What is Reddit's opinion of
ConnectWise Control?
From 3.5 billion Reddit comments
47 reviews of this app found across Reddit:
Definitely have to put in my two-cents for ScreenConnect. Their licenses are cheap, one-time cost and can be used for both support sessions and unattended access. I've used GoToAssist, Logmein, Bomgar, and Teamviewer and prefer this solution (and the cost!) to all of those listed. The MSP I used to work for was using logmein rescue and teamviewer and screenconnect replaced both.
Me too, waiting for their support to come back with "b-but it's not because we were acquired!!"
One would think they'd update their comparison page before going ahead with pricing changes.
I use ScreenConnect.
Don't have to worry about port forwards anymore. Drag and drop copying. 10 seconds to install the customizable MSI. Server is easy to set up. Everything is encrypted in transit. lots of reasons to love it.
I fall back to LogMeIn and RDP if I must.
One-time purchase, self hosted (though hosted service is seemingly available now that they've been acquired).
(not affiliated, just a happy customer)
If you can scrounge a couple of hundred dollars (and then maybe $30 a year after that), then you could use ScreenConnect, it's self hosted, supports loads of different OS's, can be user installed for 1 off sessions or system installed for permanent connections.
ScreenConnect is the only way to go. Low cost. Easy to setup and use. Integrate with RMM tools. Built-in toolkit for quick access to other support software you may need (sysinternals, a/v, diagnostics, scripts, etc.).
You might try Screenconnect for remote access. Its pricing is based on the number of concurrent sessions. It is a local install available on multiple platforms.
We currently use an internally developed Help Desk tool but I have been researching different web based systems. I came across FreshService the other day. It looks pretty complete.
Teamviewer is expensive. If you need something similar, check out Screenconnect. One license, one session at a time to as many installs as you want. $325 isn't bad. Or use it like loginme rescue and send the user a code and the url and they download the client as a one time install.
As far as I know they do still sell the self hosted licenses.
https://www.screenconnect.com/Pricing
I'm on mobile and can't find a better link but It's under Self-Host/On premise bundle midway down the page. I think that's what you're looking for.
Licensing limitations is why I switched and I'm never looking back.
I connect home directly using OpenVPN and have ScreenConnect Free for a backup to my primary desktop.
I have help.*.tld redirect to my ScreenConnect account page so I can easily remote support friends/family with an easy URL and an EXE.
- You can't run a local VPN without punching holes in your router
- Punching holes in your router for VPN may be one of the most secure methods of accessing your network you will find
- If you are running Windows 2012 as a VM, you can configure a Windows based VPN through this using RRAS; I wouldn't do this on a Hyper-V host in a production network, but at home it should work without TOO much drama; depending on how your network is configured. I would suggest using an L2TP VPN
- RDP and VNC are quite insecure, and if any of the millions of 'hacking groups' out there find that your network is open on these ports using these protocols, you better make damn sure your passwords are secure (note; this is a LOT less secure than VPN)
- If you're just trying to access three computers, I can't recommend ConnectWise Control (previously ScreenConnect) Free. It offers a service similar to LogMeIn/TeamViewer but more securely, it is cloud based though.
EDIT: I completely missed the part here where this was in /r/sysadmin - Are you actually talking about a business network? If so, scrap the idea of RRAS on your Hyper-V (it's unstable), and possibly scrap the idea of ScreenConnectFree, I believe this is only for personal use. I would STRONGLY suggest you configure a VPN. OpenVPN is a good choice, but as you mentioned it requires the client on all computers who need to connect in, Windows RRAS/VPN is still the option of choice for me - but I'd recommend building another VM for it, you can connect to it from any standard OS (Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, Android) without any third party tools.
ScreenConnect is a good one for remote access. You can pay once off and host on your own server, or pay a subscription and they sort that out for you.
You can setup unattended access and sort pc's under different client names, or in whatever way you want. Or you can do once-off remote access by sending the user to your website to start a session.
Windows and Mac compatible (and android if you are into that sort of thing)
https://www.screenconnect.com/ may be of interest to you. I host my own instance for ad-hoc support, it's working as expected. It's no RMM, but it does the job for remote assistance and basic file transfers etc. I also like how I can deploy agents, handy for PCs in the fam.
