Setup Remote Desktop Using DynDNS

There are a number of ways to get remote access to your home PC. LogMeIn, VNC, Crossloop and several others come to mind. But with most of these, you have to install their software and, in most cases, you have to go through their website to get access to your PC. Fortunately, Windows has a much easier method.

This tutorial will guide you through the process of setting up your PC so that when you are away from home, you will be able to log into it using any other Windows PC (on the planet). When you sit down to the off-site PC, your screen will look identical to the screen you are using at home. We won’t be viewing your home PC through a browser. No sir. This will look like you are sitting down in front of your PC. Wallpapers and all.

Man, it is the coolest feeling when you use this for the first time and see your screen pop up on someone else’s computer, no matter where you are.

Let’s get started.

To access your PC when you are away from home, we need to run through the following steps:

1. Setup the Home PC to Listen for Remote Desktop Connections
2. Assign a static IP address to the Home PC
3. Open a Port in the Router’s Firewall to Allow Remote Desktop Connection requests
4. Setup a free DynDNS account with an easy to remember name
5. Tell DynDNS to automatically update our Public IP Address
6. Test it from another Location

Step 1

Setup the Home PC to Listen for Remote Desktop Connections

1. Right click on the My Computer icon on the Desktop or in the Start Menu and click Properties. (see picture)
2. Click on the Remote tab
3. In the “Remote Desktop” box, check the box that says “Allow Users to Connect Remotely to this Computer”. Add your username to the list of allowed users, then click OK to exit My Computer Properties. (see picture)

Your computer is now listening for Remote Desktop Connections, and an exception has been made in the Windows Firewall to allow this traffic to come through. But the traffic has no way of knowing where this computer is, so first, let’s assign a static IP address to this computer.

Next Step: Assign a static IP address to the Home PC

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