One of the handiest features of Lehigh's network is the ability to access resources on it from elsewhere over the internet, including being able to connect to your computer's desktop from your home computer or mobile device.
There are six basic steps to make that happen that differ slightly depending on the operating system on your Lehigh computer and the remote device from which you're trying to connect. Note that it's fairly easy, using free tools, to connect to a to a PC from another PC, a Mac, an iOS device, or an Android device, and one can connect to a Mac from another Mac, but connecting to Macs from PCs, iOS, or Android requires third-party tools that these instructions don't cover.
Follow the links under each step to the appropriate instruction for your systems.
Start by confirming the following on your Lehigh computer (one-time):
Enable the remote desktop capability on the Lehigh computer.
Instructions: Configure Windows 10 for Remote Desktop Access, macOS for Remote Management
Find the network address (IP address) or network name of your Lehigh computer.
If at all possible, request a permanent network name (a.k.a a 'LUnet' entry at Lehigh) for your Lehigh computer, like "SmithDesk.dept.lehigh.edu" from your Computing Consultant via https://www.lehigh.edu/help.
In a pinch, find your office system's current IP address.
- Make sure your Lehigh computer stays _on_ and _awake_ while you're away from the office (or lab).
- Instructions: Set computer Power Settings in Windows 10, "Energy Saver" settings in macOS.
- If your building experiences power outages, it's wise to request a Computing Consultant to configure it's hardware to automatically restart after an outage.
Next, do the following from your remote device (it's good to test this on-campus before leaving . . .):
If you're Off-Campus, set up the VPN client software on your remote device, and configure it to connect to the Lehigh network from your off-campus location.
Instructions: Install the VPN client software for macOS and Windows, iOS, Android.
- If you're On-Campus, and using the wireless network, make sure you're connected to the 'lehigh' network, and not 'lehigh-guest'
Configure the Remote Desktop or Screen Sharing software on the remote device to connect to your Lehigh computer's desktop.
Instructions: Install Remote Desktop Connection (if it's not there) and Connect to a Windows-based office computer with Remote Desktop on: Windows 10, MacOS, iOS, Android
Instructions: Connect to a Lehigh Mac from macOS using 'Screen Sharing'.