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ekiM5
Oh Well
join:2001-01-06
/usr/home

ekiM5 to Veloslave

Member

to Veloslave

Re: LogMeIn: Limited to 10 Free computers (Alternatives?)

I installed the beta server on a linux vps. Then created a web page with the links to remote support for tech and customer. I was able to do a remote support session. I did not try a remote unattended access.
The beta comes configured with 1 license. The system works well but:
1. The licensing still prohibits customer use to connect to their own machines. (i.e. home to their office)
2. And pricing can not compete with LMI for multiple client use.
Also...
These guys never responded to an inquiry via their contact us web form.

Veloslave
Geek For God
Premium Member
join:2003-07-11
Martinez, CA

Veloslave to mikefxu

Premium Member

to mikefxu
The thing that amazes me (especially with a product name "Simple") is that they do not have a step by step set of instructions to set it up...

Makes you think that tech is still in the dark ages of geeks only with no marketing/engineering skills that would allow their product to be delivered to the masses... thus truly making a successful ($$$) product.

I will give LMI some props on this... it has always been a simple to use and understand product.

I guess I am about to pony up some cash.

SimpleHelp
@zen.co.uk

SimpleHelp to ekiM5

Anon

to ekiM5
Hi there,

Veloslave - it sounds like you are using v3, if you install the v4 server it should open your actual server page and from there you will see links to download the tech client etc. I mentioned a link in my previous post but the direct link to the v4 beta is here (top of the page):

»simple-help.com/support/releases

it will also become the primary release in the next few days at which point you will be able to get it from the download link on our website.

ekiM - sorry we didn't respond to your query, I don't see it in our inbox so possibly it didn't come through properly, did the web form say it had submitted oK? Could you email us direct and I'd be happy to answer your query?

Also regarding the license - we haven't made that change yet but will do so within a few days of the new version going live.

thanks

Antony
SimpleHelp

SimpleHelp to Veloslave

Anon

to Veloslave
Hi Veloslave,

It does surprise me that you are having such difficulty getting set up even on version 3. Did you find the instructions on the following page? Were they not very useful?

»simple-help.com/try

If there is something we are missing which is making it difficult for users to get set up then we are very keen to fix that.

thanks

Antony

ekiM5
Oh Well
join:2001-01-06
/usr/home

ekiM5 to SimpleHelp

Member

to SimpleHelp
Antony/SimpleHelp,

You may want to register an account on this site - free and no spam.

Yes the contact submission said it was sent. Perhaps an internet bubble and no worries.

My questions were regarding the license model and pricing.
I will ask them here then...

We will wait to see what you will change on your license.
More importantly is pricing.

If I have 5 customers which I need to support (remote unattended access) and these clients want to access their office from home. Assume the worst case that they all need access at the same time - I need 5 licenses. At ~$300 per license I can purchase several years of LMI Central with unlimited free users.
My cost would only be $300 upfront and then recurring annually.

Do you have plans to make your product competitive in that respect?

SimpleHelp
@zen.co.uk

SimpleHelp

Anon

Hi eKim,

Re: licensing, that is correct, we don't have any plans to change the model in the near future.

thanks

Antony

ekiM5
Oh Well
join:2001-01-06
/usr/home

ekiM5

Member

Antony,

Thanks for the response.
If you ever decide to accomodate the small support shop (in the described model) you may wish to post as such in this forum.
You will have some great visibility.

SimpleHelp
@zen.co.uk

SimpleHelp

Anon

Hi eKim,

Thanks. I'd like to think that we are attractive for small shops in terms of remote support (our licenses are far cheaper than a LMI Rescue subscription) but it seems that for remote access in particular LMI can work out cheaper. Having said that LMI Pro which is maybe a more direct comparison works out likely more expensive for more than just a few computers (our licenses allow unlimited shared computers and restrict only sessions) so I suppose it depends on the type of access the clients need/expect?

cheers

Antony

ekiM5
Oh Well
join:2001-01-06
/usr/home

ekiM5

Member

Hi Antony,

Interesting dialog.
Your product appears to be a blend of features which to capture the enterprise support market. It does do some neat things most of which I wouldn't personally use.
We (some of us) are not that potential customer base to you.
I do not know anyone using LMI Rescue. We are small shops with one or two support personnel. We don't need to manage a call/support queue. Especially at the LMI Rescue pricing.
LMI Pro (from my perspective) vs Free offers file transfer and remote printing as value-adds.
- Does your software support remote printing?
The vendors all tout "unlimited shared computers". There is no value in that from my viewpoint. If I can't use/access it then it doesn't functionally exist. Marketing-speak at its finest.

