LogMeIn Free 4.0.982

Do you need to log into your work computer from home? Or your home computer while abroad? It's not a problem, if you use LogMeIn Free.

The name might be LogMeIn, but the motto should be SignMeUp.


The fact that it's free to use for multiple remote PCs, with reasonable monthly plans if you need more--five computers for $20 per month or $200 per year--makes this remote-access program instantly appealing. The program differs from its competitors in that the application runs in your Web browser. If you're running Firefox, it asks to install a plug-in and then opens an emulator of the remote PC in a new window. If you have a lot of tabs open, LogMeIn will slow down your browsing and possibly your CPUs clock speed a bit.

The control window gives you some standard options such as Ctrl-Alt-Del (which kills the connection) and changing the view settings, as well as tabbed access to adjust the connection setting. The 256-bit SSL encryption and dual passwords--one for the program and one for the remote PC's log-in--are welcome protections.

You must upgrade to take advantage of the file transfer and synchronization abilities, but creative users should be able to find ways around that restriction for small files. Still, for the functionality and the price, LogMeIn is an excellent program.

Price: Free; Paid upgrade available

Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista
Size: 12.26

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