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Ask HN: Best way to provide IT support to family?

10 points by abrookewood ↗ HN
I have a number of older family members that require IT/tech assistance from time to time. I'd like to be able to remotely control their machines and was wondering what people were using.

I'd prefer something that doesn't leave a permanent hole in their router and require them to configure port-forwarding (like VNC) if possible. GoToMyPC looks OK but expensive for how infrequently I would use it. Wireguard and RDP would be one option, but probably overkill. Any other suggestions?

13 comments

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gregjor
Switch them to iPads. Worked for my parents. I never get support calls anymore.
abrookewood
Not a bad option, but in this case it won't work as they have devices like scanners, DVD burners etc.
gregjor
Scanners generate more problems than anything else. With an iPhone or iPad you can use the camera and choose "Scan document" to get the same thing. As for burning DVDs... who does that anymore? Cloud storage or a big hard drive.
abrookewood
My Dad ... whose car has an honest-to-god CD player in it! He's still burning MP3s from the 70s :)
logicalmonster
How do phone cameras compare to scanners these days? For occasionally sending documents around I've been using a phone camera and taking a picture. Never had anybody complain.
7174n6
If all they are doing is accessing web resources - email and Internet browsing - they need nothing but a Chromebook. Turn it on = Internet. They rarely get viruses or malware and are nearly impossible to corrupt. Turn it off and back on. Best of all, a really nice chromebook is in the $300 range.

And if you need to remote in you can do it through Chrome Remote Desktop.

Of course, you have get over Google trampling all over their privacy.

abrookewood
Yes, I forgot about Chrome Remote Desktop - I'll take a look. Thanks
mikebos
I use anydesk when I can't get them to switch to iPads. The free version has been good enough for quite some time now.

https://anydesk.com/

xen2xen1
Mesh central. Free, self hosted. Or Google Remote Desktop, which they've sworn for years they're shutting down.
cpach
My 2¢:

If the device is running macOS: Share screen via the Messages app[﹡]. Yes, it’s possible and it works well.

If it’s running Windows: Use Google Meet and start remote control from there.

(Teamviewer is another convenient option, but I would trust the above options to be far more secure.)

[﹡] https://support.apple.com/sv-se/guide/messages/icht11883/mac

hackarama
If they're on Windows, the built-in Quick Assist tool (Ctrl + Windows Key + Q) is a simple way to connect without having them install any other remote access tool.