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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?
 

chabig

macrumors G4
Sep 6, 2002
11,460
9,326
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.
 

bookemdano

macrumors 68000
Jul 29, 2011
1,514
846
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.
 

Crash0veride

macrumors regular
Oct 10, 2016
221
143
Cincinnati
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.
 

zorinlynx

macrumors G3
May 31, 2007
8,354
18,580
Florida, USA
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.
 

bookemdano

macrumors 68000
Jul 29, 2011
1,514
846
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.
 

MacGizmo

macrumors 68040
Apr 27, 2003
3,217
2,516
Arizona
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.
 

uptownnyc

macrumors 6502a
Mar 28, 2011
765
1,091
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?
 

TwoBytes

macrumors 68040
Jun 2, 2008
3,217
2,187
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.
 

tarsins

macrumors 65816
Sep 15, 2009
1,197
859
Wales
Jump Desktop originally via RDP but I'm now using the new "Fluid Desktop" which supports screen sharing and collaboration.
 

aznboi91

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 27, 2012
173
6
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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