Why would I use Windows Live Mesh to remote into a computer instead of regular RDC?

1

The question says it all.

I don't really understand what benefit there is to Mesh over RDC.

Their feature set seems to be very similar, so I'm not quite sure why MS would produce two sets of software that accomplish the same goal.

Joseph

Posted 2010-10-15T18:27:35.303

Reputation: 852

2I would suggest you put more into your question. This is not a discussion forum and we encourage users to post more detailed questions. Maybe explain what you understand RDC as being. – BinaryMisfit – 2010-10-15T18:40:36.940

@Diago RDC as in the default connection protocol that comes with Windows. Juding from Meshes site it didn't look much different, but Wil answered my question perfectly. I don't intend for my question to open up a discussion, it was just a concise question. – Joseph – 2010-10-15T18:44:26.007

I think you missed my point. Instead of commenting, edit your question and add some more detail. – BinaryMisfit – 2010-10-15T18:48:48.560

Answers

4

Simple, in most situations, you won't need to touch your firewall.

Remote Desktop is a full on remote computing solution - Printer and device sharing, Folder sharing, Sound forwarding and a few more... In later versions it can even do high definition streaming!

On the other hand, Mesh is very scaled back - but it does not require any port forwarding or special configuration apart from the initial installation. Then, as long as you have an outgoing internet connection, you can interact with the desktop.

William Hilsum

Posted 2010-10-15T18:27:35.303

Reputation: 111 572

Very cool. How is the performance compared to RDC? – Joseph – 2010-10-15T18:38:21.753

@Joseph depends on the internet speed, however, I believe that RDC is faster. – William Hilsum – 2010-10-15T18:40:03.697

Edited to explain differences a bit better. – William Hilsum – 2010-10-15T18:51:51.113

IIRC, another difference is that you will need user credentials to log into Remote Desktop, while you get the Welcome Screen when you use the Mesh remote thing. – paradroid – 2010-10-15T19:40:48.230

Agree with Wil. Live mesh desktop has gotten me out of trouble many times when I need to make an urgent fix, and all I have to work with is an Internet Cafe....;) – JohnnyJP – 2010-12-11T11:53:33.977