ReverseConnect™ - A brief history and some FAQs

[MAnderson]

This topic is also posted under the FAQ section of our forums, but we added it here to allow you to post your questions and comments, we look forward to hearing from you.

With the version 2.0 of Beyond Remote, we’ve added a feature called ReverseConnect. We've seen and heard a lot of questions around the functionality and the purpose, so we thought we would take a moment to explain.

ReverseConnect was designed to allow the Host user to initiate a connection to a Console user by typing in the Console user’s IP address and port number, this allows the Console user to take over the Host’s computer. The added benefit of this is that as long as the Console user has configured their router correctly, the Host will always be able to connect, regardless of their network environment (firewalls, routers, etc.). We call this the ‘Standard’ version of ReverseConnect, and this is included with every version of Beyond Remote. Every Host has the ability to initiate a ReverseConnect remote control session and every Console has the ability to ‘Listen’ for and accept a ReverseConnect session.

In early trials, we found that customers were using this to provide remote support. They asked the question, “Is there any way to include my connection information in the e-mail invitation (already embedded in Beyond Remote) so the user on the other end doesn’t have to do anything but ‘Click’ to connect to me?” We thought that was a great idea, and ReverseConnect Professional was born.

ReverseConnect Professional is a service offered by Data Apples that allows you to invite a user to a remote support session via a support invitation e-mail. When the user clicks on the link embedded in the e-mail, they automatically run a custom built file from the Data Apples web server which embeds the Console user’s connection information. The file will run automatically and the connection is initiated upon the acceptance of the user. There is no software for the user to install, and after the remote session is over, no software is left behind on the users computer.

A free 30-day trial of ReverseConnect Professional is included with every downloaded copy of Beyond Remote. After 30 days, Beyond Remote will revert to using the ‘Standard’ version of ReverseConnect as described above.

To use ReverseConnect™
To begin using ReverseConnect, you must first make sure your router is configured to forward connection requests to your computer on your desired port (default port is 5425). See our online help file if you have questions about how to configure your router. Once this is done, open the Beyond Remote Console and click on the tab at the top labeled "ReverseConnect". Then, click on the 'Email Invitation' button and fill in your contact information and the e-mail address of the person you would like to support.

When your customer clicks on the embedded link in the e-mail, you will see them show up in your "Active Connections" window (see the screenshot above) and when you double-click on their connection, you will immediately have remote access to their machine. It's that simple!

Click here to read more about ReverseConnect in our online help file.

ReverseConnect FAQ
Q: Why does the ReverseConnect tab in the Beyond Remote Console say that it is Unregistered?
A: This simply means that ReverseConnect Professional is unregistered. A 30-day trial is included with every copy of Beyond Remote. If you do not want to purchase a subscription to ReverseConnect Professional, don’t worry about it, after the trial period, Beyond Remote will simply begin using the ‘Standard’ version of ReverseConnect.

Q: Why is ReverseConnect ‘Standard’ included with Beyond Remote but ReverseConnect Professional is an annual subscription?
A: The Standard version of ReverseConnect simply has the user open their Host and key in your IP address and port number and then initiates the connection. The software accomplishes all this and there is no need for any web services. ReverseConnect Professional, on the other hand, utilizes the Data Apples web services to build custom ‘mini-hosts’ and then embeds the link to that host in the e-mail invitation to the remote user. When that link is clicked, they will download that custom file which will automatically initiate the connection to your computer without any other assistance from the remote user (other than just agreeing to proceed with the connection).
Because using these web services incurs ongoing costs to maintain hardware and bandwidth, ReverseConnect Professional is offered as a subscription.

Q: I have several customer support representatives, how does RC Pro work for several people who are on the same network?
A: You can do this one of two different ways:
1) You can use static IP addresses, assigning one to each CSR and configuring your router to forward all incoming requests on a static IP to the assigned CSR. In this scenario, the CSR would simply key in their static IP address in the e-mail invitation window once, and Beyond Remote will remember that setting until it is removed.
2) The more common method is to have all your CSRs use the same Internet IP address but simply assign each of them a unique port number. Again, you would need to configure your router appropriately and each CSR would need to set up their console to use their assigned port.

Do you have other questions or comments? Please reply to this topic so everybody can benefit!
_________________
-Michael Anderson (MAnderson)

Data Apples Business Development
sales@dataapples.com
(612) 360-7800