LogMeIn Pro- not for the Mac
I have been slowly (kicking and screaming) migrating a lot of my work to the cloud, as much due to happenstance as anything. One of the utilities I have come to use frequently in that effort is LogMeIn Free, a full-featured remote control application. I looked into several different methods for doing this but I settled on LogMeIn Free because it is one of the only options that works on both Windows PCs and Macs. The fact it was free didn’t hurt either.
My MacBook Pro is my main desktop machine and I keep all of my documents on that system. LogMeIn Free lets me access and control that system from any other system I use, and I can do it anywhere. The remote control function works very well and I can access the Mac from any system, even netbooks, from anywhere via the web. It is secure and since LogMeIn Free renders the screen using several different (user selectable) methods I can choose the one that works best given the device I am on at the time.
This has worked well for a good while, in fact it is so good I amgoing to shoot a video showing how I do this and how well it works.This past weekend I researched on the LogMeIn web site about thedifferences between the free version of the service and the Proversion. My cloud system could be improved if LogMeIn handled fileoperations better and the Pro version adds some nice features in thatregard.
According to the LogMeIn folks the additional features the paid Pro version adds are worth a look:
- Remote Sound Hear email notifications, check web based voice mail or listen to music and podcasts from your host computer
- Drag & Drop Seamlessly transfer files and folders between connected PCs
- Sharing Share files or photos instantly with others, even those too large for email
- Remote Printing Automatically print files from your remote PC to your local printer
- Direct Connect Save time and clicks by going directly from the MyComputer’s page into a remote control or file transfer session
- Mini Meeting Invite a colleague or friend to your PC for an online meeting; view only or full control
- File Transfer Move files quickly between PCs
- File Sync Synchronize files and folders on both PCs in seconds
- Drive Mapping Link your local drives to your target PC
I checked into it and since the Pro version was only $70 a year I bit the bullet and paid the fee. I activated the Pro service and then tried to select the Pro subscription for the Mac which is my only host. No matter what I did I could never see the Pro subscription as an option for the Mac, which rendered my new subscription useless. I futzed with it for a good while and nothing worked so I entered the world of the LogMeIn support forum and after a good bit of searching around finally found the reason I couldn’t use my new Pro account.
It seems that only the free version works on Macs. The Pro version can only be activated on Windows PCs and the file operations will only work from PC to PC. Put a Mac in that operation and it can’t be done. Now, not only does that eliminate the entire reason for me paying for the subscription but since the LogMeIn folks didn’t say anything during the upgrade process on the Mac, I was allowed to pay for a subscription I can’t use. Oh I could still use the Pro subscription by making a Windows PC the host, but that’s not what I need to do. So now I will be on the phone with the LogMeIn folks to get my money back. I’ll still be able to use the Free subscription and continue working like I have but it’s a darn shame that you can’t use their paid version on Macs.
Wow, thanks for the warning. I used LogMeIn on the Mac as well and didn’t realize that the Pro version was useless to us. I guess the free version is still better than using VNC.
Thanks for the heads-up. I was considering that upgrade as well.
That’s kind of schiesty if you ask me.
Just an FYI, I’ve been using Microsoft Mesh, which has improved dramatically for Remote Desktop use over the past few months. Not sure if it works on Macs either (perhaps not) but it is free and supports drag and drop file transfer.
In fairness to them, they only recently (as in this past year) released Logmein for the Mac, and as far as I know it’s still in Beta. They do need to make it a little clearer though, that the paid version isn’t available for Macs yet. My big reason for using them was that unlike Gotomypc, Logmein was the only solution that really acknowledged that Macs even existed.
I got caught out in exactly the same way. It is very disappointing. However, I still love the basic product, and I am prepared to wait for the Mac Pro version (at least for a little while longer!)
LogMeIn Free is an awesome tool for personal use, but it’s limited in terms of functionality for professional use, and the LogMeIn Rescue service is a bit pricey. I’ve recently switched from LogMeIn Rescue to Techinline Remote Desktop http://www.techinline.com which is a pretty cool alternative and it’s very reasonably priced. I find the simplicity of running the connection to be second to none from what I’ve seen, since it doesn’t require any installation whatsoever. Therefore, I’d recommend Techinline above most of the other remote access tools which I’ve tested
Danny, Techinline looks very cool but does not support Macs like LogMeIn.
James, yes right now Techinline lacks Mac compatibility but I’m willing to wait until they add it. At the same time, you have to admit that their prices are as reasonable as they come in this industry, when comparing to the likes of LogMeIns, GoToAssits, Webexes, etc. Therefore, I found it to be the most cost-effective tool for my small business, which is important when working on a limited budget.
Try the RHUB (htpp://www.rhubcom.com) web conferencing appliance, which supports PC and Mac including Mac Pro. The appliance covers more than the remote access function like LogMeIn. It does web conferencing, remote support and seminar, too. It is 4-in-1.