EzRemote: Use Your Treo to Remotely Control Your PC
EzRemote Icon
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I recently had the pleasure of testing a new Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) that may be beneficial for Treo users on the go called. Called EzRemote 1.1, the application allows users to access desktop and laptop computers from anywhere a Treo can make a wireless connection to the internet.
I was new to RDPs when I first used EzRemote. Setup was a little tricky for me, in part because I use a router. After exchanging a few emails with a very receptive developer, we were able to get me up and running. If you do decide to try out EzRemote 1.1 and have similar problems, you can go to www.pdaeveryday.com where there is a very good support section, which explains essentially what the developer did for me.
Connection Settings
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After launching EzRemote, a setup page appears where you can create, edit, clone or delete available servers. The setup is straight forward, consisting of your name, IP or host, port number, screen dimensions, your computer users name, and your password (if you have one set on your PC or laptop). Once this information is entered, you can attempt a connection.
There are two methods of connection: 16bit and 8bit. If you are wondering what these are for, they are the color bit rates for when you connect to your computer. For those with a Treo 700p and EVDO, you will probably want to run the 16bit connection due to the speed available. If you own a Treo 650, you will probably want to run the 8bit connection for optimized performance while connected.
One nice feature about EzRemote is that your password is saved during the initial setup. When you connect again, you are automatically logged in without having to re-enter any information. This is a nice time saver.
Desktop on Treo
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After logging in to your computer, you see your desktop on your Treo screen. By invoking the menu screen, you are presented with several choices to aid navigation. The first is PAN: one of the neatest features of EzRemote. PAN allows you to move to a specific area on your desktop by using your stylus. Once there, you can use the fit-to-screen feature to compact your entire view onto your Treo screen. There are a few other features such, as R_button, win key, ctrl-alt-del, restart computer, and disconnect. These are pretty self-explanatory, so I won’t go into detail with their functions.
Once I got the hang of navigating the desktop from the Treo, I started to figure out very quickly that I could access anything on my computer via the Treo. This was very cool! You can move files, access the internet, send email, you name it! The remarkable thing about EzRemote being an RDP is that it uses up very little space in the Treo’s RAM (only 155KB) and maximizes the data connection to do most tasks faster than similar applications.
Your desktop images or themes won’t be seen while using EzRemote, which helps with performance. I, personally, felt it was pretty fast when using an EVDO connection. One personal disappointment for me was that you can’t stream music with EzRemote. This would have been very nice, but the developer explained that a considerable amount of bandwidth would be necessary. So maybe as cellular technology continues to grow in the future we can see that type of feature implemented.
Browse mytreo.net!
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In summary, EzRemote is a useful application, especially for those who use Treos extensively for business and travel. Having the ability to access your computer from just about anywhere in the world may eliminate the need for some people to carry a laptop. Also, you should try it out for no other reason than to wow your self, friends and co-workers!
Compared to similar applications, EzRemote is a steal at $24.95 and works with Windows XP, Windows NT, and Windows Server 2003. Go pick up your trial of EzRemote today, and see all that you can accomplish!
Pros
1. Ease of Use
2. Overall features
3. Price
4. Uses very little ram
Cons
1. Can be difficult to setup
Related Links
Browse Treo software in the mytreo.net/download section.
Discuss Treo software in mytreo.net/forum.
Filed under: Software reviews
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After reading about EZ remote I was excited about the prospect of finding a RDP (remote desktop protocol) replcement for PalmVNC.
EZ remote installation was easy enough, documentaion for various windows platforms (XP, 2000 & server 2003) allowed me to get it running on XP in a few minutes. Most users seem to struggle with remote name, host name or IP address issues so read the instructions carefully or try their user forum. You will have to figure out your router’s IP address using its admin mode. Remote Desktop is part of windows already so EZ remote is less work than the PalmVNC requirement of installing UltraVNC host software.
Summary, if you have been using gotomypc and want a simple install and setup then EZ remote is a better choice.
If you are comfortable with router iP addresses and setting port numbers in your security software then try PalmVNC.
OK.. I got it installed and my hopes are high.
1. Security: Connect to server and log in: Usual remote software password protection is enhanced with windows user accounts set up in your host PC settings control panel under user accounts.
Its ok if you are into this higher level of security but the price is a slow log in. In addition, at least with this free demo version your host PC screen is locked up with a log in window during the remote connect time. So someone sitting at your host can not see what you are doing.
Log in screen does clear up later after many minutes when you have logged off but it is inconsistent, sometimes leaving the log in window on your screen with usual PC functionality working in the back ground. There are times however when you are working remotely and you WANT the end user to see how you are fixing their problem. Summary- EZ remote login takes 40-50 seconds compared to PAlmVNC’s 10-20 seconds. EZremote blanks the host screen while PalmVNC leaves the screen visable and PC active.
2. Screen navigation: panning. EZ remote’s pan feature is a toggle using the TREO calendar or datebook key. Until you exit pan mode no other functions are available. Only horizontal panning, NO verticle panning… Arrgh!
Summary- EZ remote panning locks you out of functionality compared to PAlmVNC’s panning being available at all times both horizontal and verticle.
