OF ALL THE things you can do with your smartphone, using it to control your computer from afar might not seem like the most useful.
Yet it can be handy for a number of reasons. If you wanted to watch a video from afar, or your computer is connected to a TV or projector, it saves you from having to get up to adjust or change anything on screen.
Chances are you can think of a few other uses for it but it’s handy if you need to improvise somewhat.
So what’s out there?
One of the best ones is Remote Mouse (iOS, Android and Windows Phone) which can be downloaded for free but also has a number of pro features should you require them.
As well as acting like a standard mouse, it’s packed with a number of features like keyboards, shortcuts like Ctrl+Alt+Delete, and a multimedia panel for listening to music or watching videos from afar.
It’s certainly one of the more comprehensive examples out there and the free version will give you a good taster of what to expect.
There are others like Mobile Mouse, which is an iOS and Android release, but offers similar functionality like motion controls (use your phone’s gyroscope to move your mouse), managing files remotely, and shutdown or put your computer to sleep.
Both require you to download an app and an accompanying desktop app before you can start but that only takes a few minutes to set up.
And that’s before you even go into the more specific smartphone remotes. For example, YouTube even has its own remote function called Pair, which allows you to control your computer or TV using your phone. Handy if you want to binge watch but not get off the couch.
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