Our tool purchase decisions are a financial decision.
A handful of purchased session licenses to support a bursty usage - spread over say a year is hard to charge back to the client (say within a support retainer). A LMI Central license which has unlimited LMI free + some amount of LMI Pro (as an add-on per client need) becomes a cost I can amortize in my client billing.

I hope that gives you a different perspective into a large number of IT support providers looking for a support solution at a manageable price.

David
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL

David to mikefxu

Premium Member

to mikefxu
I also have another one called NTRadmin that has a free version. Does more than logmein does as well.
mikefxu
join:2004-10-05
Titusville, FL

mikefxu

Member

said by David:

I also have another one called NTRadmin that has a free version. Does more than logmein does as well.

"NTRadmin is not compatible with the current version of your web browser..

You can currently use Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or later.."

No compatibility outside IE, that is a huge turn off.
H_T_R_N (banned)
join:2011-12-06
Valencia, PA

H_T_R_N (banned) to David

Member

to David
said by David:

I also have another one called NTRadmin that has a free version. Does more than logmein does as well.

NTRadmin is not compatible with the current version of your web browser..

You can currently use Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or later..

Really!

David
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL

David to mikefxu

Premium Member

to mikefxu
I only use logmein with IE so not much of a problem. I have never had much luck getting it to work in chrome, firefox, or opera. That is probably the larger reason why I had no problems with NTRadmin.

So for me (or least in my experience) IE was essentially it, and gave me the least amount of grief.
mikefxu
join:2004-10-05
Titusville, FL

mikefxu

Member

LogMeIn works just fine with FF. IE is not the most used browsers anymore.

»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us ··· browsers

I use FF most the time and IE on the rare occasion that FF doesn't play well with a website. I have had better results using FF with OWA versus IE, which is very surprising.
H_T_R_N (banned)
join:2011-12-06
Valencia, PA

H_T_R_N (banned) to David

Member

to David
said by David:

I only use logmein with IE so not much of a problem. I have never had much luck getting it to work in chrome, firefox, or opera. That is probably the larger reason why I had no problems with NTRadmin.

So for me (or least in my experience) IE was essentially it, and gave me the least amount of grief.

IE gets pulled out of the closet when nothing else works. Hard to believe a company today would release a product that only works with one browser. Severely limits its usage.

John Galt6
Forward, March
Premium Member
join:2004-09-30
Happy Camp

John Galt6

Premium Member

I have no problem with LMI using FF, Chrome or IE.

Works on all of these browsers...pretty much plain-jane default installs on all.
H_T_R_N (banned)
join:2011-12-06
Valencia, PA

H_T_R_N (banned)

Member

said by John Galt6:

I have no problem with LMI using FF, Chrome or IE.

Works on all of these browsers...pretty much plain-jane default installs on all.

Agree, one big plus for LMI.

msuding
@expertcity.com

msuding to mikefxu

Anon

to mikefxu
I work on the GoToAssist team at Citrix. We have a FREE method…You can use our free app for Android on a tablet with keyboard (like my ASUS transformer) that feels similar to a PC and you can provide support using the attended mode (end user goes to a website and types in a code).
mikefxu
join:2004-10-05
Titusville, FL

mikefxu

Member

Has anyone made a move?

If they don't limit how many accounts you can have I am splitting mine up into three.

David
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL

David to mikefxu

Premium Member

to mikefxu
They haven't hit mine, but I pay for a copy of logmein pro for a machine in my house.