Don't know what RMM your using, but here's a shameless plug for ConnectWise Control (formerly Screenconnect).
- Strengths: It just works.
- Weaknesses: People don't like the pricing model since it was acquired by ConnectWise (had perpetual, now recurring only)
Price: Here or see if someone has a legacy license they're willing to sell ;)
We use screenconnect and they make it clear that ios remote control support is unlikely...ever. https://www.screenconnect.com/Mobile-Device-Remote-Support
That being said, MDM solutions do provide some type of capabilities to help manage ios. Airwatch is one. Nable and Manage Engine have one. Lots to choose from.
We use ScreenConnect. You have to install the client on each PC and it works on Windows, Mac and Linux. It's tied together with a web interface that you can customize with your company's branding. The licensing is based on concurrent connections and is very reasonable. We moved from VNC to this and haven't looked back.
Edit: Spelling
Will the majority of the machines you need to login to be local on your network?
Are you responsible for managing a standard install of these 100 machines?
If yes to both then I would look at setting up some form of VNC.
Then for those remaining stragglers that will be external I would look at other tools for them.
We are pretty partial to Screenconnect over here. You can setup an unattended option to log on to a machine remotely whenever the need arises.
If your problem is that Teamviewer won't start in safe mode with networking when you do not use Teamviewer to initiate the reboot, it is possible to get an unattended Teamviewer session to automatically start in safe mode with networking. I have tried to find the relevant link through google that I used for the purpose, but maybe this general information will help: http://foolishtech.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=1481
Edit: It bothered me that I couldn't and still can't find the page where I found this, but I found a batch file I had created for Teamviewer 9. If you are using a different version of Teamviewer it should be easy to modify.
reg add HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\control\safeboot\network\TeamViewer9 /ve /d Service /t REG_SZ
reg add "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\control\safeboot\network\Advanced Monitoring Agent" /ve /d Service /t REG_SZ
If you haven't already purchased a license for Teamviewer, I would look into ScreenConnect: https://www.screenconnect.com/
screenconnect looks like a good answer for you. If you look at the self hosted licensing, with 9 concurrent users it would cost a one time fee of $2475, and you can just add them one off as needed from there.
We ditched LogMeIn a few months ago when they hiked up the prices and moved to ScreenConnect. It's been pretty great so far. No tabbing functionality, but I never used LMI in the browser due to all the problems I had getting it to work, so it doesn't really bother me anyway.
> Your original ScreenConnect purchase provides access to new releases and product support for one year (365 days).
So after a year and they release an update which has features you want, you simply upgrade and get a percentage credit based on your existing license.
https://www.screenconnect.com/Upgrade
So if you paid a $1000 for your current license, and want to upgrade it after your year is up it will only cost you $200.
Extremely affordable in comparison to other solutions like Teamviewer and Logmein especially when you factor in the features and how much customization you can do to your install.
Screenconnect. I'm mainly using it for remote support and works pretty good. It does have installed clients as well as meetings. (Though really I've only used the remote support).
ScreenConnect is unobtrusive and you pay per concurrent session. A single license (lifetime) plus one year of upgrades is $325. With it you can have unlimited clients, but only one concurrent session. Should be fine if you're the only one using the license.
It may occasionally display a balloon notification in the system tray notifying the user that they're online, but that's it.
It is a not a personal version. It is just a basic version that is free. No where does it say personal on any page for it. Here is pricing. Even the basic single tech is cheap monthly. https://www.screenconnect.com/Pricing
As an update, I found out Screen Connect has a free personal version, which we are demoing now. I am impressed so far! Honestly the personal version would work fine for our business needs for now, but I am sure thats agaist the TOS. What does ScreenConnect cost.
Free version info here: https://www.screenconnect.com/free/?source=CW-Social-LinkedIn-ITN-All-16Q4
ScreenConnect or now ConnectWise Control is free for non commercial use.
It's the best remote program I have ever used and if you want to try it out it's pretty great.
https://www.screenconnect.com/free/?source=CW-Social-LinkedIn-ITN-All-16Q4
I do not work or make anything off of this, just a great product.
