BUILD AN IT SUPPORT HUB

Discover how to use RustDesk to provide remote assistance and control your own devices remotely with Nick Peers

- Nick Peers

AS A MAXIMUM PC READER, your expert knowledge of PCs no doubt makes you a popular target for technical support requests from friends and family. “It’s why I sent you to university,” this author’s mother used to say, forgetting he studied history and that he fell into technology journalism by happy accident.

Trying to give tech support over the phone or by email is a nightmare if you’re constantly having to explain the basics or trying to imagine what’s on the screen of the ailing machine. This is where remote control software comes into its own—Microsoft’s Quick Assist tool is one option, but you’re tied to offering PC-to-PC support and it can’t handle administrative requests, which is useless when trying to access certain settings or install fix-it tools.

In the past, the go-to tool for remote assistance—as well as giving you access to your own home devices when out and about— was TeamViewer. It’s simple to use and works across all major platforms, including macOS, Linux, and Android, as well as Windows. However, its free tier has been locked down to the point of being almost unusable as you find yourself unfairly accused of using it for professional purposes.

The good news is that we’ve found an alternate option offering all the advantages of TeamViewer with none of the charges, nags, or restrictions. Read on to discover how to set up and use the brilliant RustDesk.

HOW RUSTDESK WORKS

We’ve chosen RustDesk (https://rustdesk. com) because it is free, open source, and simplifies switching thanks to its familiar-looking user interface. It also has a built-in file transfer tool that makes it easy to send and receive files between devices.