[General Questions and Answers] nir36:
"how do i control my PC through my PDA?" or "Remote Controls" (Media and more)

"how do i control my PC through my PDA?" or "Remote Controls" (Media and more)

there are many applications created to control your PC using your PPC.

some contain features to control multimedia applications, some contain keyboard control, mouse control, system control.. volume and so forth.

[Update 8.6.09]

A new tool is presented in the following thread, allowing you to control an app or two and add normal keyboard and mouse support to your PDA which requires NO SERVERSIDE CLIENT!

MobileSrc MobileRemote

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=504730

THIS IS NOT FREEWARE

[/Update]

let's present a few solutions.

1. Salling Clicker

http://www.salling.com/clicker/windows/

SALLING CLICKER IS NOT FREEWARE

Salling clicker is what I currently use. There's one reason for that and one only. Salling clicker let's you use scripts to control your PC. you can write them or download them. you can shut your screen off or turn it on, manage volume and system state, control your mouse, control Winamp, Windows Media Player, BSPlayer, M2VPlayer..powerpoint.. i can go on and on. the list is long.

Salling Clicker isn't as finger friendly and good looking like Gremote, but it does let you control your comp using both Bluetooth and Wifi and it also has the coolest feature between all remote controls - one of the scripts is an OSD which shows you callerid and stops any media player currently playing when you receive a call. this is very useful for me as I listen to Trance all day long and can't hear my phone ringing pretty often.

To use Salling Clicker

a. go to the website mentioned above and download salling clicker.

b. install the client both on your PC and PPC

c. go to http://www.salling.com/forums/ and find the scripts you would like to use.

d. copy the scripts to your PC to My Documents/My Clicker Scripts

e. load Salling Clicker on your PPC

f. Turn WIFI/Bluetooth on depending on which connection type you'd like to use

g. click Menu and connect using that same connection type. (if you choose wifi you will have to put in the right IP address, if you choose bluetooth you will have to choose the computer to connect to from the list of bluetooth devices)

h. after connecting you can start playing with the scripts. you will need to experiment in order to gain full potential out of this magnificent piece of software.

2. GRemote

http://gbmsoftware.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6&Itemid=10|http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=427097

GREMOTE IS FREEWARE

Gremote was created (and is still being updated) by GBM software (user named marbalon in xda-devs). The GUI is unbelievably cool and besides the fact that it makes the whole experience much nicer than in Salling Clicker it also is VERY finger friendly.

You can control your keyboard, media player, mouse, use some system controls AND, if you have a Gsensor, you can use it to control your mouse like, and i quote, "Logitech MX Air (not the same)".

Gremote is certainly the way to go if it meets all your demands and if you want something as user friendly as it can get.

The PC client doesn't require installation, you can just run it, which is nice, but you'll have to install a client on your PPC.

The major setback in GRemote is that it only supports Wifi thus making it necessary to have a router around or to connect using Ad-Hoc.

To use GRemote

a. download from the link above.

b. Install the client according to your device's resolution.

c. Run the PC client.

d. Activate your Wifi (You have to activate it BEFORE running the ppc client)

e. run Salling Clicker on your PPC and go to Profiles

f. You can create a profile manually or choose Find to find a comp running the PC Client.

g. after configuring the profile click Add. from now on, this profile will be saved on your PPC and you can run it every time you run GRemote by default.

h. Click Save

i. Click Go !!!

j. now you can start having fun with it.

You can also check out the PC client for other options like enabling/disabling vibrate on soft click... and so forth.

A new feature has been added recently letting you use your PPC as a Joystick.. or whatever you call it nowadays :)

3. Jerome Leban's Bluetooth Remote Control

http://www.jaylee.org/remotecontrol/

Jerome Leban's Bluetooth Remote Control IS FREEWARE

This application is the first remote control i've used on my PDA. It is somewhat old and doesn't have all the features of the other 2 apps presented above.

You can control your mouse, Mediaplayer, Winamp.. your screen... control your keyboard and even change bindings so that you can fit any key to whatever command you wish to execute. you can control powerpoint, itunes, PowerDVD.. and a few more regularly used applications.

This tool uses Bluetooth ONLY.

The mouse is not as responsive as you'd like it to be, making this app less useful and it is certainly NOT fingerfriendly.

I will not specify how to use it. you can download it and give it a shot. it requires both a PC and PPC clients to be installed.

If you need a remote for something specific, you will find it either in Salling Clicker or in GRemote, making this app obsolete.

You're welcome to try it tho and see if it fits you.

4. z2Remote2PC

http://www.z2software.com/Remote2PC.htm

z2Remote2PC IS NOT FREEWARE

It is pointless to start detailing the features of z2Remote2PC. this software is one piece of krazieass cement breaker. you can do pretty much anything you want using it. It isn't as finger friendly as GRemote, but i'll stop/start here and tell you that it differs from the other 3 since it's supposed to be a "far-away" remote control. you should use it to control your comp from outside your home.. you can see your PPC's screen on your PPC and do pretty much everything you can do using your PPC. it support Vista and even supports hard graphics (that doesn't mean you'll be able to play Crysis on your PPC.. :))

You should download this and experiment as configuration is endless. you will need to install both a PC and PPC clients for this to work.

notice you will have to open a specific port in your router and/or windows firewall for this to work. notice it supports Wifi/Cellular connections.

z2Remote2PC has a LO-HOT to offer and you can spend a day just going thru all the options/features.. both client and server side.

If you found this guide useful please Donate.. (all donations go to TZABACH Wounded Animal Service)