We also use self-hosted ScreenConnect.
- $2,195 for 3 techs plus $795 for each additional tech
- up to 10 simultaneous sessions per tech, and unlimited access agents (computers with the ScreenConnect Agent installed)
> Also, a side question: another company I know uses ScreenConnect, and every time a tech wants to start a remote session they have to find the computer on the SC dashboard (for lack of a better term - I don't know what they call it), then they have to download a small app to their (the tech's) PC, and then execute that small download to initiate the remote session. Is this how SC always works?
Option 1: on the Access page, click Build and generate an MSI installer (ScreenConnect.ClientSetup.msi) then use System Center or other deployment program to install that on all your computers, both technicians' and end users'.
Option 2: if a technician logs into ScreenConnect from a computer that does not have ScreenConnect Client installed, they'll be prompted to download/run the ScreenConnect Client when connecting to a remote session. I think that only happens once. Next time when they see this screen, click "Launch App" instead.
Heyo, ScreenConnect has introduced a free tier!
We've been working towards a free license for some time and I have to admit it's been hard to keep quiet about it.
For more information and to sign up, go here.
We are throttling the number of free accounts created per day so if you are unable to signup immediately please try again another day!
There is an article on ScreenConnect's site that goes over the iOS situation pretty succinctly.
Unless something has changed, you essentially can't in the way we'd want.
>Given how aggravating it can be to walk someone through the installation process over the phone
The Biggest question I have is why are you having to have them install it at all? Why are you not using the QuickSupport binary hosted on your Server that you send them a link or otherwise direct them to download (say from a link on your website)
No Install needed.
2 Alternatives I have explored in the past (not usered personally) are
SimpleHelp: https://simple-help.com/
ScreenConnect: https://www.screenconnect.com
ScreenConnect just recently massively increased their prices to a Per Month Subscription based model over the old 1 time purchase.
Take a look here: https://www.screenconnect.com/Pricing
They definitely steer you towards the annual billing, but you'll notice in smaller text that you can pay a little more per-month to be billed monthly instead of an annual commitment. The "Basic" plan includes up to 50 Access sessions, so that might work for you if the trial doesn't quite cut it. It's listed at $49/mo billed monthly. Assuming they don't have any other hidden commitments, this wouldn't be a bad option.
I'm a big fan of ScreenConnect. It's highly customizable, reliable, and by far the fastest solution I've ever used.
I'm going to assume that TV/LogMeIn/GotoMPC are out of the question because of "the cloud", and not because of price. If so, you'd like ScreenConnect because their primary product is on-premise.
It's called ScreenConnect Remote Support & in LabTech 10.5 (with the updated ScreenConnect plugin) your techs can access it from within LabTech. Remote Support's still a separate fee, but if you got it, you can use it w/o leaving LabTech / maintaining multiple credentials.
Edit: grammar
In my experience Screenconnect feels much faster (Low quality in SC vs Optimize Speed in TV) although this may be due to the fact our server is hosted locally and in the same city as the client/user so there was less latency.
- Get key: https://www.screenconnect.com/Try-It-Now
- Download latest release version: https://www.screenconnect.com/Download
You can also brand the heck out of it.
Drag and drop + file transfers feel way less clunky compared to Teamviewer and the Shared/User Toolbox is great.
I was trying to answer the question in a way that provided context for you :)
If you're just using it for friends / family you should be okay under the free licence.
If you're using it for business but it's just you, you can use the $749 single licence which is expensive but only a 1-time cost and they host the central part of the system for you.
ScreenConnect has a few options for pricing including a $12/month hosted option and a $325 one-time purchase if you want to host the server yourself. They have a free trial if you're interested in it.
You really need screen connect then. https://www.screenconnect.com/Compare-LogMeIn-Alternative
$300 for 1 active session, have as many users as you want that share your active sessions, access from any computer or smartphone (not tied to 1 PC like team viewer).
Downside (?) is you need to run your own server. But it uses almost no system resources and only a few kbps for an active connection.
Check out screen connect: https://www.screenconnect.com/
You pay a one time fee per license/concurrent connection. You can install the client permanently on as many workstations you want but your licenses dictate how many you can connect to at any given time.
