control xp computer on different network

[mbpnewbie]

Hello all,
I plan on taking a trip soon and want to be able to connect to my home XP pro machine, and controll it like I can with Remote desktop client for mac. Is there any way I can do this? I assume I have to know things like the external and internal ip addresses, which I do, but I don't know what to do with them. Thank in advance!

[PoitNarf]

If you want to use Remote Desktop on the Windows or OS X side, just make sure that port 3389 (default Remote Desktop port) is set in the port forwarding settings of your router to go to the Windows machine you wish to control remotely. You don't need to use the internal IP address, just the external IP is what you'll use to connect.

[mbpnewbie]

thank you for your response... I know nothing about routing, and my router is jsut a cheapo one that came with my isp... Still possible?

[mbpnewbie]

OK, I checked around in the setting and such of my router... no port forwarding... I guess I'm out of luck?

[PoitNarf]

OK, I checked around in the setting and such of my router... no port forwarding... I guess I'm out of luck?

Probably out of luck, yes. When you connect to the external IP address, once that connection attempt hits your router it needs to know where to route the traffic from that point. Without the router knowing that RDP traffic on port 3389 is supposed to go to the IP address of your XP box, the Remote Desktop connection to your XP box will never be established.

Any cheap router out there will be able to do port forwarding. Just grab yourself an inexpensive Linksys router and that should be able to handle everything for you just fine, unless of course your ISP provided you with some sort of custom router with some strange configuration.

[mbpnewbie]

Probably out of luck, yes. When you connect to the external IP address, once that connection attempt hits your router it needs to know where to route the traffic from that point. Without the router knowing that RDP traffic on port 3389 is supposed to go to the IP address of your XP box, the Remote Desktop connection to your XP box will never be established.

Any cheap router out there will be able to do port forwarding. Just grab yourself an inexpensive Linksys router and that should be able to handle everything for you just fine, unless of course your ISP provided you with some sort of custom router with some strange configuration.
Not really a strange config, just doesn't have the option to change it. It has 4 ethernet ports, which I assume would output to a router just fine...ok, well I will be shopping soon...