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jackotack

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Oct 26, 2012
21
0
I want to control my dad's iMac from over the internet so that I can show him how to use stuff (it's his first Mac).

here's the catch, I can't go to set it up at his house because he lives several time zones away.

it seems like I have to do this

1 - tell dad to turn on Screen Sharing
2 - ask dad to find his IP
3 - walk dad through Port Forwarding on his router
4 - connect from my mac

is there a way to skip step 3 because that seems like a part where there will be a problem between the keyboard and the chair.
 
Last edited:

Mak47

macrumors 6502a
Mar 27, 2011
751
32
Harrisburg, PA
You could try an app like iTeleport or Splashtop. Both are available in the MAS.

You'll spend $20-$30 bucks, but you can use them on multiple computers. Your dad would just install a client app on his end which is free.

You can also get iTeleport or Splashtop on an iPad/iPhone instead and watch/control his Mac from there. This may be more useful for you because then you can do the same with your own Mac.

Neither application is the greatest thing in the world, but they work for the basics. You'll be able to see what he's doing, move the pointer for him and open and close files and apps. Neither requires any particular skill to set up either. I did the same thing for a few inexperienced users I know and it's a huge stress reliever.
 

-dms-

macrumors newbie
May 21, 2012
7
0
The one I'm finding very useful is Chrome Remote Desktop which is available in the Chrome Web Store. It's free and allows for remote assistance. It's also by far the fastest free solution I've tried.
 
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