Do Even More with iCloud and AirPlay - iConnected: Use AirPlay, iCloud, Apps, and More to Bring Your Apple Devices Together - page 208

using a local network or the Internet. For those who like to travel without a laptop, connecting re-
motely via an iOS device is an essential alternative to Back to My Mac.
Several apps allow you to control a PC or Mac from an iOS device, but I've found iTeleport to be
the best option. The app requires installing a small piece of software called iTeleport Connect on your
computer so the iOS device can recognize your Mac or PC, but that's about it for the setup process.
Once you've installed and set up iTeleport Connect, you should be ready to begin controlling your
computer from the iTeleport app on your iOS device.
Simply select the computer you want to control and in a few seconds its display appears on your
iOS device's screen. Your finger takes the place of a mouse or touchpad for selecting and dragging
items, and you use iOS's onscreen keyboard to enter text as if you were at your desk. Although the
performance isn't quite as fluid as when sitting in front of your computer, it's certainly usable for any
quick tasks you forgot to do before leaving the house.
For accessing your computer on an iOS device via the web, you need to delve into darker arts, in-
cluding setting up port forwarding on your router. This isn't quite as scary as it sounds, and iTele-
port's support pages provide help.
For advanced users, there's also LogMeIn's expensive ($130) Ignition for controlling PCs and
Macs remotely — it will even wake a sleeping Mac. Try the free “lite” version to help you decide if it's
worth the cost.
Another great tool for remotely accessing your Mac is Avatron Software's Air Login (see Figure
9-3), which I believe is the best looking and most useful app for the purpose. The app is free, but an
annual usage subscription costs $15. Air Login works on both a local network and over the Internet
and has extra features that make it truly stand out.
Figure 9-3
Air Login on an iPhone