Assume you’re using your computer to do something important and all of a sudden the trackpad issues or the keyboard stops responding. Either that or you would just want to control your computer wirelessly. Remote Mouse is quite the right tool, you can count on.
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What is “Remote Mouse”?
Remote Mouse is a utility software that can turn your Android, iOS, or iPad devices into a mouse, trackpad, or keyboard. It allows you to operate a variety of computer operations by integrating the mouse and keyboard hardware into your device. Additionally, it also lets you quickly access apps from your Taskbar or Dock.
In this article, I’ll walk you through the feature set of it and how you can use the Remote Mouse app with your Mac/Windows Computer.
1. Downloading the Remote Mouse Utility App
The setup process is pretty straightforward. All you have to do is download the Remote Mouse utility on both your computer and phone and configure it. Click on this link to get started.
The link will lead you to their website, which is where you can do a one-click download for your operating system of devices.
It is available on the Play Store (for your Android), App Store (for your Apple Devices), and Microsoft Store (for your Windows computer).
2. Setting up the Remote Mouse App
You can choose from any of the three methods mentioned below to set up and establish a connection between your mobile device and your computer.
- Through the manual method,
- With the help of a QR code (or)
- By utilising IP Addresses.
Method 1: The Manual Setup:
Step 1: Ensure that your mobile device and computer are both connected to the same wifi network.
Step 2: Launch the Remote Mouse App on your Desktop.
On Mac: You will be asked to grant Remote Mouse access to a few permissions, agree to it and you’ll be good to go.
On Windows: You will see a pop-up for User Account Control. Click on “Yes” to authorize the changes it makes.
Step 3: Now launch the Remote Mouse app on your Android or iOS Device.
Step 4: On your mobile device’s screen, under “Select your Computer,” you may see the name of your desktop. To choose your desktop, tap on its name.
(Note: If you fail to find your Desktop name appearing on the mobile screen, make sure you have connected both your mobile phone and computer to the same wifi network.)
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Method 2: Using a QR code Scanner
Step 1: On your Mac or Windows computer, open the Remote Mouse desktop app.
Step 2:
On Mac: Hit the app icon from the menu bar and click on settings.
On Windows: Open the Preferences by right-clicking on the app icon in the system tray.
Step 3: On the Status Tab, select Show QR Code.
Step 4: Launch the Remote Mouse app on your mobile phone.
Step 5: Hit on the “Plus icon (+)” from the top right corner of your screen and select “Scan QR Code.”
Step 6: Scan the QR Code shown on the desktop using your smartphone and you’ll have your devices connected automatically.
Method 3: Connect using your IP Address
Step 1: On your Mac or Windows computer, open the Remote Mouse desktop app.
Step 2:
On Mac: Hit the app icon from the menu bar and click on settings.
On Windows: Open the Preferences by right-clicking on the app icon in the system tray.
Step 3: Open the Status tab in the preference window on your desktop. You will find your Desktop’s IP Address mentioned.
Step 4: Launch the Remote Mouse app on your mobile phone.
Step 5: Hit on the “Plus icon (+)” from the top right corner of your screen and select “Connect by IP.”
Step 6: In the Enter IP Address section, type the IP address as it appears on your desktop’s Remote Mouse client, and then check the box next to it. Your mobile and desktop should now be linked.
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How to Control your Laptop using Remote Mouse
Once you set it up, using this utility tool is a piece of cake. The blank space appearing on the screen will basically act as a trackpad and the buttons below it would behave as mouse buttons. You may navigate between things or menus on your computer’s screen by scrolling on, just like you would on a touchpad.
Familiarize yourself with the gestures mentioned below, while you’re at it:
- Two-finger scroll: To Move up, down, left, or right.
- Double-tap and Drag: To perform select and move.
- Two-finger pinch/spread: For zooming or zooming out.
- Drag with three fingers: For select items and/or text.