Veloslave
Geek For God
Premium Member
join:2003-07-11
Martinez, CA

Veloslave to mikefxu

Premium Member

to mikefxu
I finally bit the bullet... I was getting too close to the deadline and I use it daily with over 80 machines. The $149 deal is all done, the link is dead... it is now a solid 2 bills.

Looks like Central has some new features, nice so far but I wish I could have stayed at free.

I thought about trying various free accounts but at 8 of them (and always climbing) that didn't seem very convenient and lets face it, that is lot of what we want. I plan to pass the increase along to my clients, I have already increased tickets an extra $10 to make up for it and also I will be billing one of my bigger clients $100 a year just for LMI.

It was free for a long time, it does a great job, what they are asking seems reasonable until I have proof of something better. Hopefully some of the others here will have better luck with that. I did not spend as much time looking into the others as I would have liked... but then again, I want them to be as simple as LMI so my work load DECREASES and not the other way around.

aelingil
Mmm Burnt Toast
Premium Member
join:2008-10-22
Mesa, AZ

aelingil

Premium Member

I talked my boss into paying for Central. Considering I have 24 computers here, plus the two bars, the dealership, and the home computers.. 199.00 is good for us.

I've got to combine some account that i had separated for each company..

Plus, i did not look at the extras around, i found i can use Ignition (maybe i could before, just never saw it), and i think i'm going to set that up on a few of my computers just so i can see which computers are working at a glance.

I hate the fact that now i now have to pay for Central, but i understand LMI is a company that is selling a service... I just wait for them to setup with Linux.. Teamviewer has it setup with WINE, LMI should do the same thing.
RADRaze2KX
join:2013-04-18
Tempe, AZ

RADRaze2KX to mikefxu

Member

to mikefxu
I'm also in this boat. As an individual, I have about 100 computers in my list ~ granted, about 10 of them are in my home, but the other 90 are customers I support remotely.

I'm looking at ScreenConnect as an alternative; I'll try it over the next few days and post results.

H8rsama
@une.net.co

H8rsama

Anon

I just found that if you change the name of any grayed computer starting with a number, it will go up to the list where you can still use it. They say in the report that computers will be listed alphabetically....so there you have. I just tested and it worked.

I work as a freelance and 300usd/year over here is way too much for "selfsupport" because clients dont know what i use or how i do it anyway.

mbelsky
@rr.com

mbelsky

Anon

The question is, will you still be able to rename the greyed out computers once the restrictions kick in? My guess is "NO".

David
Premium Member
join:2002-05-30
Granite City, IL

David to mikefxu

Premium Member

to mikefxu
I think if I get the letter/notice I will look at three options.

1.)Logmein hamachi
2.)NTRadmin
3.)Teamviewer

Veloslave
Geek For God
Premium Member
join:2003-07-11
Martinez, CA

Veloslave to mbelsky

Premium Member

to mbelsky
said by mbelsky :

The question is, will you still be able to rename the greyed out computers once the restrictions kick in? My guess is "NO".

My guess is...

DING DING DING!
carl0s
join:2013-04-25

carl0s to mikefxu

Member

to mikefxu
I'm surprised at the number of people using remote support software for home workers. This is what VPNs and Remote Desktop are for. If the customer doesn't have Pro/Business edition of Windows, then tough. No VPN = port-forward/dyndns etc.

I restrict(!) myself to Linux on my laptop and desktop, and I have found Teamviewer to work really well under Wine, but I have always used the free version, and keep getting kicked off it. I end up having to RDP to random servers and run my teamviewer sessions from there. Lately I seem to be getting away with running it on my main computer under wine again though.
I refuse to buy it on the basis of how frequently the product is superseded by newer versions, bringing with it incompatibilities, forcing further purchases/upgrades. Combined with the high price (£900 = $1400 US), this is too much for me to go along with.

I used to use NetSupport Manager under Windows, but the VPN requirement is a pain. I still RDP to some customer's servers, and run the NetSupport client from there to their workstations. It can be slow though.

My new-ish partner has used LMI for a while, and I have been using it since the start of the year too, and it works well under Chrome & Firefox from Linux. Keymapping is irritating at times, and no copy/paste etc., plus it's slow compared to Teamviewer.

