After yet another red-faced meeting at a client’s site, where I’d accidentally left my reference files miles away on my office computer, I decided to find a safety net.

Through some Web research, I learned that remote access software might be my solution. The software would be loaded onto my office computer and allow me to access my e-files over the Internet from any other computer. It’s not new technology, which is good, because I wanted a reliable and easy-to-use product.

I downloaded PlanetRemote Plus Edition 2.0 off www.planetdns.net. PlanetDNS has over 10 years’ experience with remote access technology and the Plus Edition includes a compatible dynamic DNS service. Remote access software won’t work without dynamic DNS, which uniquely identifies and locates your computer on the Internet.

Besides, the website demo video gave me a good idea of how PlanetRemote would work and it came with a 30-day free trial.

The installation process was user friendly. PlanetRemote offers five avenues of user support, ranging from step-by-step installation windows with clear explanatory notes and examples to remote access technical assistance. I used the help files to configure my router for the dynamic DNS service, while the bulk of the software installed itself.

Using the remote computer’s standard Web browser, I readily found myself at a login screen. Anyone wanting access to my computer from a remote location must first login with a password I set, which is a great security feature. There’s also an option to automatically block out anyone who repeatedly enters the wrong password.

It was a bit weird watching the cursor of the mouse I was moving at my remote location track across the screen image of my own office computer desktop. Yet, PlanetRemote’s Windows environment makes the entire process look and feel very familiar.

To make file transfers quick and easy, a ‘My Files’ button is prominently positioned on the initial screen, giving direct access to my ‘My Documents’ folder. With added guidance from the automatic prompt windows, down- and uploading was as simple as relocating files on my own computer.

Being organized mainly by folders, I found the maximum one-file-at-a-time transfer limit a bit monotonous. Also, I had to watch my screen resolution setting for the desktop image, in order to maximize mouse responsiveness during more memory demanding tasks, like opening e-mail.

After only a short trial, I set PlanetRemote Plus as my safety net. Now, I don’t worry if I occasionally need to remote transfer files from my office computer to a client site. In fact, some clients have been pretty impressed with the computer technology I use to support the service I provide them.