I use a MacBook Air for work, which keeps my backpack light. I’d like your recommendation for software that will let me access my iMac at home from the MacBook Air. I just want to access the iMac to retrieve a file, maybe an email, and that’s it. I know there’s LogMeIn and Back to My Mac (I’m a MobileMe subscriber), but I’d appreciate your expert opinion.
Thanks for the compliments, but we’re actually on the same wavelength. If you already subscribe to MobileMe and you’re not using Back to My Mac, you’re not getting your money’s worth, we’d say. It works well and it’s dead simple to use. Head to System Preferences > MobileMe, click to the Back to My Mac tab, and turn on the service on both your home iMac and your MacBook Air. While on that screen, click the Open Sharing button to open the Sharing pane of System Preferences, and turn on both File Sharing and Screen Sharing. To make sure only you can wield these powerful technological swords, use the Allow Access For menus to make yourself the only allowed user--click the plus sign to add a user, select Users And Groups in the left pane of the pop-up window, and choose your own username.
Turn it on, and it just works.
Now when you’re in the wild blue yonder, you can open a Finder window on your MacBook Air, expand the Shared section of the sidebar, and there’s your iMac, waiting patiently. (Well, provided it’s turned on back at your house and connected to the internet via your home network, and your MacBook Air has an internet connection too.) You can click on it to start the connection, log in with your iMac’s username and password, and then see all your iMac’s files, open ’em, move ’em around, drag them over to your MacBook Air, whatever. If you have a Time Capsule on your home network or an AirPort Extreme Base Station with an external hard drive attached, those files will be available to you too.
If you want to see your iMac’s screen, say to launch your email app and read messages, find your iMac in your MacBook Air’s Finder window, then click the little Screen Sharing button that appears, and you’ll get to see the iMac’s screen and control it as if you were a ghost or something.
LogMeIn is cool too (see “Trick Out Your Menubar with 10 Free Apps”), especially for non-MobileMe subscribers. If you just want to see and control your iMac from the MacBook Air, LogMeIn Free will work just fine. But if you want file transfers, you’ve got to upgrade, and LogMeIn Pro for Mac is in beta at press time ($12.20/month or $69.95/year per computer, logmein.com).
So we recommend trying Back to My Mac since you’re already paying for MobileMe (other readers, remember that MobileMe has a free 60-day trial), and if it doesn’t fit your needs somehow, try LogMeIn. But we think you’ll get a more seamless and Mac-like experience with Apple’s product--that Finder integration is something only Cupertino can provide.
carboncow
May 06, 2010 at 11:54am
It's the slowest solution I've ever seen for VNC like functionality. I've been doing remote access via PCanywhere, uVNC, Windows Remote Desktop and other for 10+ years.I cannot argue that "it just works"...it's great for no techs to use...but the screen refresh is unbelievable bad. I jused to think it was because I was wireless N between my Apple Router and my iMac...but a hardline proved that not to be the issue. Must painfully slow and this is between my work and home with a route on Roadrunner with 20-30ms pings between LANS!uVNC baby!
wojtyspa
May 06, 2010 at 10:40am
I used Back To My Mac for a while and found it did not always work. I liked being able to move files when it was working but that is not a must have. I can always email the file or ftp, idisk, etc. I switched to LogMeIn and found it more reliable. I also now have access to remote control my Macs and those of my family from my iPhone and iPad, which I do not believe you can do natively with Back To My Mac without turning on VNC. This has worked great. I use the free LogMeIn and paid for the iPhone/iPad app.