3. Screen navigation: Screen Scaling.
With EZ remote you Zoom out on the desktop using the TREO green phone send key. Again functionality is limited until you touch the screen again and it zooms back in to the place on the desktop you just touched with your stylus. After some practice I decided I would rather have the desktop active in zoom out mode instead of it being devoted to navigation by zooming back in. Same issue again, navigation mode means active desktop is turned off. EZ remote screen scaling is 2 sizes only, full desktop or zoom in.
Summary- EZ remote screen scaling (2 different sizes)takes away active desktop functionality compared to PAlmVNC’s dedicated scaling with active desktop functionality. (4 different sizes) although the two higher zoom out sizes are not very useful on a TREO 650 screen.
4. Screen navigation: 5 way button.
EZ remote documentation talks about the 5 way button for navigation, never did get it working on a TREO 650. PalmVNC 5 way button navigation works all the time. Summary- Redundant perhaps since you have screen scrolling bars but handy for one handed navigation while you drive on the freeway.
5. Screen navigation: refesh rate. This comparison was done on Sprint PCS date network using a TREO 650 CDMA phone, your results may differ. What we are intersted in here is how smooth the response is to your remote’s commands and how fast the graphics fill in.
EZ remote claims to be fast and it appears to have slightly less latency than PalmVNC. EZ remote does however lose connection to your host and “freeze” occaisionally. PalmVNC is vulnerable to both these issues as well but it does indicate loss of connection so you can act quickly. It would be intersting to try this test with a bluetooth DUN. Summary- EZ remote appears more responsive on the connection side than PAlmVNC but not by very much.
6. Functions: mouse right click, win key, ctrl-alt-del, restart host, disconnect. I chose mouse right click as an example in the comparison because it seems to be used the most. the other functions are handled by the two programs in the same way.
EZ remote does mouse right click using the Treo phone off red button. Seems to work ok. PalmVNC no longer suports this feature but you can duplicate it using the special keys menu under the TREO menu button.
EZ remote features mouse right click, win key, ctrl-alt-del, restart host, disconnect. PalmVNC features mouse right click, win key, ctrl-alt-del, restart host, disconnect plus host special keys esc, shift, ctrl, alt and function.
Summary, EZ remote uses a dedicated buttons and Palm VNC uses a drop down sceen menu or a toggle screen button menu. No real gain here, user preference prevails, do you prefer dedicated buttons or screen menus?
7. Price.
EZremote 30 day demo, free. Register the program for $24.95. PalmVNC is shareware, use it and donate.
8. How did this end? EZremote demo expired and I went back to using PalmVNC. It was the navigation and screen scaling ease of use that made the extra effort of installing host software worth it. No monthly fees compared to web based solutions like gotomypc.
I do not require the full on windows user security EZremote employs but you might want it.
Shouldn’t the fact that isn’t available to be used on mac osX a con?
IT makes my 650 reset when I try to use it…
This software is amazin trust me i have just used it for like 45 minzz till now and i am freaking out …….. i know the startup setup is hard to go but not all that hard after i read the manual
try it and i am sure you will love it and does not affect my treo at all
VNC and RDP are two completely separate protocols for accessing your PC remotely. RDP is secure and included with Windows XP Pro. The free version of VNC is nowhere near secure and and must be installed separately.
The author of EzRemote did not invent RDP, he simply wrote what I consider to be the VERY BEST client for RDP available for the Palm platform. The long post by cr4west is really a gripe that RDP is not VNC and thus is almost completely irrelevant. I also don’t understand diceone’s complaint that it isn’t available for Mac. RDP is a Windows protocol; the app is for Palm devices. Where does the Mac come into the picture?
The setup to get from the outside world into your private network (finding your external IP address, setting up port forwarding on your router, setting your desktop to use a static IP address) are identical for any utility in this category, unless that app installs something on your computer to help it to be found, like GoToMyPC and Avvenue do. (VNC does not make the setup any easier, either.)
If you want to stream music from your PC to your mobile device, the correct solution is to use something like Orb, NOT to use Remote Desktop. RDP has to exchange a heckuva lot more information like your window contents and mouse position, making it a poor means for streaming music even if it were supported. Try it using a desktop client for RDP and you’ll see the quality really isn’t there even when using a desktop computer over your own LAN.
In cr4west’s review, scrolling and panning issues are mentioned. I have no problem scrolling or panning in any direction with EzRemote. I do wish there was an option in EzRemote to have scrollbars when zoomed in and to have the desktop active while zoomed out. However, EzRemote’s interface for getting around the screen becomes second nature after a while. Additionally, I found that setting up a user account on the host computer specifically designed for small-screen display (turning off themes, using the classic start menu, and other tricks) so that the entire Windows screen fits on the 320×320 Palm 700p screen is the best solution.
I have no experienced any lockups or loss of connection using EzRemote on my 700p, and the performance is not only orders of magnitude faster than other Palm RDP clients, but noticeably faster than Palm VNC as well. I also tried using the Microsoft terminal services client built into a Pocket PC device on Sprint’s EVDO network, and EzRemote is still faster.
Bottom line: If you want to control your PC remotely via RDP, there simply is no better client than EzRemote.