I'm quite keen to have a look at ScreenConnect. I especially like the idea of the branding, for the price, and the official cross-platform support. It doesn't look so professional getting users to install "free" edition of LMI / TV all the time. Thanks for the pointer towards this one.

Veloslave
Geek For God
Premium Member
join:2003-07-11
Martinez, CA

Veloslave

Premium Member

said by carl0s:

I'm surprised at the number of people using remote support software for home workers. This is what VPNs and Remote Desktop are for. If the customer doesn't have Pro/Business edition of Windows, then tough. No VPN = port-forward/dyndns etc.

Don't mean this sound personal... BUT...

My clients expect a lot simpler and more effective service than that. I guess if all you are doing is SMB's that have IT together (see what I did there?) then sure... VPN and RDP is great... as long as you keep a million IP's, domains and passwords memorized

I still use a version of UltraVNC Single click on my website so with one quick simple click I can have my client on a VNC session, at which point I install my LMI account.

I find convenience far out weighs privacy when it comes to "on the spot remote IT support." I would say one out of maybe 50 clients is concerned about someone having remote access to their box. My clients call with xyz, I ask if it is ok to log on... and in less than 30 seconds I have full control without any PITA RDP or RDP... not to mention I have a chat program, zoom, sync'd clip board, resolution options (That don't effect the client side) full screen and update options and then some. Of course I have to pay for this but... I get that money SPECIFICALLY from my clients as a surcharge... and they pay it VERY happily since they are 100% happy with my service. If I do a virus removal or a workstation install I add the software. On new clients I mention that on all servicings I always include/encourage a free follow up call/remote session and that is why I install the software. The awesome part here is that they know it is there and eventually call and then they see how awesome my remote service is... even HAPPIER customers result which ='s more $$

OH BTW guys....

ROFL, Citrix rep finally called my from my request.... you know, back when all of this started? LOL

"Sorry dude, you missed the bus"
RADRaze2KX
join:2013-04-18
Tempe, AZ

1 edit

RADRaze2KX to mikefxu

Member

to mikefxu
My short ScreenConnect review on the demo I've used so far is... "wow!"

So... I've been a long time LMI user and it's been a great product, but after demoing the ScreenConnect software for a few days (read my above post) I think I'm ready to switch.

ScreenConnect seems to offer as much as LogMeIn and MORE. Notable additions/benefits of ScreenConnect over LogMeIn:

1.) The "Technician Toolbox" is fantastic - it's a way to run tools and software on the remote machine without having to transfer it first (basically it transfers it for you when you attempt to open it from the toolbox menu) ... Still not sure where the files are going to and if they're deleted when they're closed, but AWESOME addition!

2.) Copy/Paste - the clipboard between LMI and the host works with Text only... ScreenConnect's clipboard does entire files!

3.) Drag & Drop - Same thing as above, but allows you to drag the files (great for people with multiple screens)

4.) Per-session lifetime purchase? YES YES YES. You're telling me I can pay for it ONCE and not have to pay for it again unless I want multiple sessions? I rarely use multiple sessions, as I'm the only technician. Yes it's great to have, but a lifetime single-license for the same cost as a yearly license from LMI is a no brainer... Next year I could get a second seat if I felt it was necessary, but at least that's MY choice and I'm not being forced into paying it yearly just to be able to ACCESS my other customers!

Setup was a breeze. I did wind up going to YouTube to get some additional information, but it was pretty informative (a bit amateur in the video process, but easy to understand which is great for people that have never set up these types of connections before) Find their YouTube here: »www.youtube.com/user/Scr ··· nConnect

There's also the android App, which appears to use tablet-style input (have not confirmed yet, but if so, definitely a plus over LMI Ignition).. The SimpleConnect Android App isn't as polished, but at least they have one and support it.

I'll be using the remaining days of my LogMeIn Free subscription to install SimpleConnect's unattended version, then I'll work on branding (how's that for irony!). Once the trial expires, I'll pay for SimpleConnect and be done with it!

Anybody else tried any of the LMI alternatives and has any opinion?