Any Feedback on Running Remote Desktop or Teamviewer on Chromebook?

Lrustyhead on 10/07/2022 - 23:42

I am replacing my laptop with a desktop as it's malfunctioning and I don't bother repairing it again. However, I need a device to watch video and use MS Office/CAD software on the go once in a while. I plan on using a tablet or Chromebook for the video and TeamViewer to control the desktop when I need it on the go. The Lenovo Duet 5 13.3" Chromebook fit the bill for me but I am not sure how Teamviewer or AnyDesk will run on it as I've never used a Chromebook before.

Has anyone tried doing that and how's the experience? Will the 4GB ram be enough for remote desktop usage?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Computing Chromebook

Comments

  • OMGJL on 11/07/2022 - 02:07
    +1

    I have not used Chromebook, so don't quote me too much on that part.

    I do however use TeamViewer/VNC plenty of time during my last 2 years studying Master degree, and my use case is kind of similar to yours. My master project is somewhat computing power intensive, so I can't run it on my surface pro with reasonable speed so I remote control my desktop using my surface just like what you planned to do.

    The remote control experience varies hugely depending on the internet speed. My uni have generally good internet speed but WiFi coverage in some specific location can be a little patchy, and if I happen to meet my supervisor in those locations, showing my progress it can be a bit painful…. most of the time the experience is pretty good.

    I've plugged my PC into a smart power switch, and set up the BIOS with "Turn on PC after recover from power loss", so if I switch off the smart power switch for a moment and turn it back on, my desktop would automatically turn on, this has been reliable. My experience with VNC+ port forwarding is a bit better than teamviewer (slightly more consistent, don't need to wait for either side to log into teamviewer before I can start the connection) but most of the time they are similar enough.

    with regarding 4GB ram… I think you may not going to like it, as opening (lots) of chrome page can be very RAM consuming, especially with some chrome plugins running.

    I also think for your use case(and potentially limit budget, as you are planning to buy a 4GB RAM chrome book), buying an iPad or Android Tablet (with type cover) can be a better choice than chromebook, as the user interface is bit more straight forward, often it's more fluent and have better performance, plus you still have a full set of Office apps on Android/iOS… though depending on your use case, YMMV… Surface Go could also be a good choice as you get to have full windows application support, yet still have a touch screen to use it as tablet (heads up: windows tablet is not that great on its touch interface)

    • rustyhead on 11/07/2022 - 18:27

      I'm trying to spend less on the tablet as I hope it can justify my spend on the desktop, so the cheaper the better. I looked the Lenovo Tab 11 pro as well but the cost is very similar to the duet 5 after factoring in the keyboard. The keyboard alone is close to $150 oh my.

      • OMGJL on 11/07/2022 - 22:44

        good luck searching… If you haven't bought your desktop yet you can also reply me with spec, as I might be able to give you some parts suggestion, to better increase performance or to lower the cost etc..

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 11/07/2022 - 08:32
    +1

    The remote control experience varies hugely depending on the internet speed.

    This, unless host is on a 100/40 solid connection running over ethernet with nothing else really on the network the experience will not be fantastic even if you did have a decent powered setup.

    • rustyhead on 11/07/2022 - 18:30

      I better try out those remote control with my phone then, I only got 80/25 steady.

      • OMGJL on 11/07/2022 - 22:20

        FYI I have 100/20 at home, the upload speed is consistently over 15, when I see issues it's always from the other side, almost never from my home.

  • AwesomeAndrew on 11/07/2022 - 08:54
    +1

    If you're using a chromebook you'll probably get better performance from teamviewer compared to microsoft rdp. The only places where microsoft rdp works well are the windows client and ios clients as they use h.264 encoding. Other platforms fall back to rdp encoding, which is much worse.

  • JimmyF on 11/07/2022 - 09:28
    +1

    Teamviewer use to work fine on a chromebook, haven't used it for a long time since they started cracking down on 'usage' they think is commercial (when it isn't). Instead these days, I use Anydesk and Chrome Remote Desktop without issues.

  • Switchblade88 on 11/07/2022 - 12:45
    +1

    I've used Chrome Remote Desktop for many years on a variety of devices - including low-end Chromebooks - without any problems. Dunno how it compares to TeamViewer or RDP, but it's essentially native to ChromeOS so I know it works for sure. No fussing with port forwarding or having it 'break' with a UAC prompt on the remote device.

    Since they're all essentially a compressed video stream, it doesn't require much on the viewing end so 4Gb should be fine. As others have said it's usually the quality of the internet connection that is the primary qualifier for a good experience - second only to a good screen (1280x768 on a 10" screen is rather tedious!)

    • rustyhead on 11/07/2022 - 18:35

      I'm trying to get the chespest device with a reasonable screen size, so probably very low end. Which low-end devices did you use ?

      • Switchblade88 on 11/07/2022 - 20:21

        This was with a Acer R11 from 8 (?) years ago. $400 with a touchscreen, which was a steal at the time - nowadays you're spoilt for choice with Chromebooks.

        If I was going to do it again now, I'd go for a refurb Surface Pro/Book so as to get a 1440p or better screen for $700ish instead. Also gives flexibility for locally installed Windows apps if you have no internet for a remote session (cough Steam Games cough!)

        This one is just over $500 with the coupon, which I'd think is a much better option than the Duet 5 for $700.

        • rustyhead on 12/07/2022 - 00:39

          it's a big plus to run windows natively. The spec for the surface is really good but I'm a bit sceptical about the battery life span considering it's not repairable with surface

  • OMGJL on 11/07/2022 - 22:38
    +1

    Checking back other's comments, with knowing you are on a extreme tight budget, my other advise is to not to cheap out too much, if I were you, I'd at least expect:

    1. Fast enough as a standalone browsing / general app machine —— checking webpage with remote control isn't ideal.
    2. Best to have 4G support —- you can keep buying those SIM deals post here on OzB without worrying number transfer, it won't cost much at all and is very convenient if WiFi isn't good.

    If you were going with iPad, with my own experience my iPad Pro 10.5 inch with A10x is still very fluent. so I guess you will be just fine with any recent-ish model after 2018-2019.

    With Android… my secondary phone using Snapdragon 835 (OnePlus 5T 8G RAM) is still fluent enough running basic apps and web browsing, it won't show its age as long as I don't play big game with it.

    if you could stretch it a bit, best android tablet to look for is those with SnapDragon 865/870 ones (best performance/price/heat ratio), or recent ish iPad.

    • rustyhead on 12/07/2022 - 01:13

      I was going to get the 4GB Duet 5 for ~$450, but seeing all the review and feedback, 4GB is probably too little, better to hold off and look for other devices. The Oled display for the price is very tempting.

      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/711925

      and this deal just came up as well, very powerful for the price. Wish there's something in between

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