Review: LogMeIn Ignition, Super Simple Desktop Access for the iPhone
3:20 pm, November 5th, 2009, Tim Cox
Sure, I could write a whole How-To on rolling your own “Back To My Mac.” It involves port forwarding, obtaining a Dynamic DNS, blah blah blah.
Or you could use the iPhone app LogMeIn Ignition [iTunes Link] to remotely access to your Mac or PC in three steps.
First, sign up for LogMeIn free and download the Mac application. They also have a version for PC and you can access multiple desktops from a single account.
Open the StartLogMeIn application and your computer is ready to go. You’ll need to open this app on restart so if you’re a power user go ahead and add StartLogMeIn to your startup items.
Two steps down–now you’re ready to purchase LogMeIn Ignition on your iPhone [iTunes Link]. It’s fairly priced at $30 so get over it. You’re accessing a computer over the airwaves on your powerful phone/camera/ebook reader/information superhub. It’s the future and it’s going to cost some money.
Open the app, sign in and your home computer will show up in the computers list.
I love the options that you can access through settings in this iPhone app. Shake Swaps Screen–Brilliant. There are two types of scroll modes and I prefer “Screen moves” but both options take some getting used to.
LogMeIn Ignition doesn’t have to be connected to the same network to access your computer. I tested this on AT&T’s 3G network and was able to access my desktop at a decent speed compared to a wifi connection. If your connection seems a little slow, you can reduce the resolution and/or color quality to improve your experience.
The keyboard controls worked like they should but they were a little quirky. I had to hit Alt Q instead of Cmd Q to quit Mail.app.
Update: The developer contacted Cult of Mac indicating the keyboard is set up to work on a PC by default hence the quirkiness on a Mac. You can go into your settings in your account on the LogMeIn website and change the keyboard to the Mac friendly setting. Crisis averted.
Being that you can use LogMeIn to access PCs there are function keys available by hitting the switch keyboard button at the top. It would be great if you could access the volume, screen and key brightness, and Exposé controls from the keyboard screen but you can’t.
Multi-touch features in this app are great as well. You can drag and drop by double tapping an object and sliding. Right click is a two finger tap. Drag two fingers to scroll. Pinch to zoom.
The only drawback besides the keyboard quirk is that LogMeIn’s full screen refreshes (such as expose, or opening a large window) take a while to render – even on wifi. You can lower the quality and get faster results, but if I’m on wifi I want as much speed as I can get.
LogMeIn Ignition [iTunes Link] is a great solution for extremely simple remote access. I think it’s the best option overall for iPhone users wanting to access their desktops, and the LogMeIn free also allows remote access from computer to computer through the website.
Posted by Tim Cox in Reviews, iPhone | Comment on this article
Tim Cox is the social media and communications coordinator for a private university in the Los Angeles area. He has written for a number of online and print publications and has presented on technology and social media at the national level. One of his greatest accomplishments was networking a Mac Plus with a Mac Pro. In his spare time he writes music, poetry, and trains for Street Fighter IV tournaments. He is married with 5 beautiful kitties. He encourages you to 
at $30, it’s a little inexcusable to have a quirky keyboard. If developers are going to charge premium prices for apps, they are going to have to get the bugs out.
I’m not going to beta test a $30 iPhone app and then anxiously await a proper update.
RyanTV, on November 5th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
@RyanTV,
I just got off the horn with the developer and you can change this in settings. It’s set up to work this way for PC by default.
Now is it worth $30?
Tim Cox, on November 5th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Confused… I can use the FREE Logmein to remotely access my computer from another computer, but to do it from my iPhone it costs me $30?
Can anyone post some links to cheap/free software & apps that do the same thing?
(admission: I signed up for Logmein, but didn’t get picked for beta testing – so no free app for me. I’ll look elsewhere.)
YodaMac, on November 5th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
vnc lite does it free if you know how to set up a static ip. Jaadu is a nice app also but i think it costs about the same as the one above, and you still need a static ip.
if the app above does it for 30 without having to mess with your dns, ips and hosting servers. its probably worth it.
gavin Randall, on November 5th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Jaadu works great for me.
sleater, on November 5th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
or remotetap… like 1/5 the price
luke, on November 5th, 2009 at 9:20 pm
I feel sorry for developers who produce quality software to then have people dismiss it because it costs $30. What’s that the same price as 2 DVDs?, a blu-ray disc, 3 cups of Starbucks coffee
I’ve tried free remote solutions but nothing comes close to logmein.
I have friends and family machines all kitted out with the free logmein software. I can access their machines to help them out from wherever I am. No messing with their network settings, no fuss. I haven’t found a comparable solution for multiple machine access, but even for just one machine I don’t regret paying the nominal price for this.
It just works really well. Can’t recommend it enough
mrplow, on November 6th, 2009 at 2:24 am
I agree, Logmein is superb, I use it all the time to remotely access my PC’s and my Mac here, also help my mum out on her macbook whenever she needs it, doesn’t even matter if I’m out and about as I can do it from the iPhone.
The way it manages multiple PC’s/Mac’s is so easy to use it’s a joke. NO PROBLEM paying $30 for the iphone app when everything else is free.
Sid, on November 6th, 2009 at 7:40 am
“I feel sorry for developers who produce quality software to then have people dismiss it because it costs $30. ”
Get used to it. The iSore model has created a race to the bottom regarding prices. Developers are, in general, making no money writing apps for the iPhone.
iGenius, on November 6th, 2009 at 7:49 am
Oh come on… The iSore model ? what about the “I get great free software on my Mac/iPhone anyday” model ? Are all those developers of free apps crashing the market too ? Ask Apple to ban them…
But hey if you’re too lazy to open a few ports and use a free dynamic hosting service…
Whatever, on November 6th, 2009 at 9:10 am
Did anybody have any luck doing this:
“Update: The developer contacted Cult of Mac indicating the keyboard is set up to work on a PC by default hence the quirkiness on a Mac. You can go into your settings in your account on the LogMeIn website and change the keyboard to the Mac friendly setting. Crisis averted.”
I need help finding the relevant settings.
Thanks,
Leopold
Leopold, on November 6th, 2009 at 10:31 am
hey guys…I just got an email from Macworld about LogMeIn
it’s on sale this weekend for $19.99
go get it now if you don’t want to pay $30…it’s $10 cheaper right now…
Friday and Saturday Nov 6 & 7th…don’t miss it…
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=299616801&mt=8
Alexis, on November 6th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
LogMeIn is by far the most advanced remote access tool, but there are other neat options out there which don’t cost quite as much. I use both GoToAssist (www.gotoassist.com) and Techinline (www.techinline.com) which are literally a fraction of the price. Obviously not as fully featured, but more than enough for daily remote access
richie, on November 9th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Just checked GoToAssist and Techinline. Both of them seem to only offer free trial option. I think I would go to Logmein. At least, I can remote control as many PCs as possible without expiration date.
eret, on November 10th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
“Did anybody have any luck doing this: “Update: The developer contacted Cult of Mac indicating the keyboard is set up to work on a PC by default hence the quirkiness on a Mac. You can go into your settings in your account on the LogMeIn website and change the keyboard to the Mac friendly setting. Crisis averted.” I need help finding the relevant settings. Thanks,Leopold”
Can’t find that setting either, and I have another problem with the keyboard, can’t type in numbers at all, the mapping seems to be all messed up. Had to pull out the windows virtual keyboard on my PC, very inconvenient !
webvan, on November 12th, 2009 at 5:38 am