked it better than the other two except for the setup difficulties for WAN viewership.
David – let me know if you have any questions as you check out CrossLoop!
I have also recorded your suggestion.
Have a great weekend