Review: Citrix Gotomypc 6.0 remote access

Extra features added to an already impressive remote access service

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Price: £10 per month approx ($19.95)

Manufacturer: Citrix

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Verdict

Pros: Incredibly useful; works well; print remote files locally
Cons: Audio quality varies; no free version
Overall: A hugely impressive remote access package, but it's expensive and free alternatives are available

Will Stapley, Personal Computer World 29 Mar 2007

There are plenty of services out there that let you access PCs remotely.

Foldershare, bought by Microsoft back in 2005, lets you browse a remote PC's file system using a simple text-based web interface, while Logmein Free replicates the entire desktop.

But if you want file-transfer capabilities along with full desktop access in a single package, you'll need to use a paid-for service.

Logmein has a Pro edition of its software, which provides total access, as does Gotomypc, which has just hit version 6.0.

The benefits of being able to remotely access your desktop cannot be over-stated. Not only can you run programs, access internal servers and basically act the same as if you were sat in front of your PC, but you can also be safe in the knowledge that running processor-intensive applications won't slow down the local PC you're using.

You can read more about how the Gotomypc service works by reading our review of version 5.0.

This latest release has added some useful additions to an already impressive service, not least the ability to hear any sounds being played on your remote PC. This includes system alerts as well as audio files, but quality will depend on the speed of the connection - we found it varied somewhat during testing. Regardless, hearing notifications of new emails arriving is a useful feature.

It's now also possible to print documents located on your remote PC direct to the printer sitting next to you; the Universal Printer driver will hunt down any local printers automatically. This will be of particular use if you want to print a remote document but don't have the relevant application on your local PC.

The new drag-and-drop file transfer utility complements the existing file-transfer method. This makes it much easier and quicker to copy individual files, however during testing we found it occasionally wouldn't work and had to resort to the old method of firing up the Gotomypc file transfer utility.

Various pricing plans are available. Access to one PC will set you back £10 per month or £91 per year. Adding a second PC pushes this up to £15/£137, with further PCs costing £7.60 per month each. All prices are approximate conversions from US pricing.

A trial is available from the Gotomypc website, but unlike Logmein, there's isn't a cut-down free version available. And with free alternatives on the market, Gotomypc has to have a good reason to charge so much for its service.

If you can afford it, the slick interface, range of features and sheer ease of use of version 6.0 maintains Gotomypc's position as the market leader in remote access software. But for the average home user, we'd recommend using a combination of LogMeIn and Foldershare to provide free remote access with file sharing.

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