PCNow review: PCNow

Intro

Editor's note: On October 13, 2005, WebEx changed the name of this service from MyWebEx PC to PCNow. This review has been revised accordingly, and we have adjusted the rating to reflect the lack of a free version of PCNow. (10/13/05)

Known for its corporate Web meeting solutions, WebEx is targeting individual PC users in a big way with a tempting offer: powerful, secure, remote desktop access for less cost than most competing services. Simply go to the pcnow.webex.com Web site and, with a credit card in hand, create an account, and you can have complete control of your Windows PC system from anywhere in the world. Compared to GoToMyPC and its $19.95-per-month price tag, PCNow, with its introductory price of $9.95 per month, is a huge bargain--a savings of $120 per year (regular PCNow service will cost $14.95 per month). PCNow also offers true color support, while GoToMyPC is still limited to a paltry 256 colors. If you telecommute only occasionally, we say check out PCNow. But the best deal is LogMeIn, which is free. Setup and installation of PCNow couldn't be easier, both on the host and client side. The first step is to go to the PCNow Web site and set up a new account. Then, log on to that account from the host PC and click Add Computer to automatically install the PCNow "agent" on the system.

Once installed, an icon in your system tray indicates whether your system is connected to WebEx's network. Right-click the icon and select Preferences to configure your host computer's options, including your password, whether to blank the screen and lock the keyboard when you connect remotely, and whether to limit access to specific applications or allow remote access to your complete system.

After setting PCNow, leave the host computer running, and from any Windows-based PC with an Internet connection, log on to the pcnow.webex.com site and click the Connect button next to the computer you wish to use (unlike GoToMyPC, the free version of PCNow lets you host up to 10 Windows-based computers). The remote client software then downloads; after it does, type in your password to connect, then open the screen, which exactly matches your host PC's desktop. Since PCNow supports true color display, all of your icons and graphics look just like they do when you're sitting in front of the host monitor. By comparison, GoToMyPC uses 256-bit color, so icons and colors appear raw.

PCNow lets you control the host PC from a remote location, so you can run applications, access the network, and log in and out of an account. Of course, paying customers get some very useful add-ons.

Features within PCNow include a file-transfer utility downloads files back and forth between the two connected systems. (Otherwise, you'll have to use an e-mail client to transfer files by e-mailing them to yourself.) Remote printing lets you run an application on the host system (so that you can, say, view an Excel spreadsheet at work), yet print to your remote printer (say, at home). This handy feature saves you the trouble of transferring the file first, then having to open it on your remote PC.

Like GoToMyPC, PCNow relies on standard ports to traverse your network firewall, opening no new security holes. Like GoToMyPC, there's no direct connection between the host and client PC, which means criminals can't eavesdrop, however, all PCNow traffic goes through the same secure network as WebEx's higher-end corporate offerings, such as its Web-conferencing service. PCNow uses end-to-end 128-bit Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption (security that banks and e-commerce sites use) to protect your data from prying eyes.

But where GoToMyPC passwords can be stolen by criminal hackers using keystroke-logging Trojan horses, PCNow circumvents stolen passwords with a unique ability to authenticate you via a cell phone call. Simply select the phone option on the host PC, pick a phone number to call, and choose a secret pin. Then, whenever a remote client tries to connect, you'll receive a phone call and must enter the correct pin to connect; so, you'll know when someone is attempting to break into your PC. Unfortunately, this cool security feature is instead of and not in addition to the traditional typed-in password; for security's sake, we wish this were an extra layer of security, not a replacement for your access password.

Great security feature aside, PCNow falls far short of GoToMyPC in terms of corporate features offered. First of all, unlike GoToMyPC, PCNow doesn't support non-Windows-based clients; if you have a Mac or run Linux at home or rely on a Pocket PC handheld, you're out of luck. There's also no guest feature, which lets GoToMyPC users quickly and easily have one-to-one meetings, including whiteboard and text chat. Unlike GoToMyPC, which offers sophisticated features for IT administrators to manage users and control access, PCNow is designed more for individual users.

WebEx generously offers toll-free phone support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The company also offers e-mail-based support, and its PCNow Web site offers extensive online help and a Getting Started manual that will guide you through the installation process.