The right edge of the touchpad can be implemented to be used as a vertical scroll bar. If you want to click or select something displayed, all you have to do is move the mouse pointer over it and touch the screen once, you can also click the left button on the trackpad alternatively. As you may have already guessed, you just need to click on the right button for the right-click. You might also open it by giving the screen region or item a simple two-finger tap.
Inserting text using the Remote Mouse App
You can now use your mobile keyboard to type quickly, as we are already quite accustomed to the keypad positioning. Using this utility you can expect to type the way you do on your smartphone.
The built-in keyboard can be accessed by simply tapping on the keyboard icon in the bottom toolbar. The text should be visible on your computer screen, as soon as you start typing.
Launch apps from the taskbar
The Remote Mouse app has also got a dock/taskbar facility just like we have on our computers. that’s pretty useful, right?
For those of you who don’t know, this feature lets you quickly access apps directly with a single tap. You can access the most frequently used apps on your desktop by tapping the window icon available on the toolbar. You will see a list of all the dock/taskbar apps on the Remote Mouse. To open an app on your computer, tap on it.
Shutdown/ Restart
You can also choose how to power on/off your desktop using the Remote Mouse app. Using the control options offered by the mobile app, you can shut down, restart, and log off, as well as put your desktop to sleep. The options like those in the image may be found by tapping the power icon after swiping over the control options tab at the bottom to reveal more activities.
On Windows, the action is taken immediately without asking for your approval from the desktop. On the other hand, if you use macOS, you must confirm the operation on your Mac before it can be carried out.
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Input Text using Voice (for iOS)
For iOS users, the Remote Mouse offers the ability to easily insert text by speaking it, exactly like you would on your mobile phone. The microphone button is located at the bottom right of the on-screen keyboard. Wait until it turns on by tapping the microphone icon. Bring your phone closer to your face and speak into the microphone. As you go, the text should show on your computer’s screen.
Using a Remote Mouse, Restrict Who Can Connect to your Computer
While you set up your phone with your desktop, you must’ve noticed that the app gets linked with the desktop without any authentication, which is convenient but unsafe at the same time.
To resolve this, you must set up a connection password immediately after using the desktop client to stop anyone from connecting to your desktop and taking control of it. Follow the below-listed steps to employ security:
Step 1: On your Mac or Windows computer, open the Remote Mouse desktop app.
Step 2:
On Mac: Hit the app icon from the menu bar and click on settings.
On Windows: Open the Preferences by right-clicking on the app icon in the system tray.
Step 3: Within the preferences window, select the Settings tab.
Step 4: Under Password for connection, type your password and confirm again.
Step 5: Click on Apply.
From now on a password entry screen will appear when you try to connect to your desktop using Remote Mouse. To authenticate and connect your phone to your desktop, enter the connection password.
Customize the Remote Mouse App
After installing and configuring the devices, you can enable a variety of customization options in the Remote Mouse app. You may access the settings page by pressing on the hamburger icon in the bottom left corner. You can customize this page in a number of ways, including the ways depicted in the photos.
The features you want and don’t want to utilize can be turned on and off. You may set up a trackpad wallpaper with the app as well. The Tracking and Scrolling speeds can also be adjusted for convenience.
Benefits of Remote Mouse Pro version
Along with these free-to-use features, the Remote Mouse app comes along with an ad-free Pro version which provides more features than the free version such as Media Remote, Web Remote, Keyboard Shortcuts, App Switcher and Apple Watch Widget.
You will either need to pay a monthly/annual subscription price or a one-time cost to unlock lifetime access in order to use these.
Summing up:
To sum up, the Remote Mouse can come in really handy when you require wireless computer control. It is easy to use, straightforward with awesome customization features and equipped with all the functionality required to let you control your computer from a smartphone. You may quickly turn your smartphone into a wireless controller for your computer the next time you need to make a presentation, or if you forget to bring a mouse or keyboard.
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