Media Centre Help

JWalker1995 said:

Hi,

I'm currently running my Mac Mini as my main computer. However, it is about to be demoted to become a "Media Centre" with the purchase of the new MacBook Air.

My Question is:
Is there a way to control the Mini (preferably a remote desktop method for full control) from the MacBook Air, without having to use a keyboard/mouse for the Mini?

Please feel free to ask further questions

Many Thanks
James

Click to expand...

See this OS X Daily article on Screen Sharing.

It can be done, but keep in mind that the desktop will be scaled from 1920x1080 down to your MBA screen resolution so it'll be kind of fuzzy (or some solutions like VNC can do pan&scan where you see full resolution but only part of the display at a time). Might be perfectly adequate for your purposes, just something to be prepared for.

JWalker1995 said:

My Question is:
Is there a way to control the Mini (preferably a remote desktop method for full control) from the MacBook Air, without having to use a keyboard/mouse for the Mini?

Click to expand...

In addition to Screen Sharing, there's Mobile Mouse for your iPhone and iPad.

All you need to do is go to sharing in system preference and tick the screen sharing box. Then your Mac mini will appear in your MacBook airs finder sidebar.

Rowmote app

You can install the Rowmote app on your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch to get full access to your Mac Mini. Rowmote has keyboard, trackpad, and Apple remote control functionality, plus it allows you to activate and close several popular media apps like iTunes, Plex, EyeTV, iPhoto, etc.

Rowmote won't quite be the same "full control" you'd get with using OSX screen sharing or JollyFastVPN on your MBA, but its often more convenient to fire up the app on your iPhone than it might be to power up your MBA for the same purpose.

Note: This assumes that your Mac Mini is attached to some sort of display. Otherwise, you won't be able to see where the arrow is moving when you use the Rowmote trackpad.

I'll second Rowmote. I use it all the time with the Mini which is connected to my livingroom TV as a Plex server. It's a very full featured application and gives you pretty much all the control you need. I had planned to buy a Bluetooth keyboard to use with the mini but Rowmote put an end to that plan.
I still use PocketCloud as a free VNC viewer on my iPhone & iPad for when I'm not able to use the TV i.e. when in another room or when someone is watching the TV. I only use screen sharing from my rMBP for extended sessions on the Mini which are few and far between.