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Do you use BackToMyMac?


  • Total voters
    26

aznboi91

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 27, 2012
173
6
What are alternatives to getting remote access or mounting remote HD when we upgrade to Mojave?
 
I switched to Screens a couple of weeks ago. It costs a small amount but it's been very reliable for both local and long distance (inter-continental even) secure connections. BTMM was always inconsistent for me.
 
I set up a VPN and am just going to use the built-in screen sharing over that. But for something easy you could always try TeamViewer.
 
I have a domain name I used for VNC (or anything not SMB/AFP). I recently set up a VPN on my router though for remote SMB. Not exactly straightforward. BacktoMyMac will be missed here.
 
I just VPN into my network and screen share.

This is probably the most secure option, because you're not involving a third party. You're connecting directly over the Internet to your router, then authenticating directly with your Mac.
 
I just VPN into my network and screen share.

This is probably the most secure option, because you're not involving a third party. You're connecting directly over the Internet to your router, then authenticating directly with your Mac.

More secure, yes. But it's not "easy" like BTMM was (or was intended to be anyway). Laypeople don't know how to set up a VPN, open ports, etc. So a VPN is not really a replacement for most folks.

Actually, if Apple had chosen to axe BTMM before 10.13 I wouldn't have shed any tears, because it was so frustratingly hit or miss that I never could rely on it. But they definitely made it more reliable in High Sierra, and as such I've used it extensively over the last year. My only remaining problem with it is that Apple never came up with a way to use it from an iOS device. If I'm "on the go" I always had to have another solution for remoting in anyway.
 
It's amazing to me that BTMM and Apple Remote Desktop are by far the worst options for this functionality. As others have stated, it's either hit-or-miss or flat-out doesn't work. And ARD was obnoxiously overpriced for as complex and unreliable as it was.

Quite frankly the free Microsoft Remote Desktop works perfectly fine and it's free.
 
I set up a VPN and am just going to use the built-in screen sharing over that. But for something easy you could always try TeamViewer.

What's the business model for TeamViewer? How do they pay for all the freeloaders?
 
Screens for macOS and iOS are great apps, almost like Apple made them. It has a blanket mode so when you remote into your desktop, it blanks out the screen in case others are walking by (busy office let's say). There is an iOS app too but you need the mac app store app.
 
Jump Desktop originally via RDP but I'm now using the new "Fluid Desktop" which supports screen sharing and collaboration.
 
I set up a VPN and am just going to use the built-in screen sharing over that. But for something easy you could always try TeamViewer.

Does VPN allow for me to mount the remote harddisk locally like BackToMyMac does?
 
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