Remote Desktop or VPN, Which Is Best?

Remote desktop or VPN, which is best?

If you’re at home but need access to your office computer, you have two options. You could connect to your office PC using a remote desktop connection service like GoToMyPC or LogMeIn, or you could connect using a virtual private network (VPN) service like HideMyAss or StrongVPN.

VPN connections allow you to make a secure connection to a private network, including computers at the office, through the unsecured public network known as the Internet. On the other hand, remote desktop connections enable two or more PCs to be connected over a network under the control of one keyboard, monitor, and mouse. Both options are supported for Windows and Mac computers, and both options have pros and cons depending on the type of computing you need to do.

The limitations of VPN

While using a VPN, traffic going to the office PC must become encrypted, pass through the internet, and then be decrypted once it reaches the private network at the office. The slowest internet connection between the computer doing the accessing and the computer being accessed will dictate how fast this process can be. And because uploading data is vastly slower than downloading it on most non-commercial internet connections, this speed bottleneck can be quite substantial if you’re trying to send large files to the accessed office PC.

The limitations of remote desktop access

The advantages of VPN

VPN’s allow computer processing to be taken on by the home computer that is accessing the work computer. This is crucial in instances where system resources of the host computer are needed in order to complete a task, like graphically intensive software or 3D modeling.

The advantages of remote desktop access

Remote Desktop connections allow you control over all the computing resources of the accessed computer on the home PC. This means that if the office PC you’re connecting to is faster and more suitable to the tasks you’re carrying out, you’re better off with a remote desktop connection. The internet connection between these two computers is only transmitting your keyboard keystrokes and the clicking of your mouse, meaning that very little data needs to be sent over the internet during a remote desktop connection. This can be ideal for those who keep a watchful eye on their bandwidth use.