Remote control

It is becoming increasingly important for researchers to be able to operate their instruments remotely. Below are some notes that may help in this regard.

Video Conferencing

Solution: Tablets

• Purchase a tablet, such as:
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0" (2019), 32GB, Black (Wifi) $130
    • Details on Wikipedia

1. Initiate a video conference session, either:
   1. Create a Gmail account.
   2. Use Google Hangouts to create a meeting.
2. Or:
   1. Use Google Meet to create a new meeting.
   2. Email the link.

Solution: Robot

Double 3 Telepresence Robot

• Official page
• purchase page
• Discussion
• Developer SDK

Remote Desktop

Solution: VNC

VNC is a generic cross-platform protocol for remote desktop. Free and open-source viewers/clients and servers are available for all major operations systems.

OS	Viewer	Server
Windows	TightVNC TigerVNC	TightVNC
OS X	RealVNC TigerVNC	Vine Server (OSXvnc)
Linux	TigerVNC	TigerVNC

Solution: Network KVM

TBD

Viewing

Solution: Network Web Cameras

Cameras:

• Amcrest UltraHD 2K WiFi Camera 3MP (2304TVL) IP3M-941

Data Access

Solution: Linux Shared Network Drives

• Linux system (accessible via SSH, scp, rsync, etc.) that hosts an NFS shared drive to Windows machines (via Samba).

Distanced Computer Sharing

If two people want to co-operate on a single computer, while maintaining distancing, there are some options:

1. Use the remote desktop solutions (e.g. VNC) mentioned above. This allows a second person to remotely view/control the computer.
2. Use a network/remote KVM switch to remotely control the computer.
3. Mirror the display to another nearby monitor. There are several ways to do this:
   1. A video splitter and long cables.
   2. A KVM splitter (a.k.a. reverse KVM, a.k.a. "2-way KVM Extender") allows two users (with separate keyboard/monitor/mouse) to both control a single computer.
   3. For Mac, Luna Display allows one to use an iPad or another Mac as a mirror/extension of the computer.
4. Have a WiFi tablet near the computer, allowing the user of that computer to video-conference with someone else (and use the tablet camera to show what is on screen).
5. Point a web-camera at the computer screen, allowing a remote participant to see what's happening.