LogMeIn Ignition for Android is a remote control app for accessing PCs and Macs from Android devices (support for tablets was recently introduced).? The software works very well?aside from a minor glitch when the app momentarily froze on me?providing not only remote control over machines, but audio streaming, light video streaming and a secured connection, all from your Android handset.
All of that remote goodness will cost you though, big time, at least when it comes to a mobile app?$30. That price might seem like a frivolous waste of money for those who only need to connect to home or the occasional work machine, since there are free and low costs apps available for about a buck, such as Jump Desktop, which can provide basic remote connectivity. However, for those who need reliable remote access, advanced features or may need to administer a server time-to-time from an Android device?it's a worthy investment.
Install
The app is available from LogMeIn's website. You can get it by scanning a QR code on the site or by simply downloading it from the Android Market.
During the install process, the app prompts for several needed permissions to the device such as modifying/deleting the SD card, access to the Internet, viewing the network state and read access to the system log files. The fact the permissions part of the install is automated is a time-saver. I have installed apps on my Android device only to have them not run, displaying a host of error messages, typically because of permissions issues.
Setup
Setting up LogMeIn begins with creating a free account on LogMeIn's website. Next, you have to download and install the LogMeIn client software on any computer you wish to remotely access from an Android device.? The client software to download is LogMeIn Free or Pro. Both are simple point-and-click installations. I easily installed LogMeIn Free on both a Windows 7 laptop and a Windows Server 2008 R2 box.
When you install LogMeIn host software on a PC or Mac you are adding that computer to your LogMeIn account. Entering the same LogMeIn account username and password on both the host machine and the Android device, creates a secure connection between the hosts and the Android device.
Businesses needing to remotely install hosts to a multitude of PC or Mac clients would have to upgrade to LogMeIn Central which supports mass deployment.
Usage
After installing the client on the hosts and logging in with the account information on the host machines and on the app, I fired up LogMeIn on my Droid 2. I immediately saw the computer names of the machines with the host software installed. They were listed under a? pre-configured "Default " group listing.
To remotely connect to a host, users must enter in that machine's login credentials. Thankfully, you can check a box to store those credentials, although that may not be a bright idea for high-security machines.
The polish of LogMeIn Ingnition is apparent when compared to a cheaper remote access app like Jump Desktop. With Jump Desktop, I found the documentation on how to navigate the touch screen when remotely connected to a host did not jibe with how the actual navigation worked with some gestures.
LogMeIn, in contrast, displays several hints just before connecting to a host: "pinch to zoom in and out," "one finger to pan," "double-click and slide to drag," and so on. The instructions were spot on for working within my host connection. Re-sizing screens, zooming, double-clicks and right-clicks all responded well in my remote sessions, although at one point, while connected to my Windows 7 host, the LogMeIn app froze and stopped responding to my touch gestures.
Another great feature of LogMeIn lacking in other remote apps targeted more to consumers is the ability to throw a Ctrl-Alt-Del command to a host. This is really handy, especially when remotely connecting to servers; you may want to switch user accounts without having to reboot the entire server.? You can also perform a remote Alt-Tab for quick switching between apps.
Text copy and paste between host and device is supported, although selecting an area of text to copy in a remote session requires an abnormal level of touch precision and heaps of patience. I find it far easier to use the right-click context menu to perform a "Select All" from the host's app and then paste into my device's app and deleting any unwanted text after pasting.? Copying and pasting images and files between host and device are currently not supported.
LogMeIn Ignition's Audio streaming works very well. I was able to stream music files stored on my laptop to my Droid 2. It's possible to stream video as well, although unless both the device and host are connected to high-speed broadband, probably not worth the effort due to latency issues.
The various settings options such as controlling network speed, screen resolution, sound quality and keyboard locking gives users a way to customize remote sessions according to needs and like. One really important setting is configuring the app to always prompt before exiting a session, saving a user from accidently logging off and having to re-login all over again.
Another LogMeIn Hit
LogMeIn Ignition for Android delivers a secured and robust remote access experience from an Android device. The version for Android still needs to play catch-up with the version for iPad, which supports offline local file access. However, with the wide array of Android devices it's not surprising that such a feature might be easier to develop for a uniform platform like the iPad and might take some time to get to work on all of the Android offerings.
Still, LogMeIn Ignition is one of the best remote access solutions for Android and clearly the choice for professional use. If you only need simple access to home machines, the $30 price may not make it worth a download from Android Market. However, those requiring safe, reliable access from Android devices, in particular, access to business machines, would be well served by this app.
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