If you don't use GFI for anything but take control then this is well worth it.
NOTE: This is a self hosted solution that uses little resources, we have ours running on a small CentOS VPS and it works very well.
There's a few options. The user can use zero-client app in browser by punching in a short code (similar to join.me or Bomgar). They can also download an msi/pkg from our website or email signatures, which installs a persistent background client service(this is the most commonly used and lets you organize en masse). Lastly you can preemptively create a session for them and email them a link.
Edit1: I didn't do the server install, but I think all it needs is an SSL certificate and .net. Guide here, looks easy
Edit2: From their SSL guide "Although ScreenConnect encrypts all Relay session traffic by default, the Web Server HTTP traffic is not encrypted unless configured with SSL. SSL provides an additional layer of security for key exchange and the comfort of your users. ScreenConnect does not use IIS, Apache, or any other web platform for SSL.
Edit3: For external clients, yes Microsoft, Linux, Mac, and Android all have supported apps for controlling and being controlled.. IOS can does not yet have a "Control your IOS phone from a PC" but other operating systems can all be remote controlled from an IOS phone/tablet.
goverlan is great internally, affordable [remote control is cheap, admin suite is a little $$ but more than worth it] and licensed-per-tech, not per client. but to do offsite support you either need users on the vpn, or you need to set up goverlan to be publicly accessible :-/
i had read about some people using this a while back, one of my msp vendors at my last job used it. it has a self hosted option that may be worth reviewing
I've currently moved to a program called RoyalTS. It allows you to create Secure Gateway / Tunnels to machines for access when they are not there (as well as a VPN). It gives you VNC integration if you have that set up, you can create RDP connections as well as SSH and even a Hyper-V manager if you really wanted to go that far. As well as a one-off 35euro, per admin, fee which isn't too shabby.
If you don't want to go down that road - or it's not the correct software for what you'd like - then I would hands down recommend ScreenConnect / ConnectWise.
Re: your last edit - ScreenConnect does have annual purchase options when you go to buy it versus a monthly plan (it's just advertised as a "monthly" cost).
https://www.screenconnect.com/Pricing
ONE $19 per tech / month paid annually
$24 per month (paid monthly)
(it's the same concept for the other licenses, too!)
Screenconnect is pretty powerful over gotoassist. In Screenconnect you get access to the toolbox and run any tool remotely which is not available in gotoassist yet. https://www.screenconnect.com/Compare-GoToAssist-Alternative
Vinay rmmguru.com
Yep. I have an Android fleet but there is also support for Apple.
https://www.screenconnect.com/Remote-Support-Solutions
Saved me plenty of time as some of my Users are real gumbies and cannot explain what's on their screen. It's one of the major factors that made me decide on Screen Connect. I also considered Simple Help but for some reason had issues getting it going correctly when trialling both. This was over 18 months ago though .
If it's a personal setup, Teamviewer is free and easy to use, and well supported.
At my job, we use Screenconnect because its affordable and works well with any OS, but it is really more for enterprise level use.
Boy that's a tough one. You can use software like Microsoft Lync or ScreenConnect, https://www.screenconnect.com/ .
Microsoft Lync can connect via exchange accounts, and screen connect can run off of IP addresses, but screenconnect does cost money (and neither program will be able to directly connect with a regular TV).
Additionally, unless your network is creating different subnets for each device, they should be able to communicate in some fashion. If not that is a ridiculous amount of security. You may have to go for the wired fashion if that is the case. I know extron makes some great switching hardware and has an awesome warranty, but their equipment is pricey.
ScreenConnect. I really like having the option of going both one time use, and always installed for servers that we maintain. You can also control the branding as little or as much as you want, and you get to do it from your own server and domain, no third parties in the middle.
I've been using this for my own business (and which I didn't really get around to using much until recently), since it allows for up to 10 machines free before committing to buy it. Although I will probably go with this later, because it promises the same feature set, but cheaper.
And of course, I could always be overlooking something here, since I do tend to do speed installs and hit prompts by muscle memory (but which I hope to replace with scripts later where it makes sense to), but it still was both rather impressive and a bit scary just how much control this actually let me have of a machine remotely.