Know How
Easy when you
74 Next issue: Robert tries to create a fancy photo collage
Need help with remotely accessing your
computer?
Let us know: [email protected]Robert couldn’t get the remote-access feature to work in Airytec Switch Off, but had more luck
with its shutdown-scheduling optionauthentication’ box, because I didn’t
want the hassle of entering a password,
and clicked Apply. I then clicked the
option to ‘View/update static IP address’
(see^1 in our screenshot) to see the URL
I’d need to switch off my PC remotely.
Unfortunately, this merely displayed an
error page and none of the fixes I tried –
opening port 8000 on my router,
disabling my firewall – seemed to work.
Thankfully, there’s another option in
the program that did help, which was to
schedule my PC to shut down after a
certain period of inactivity. To activate
this, I clicked Airytec Switch Off’s taskbar
button, chose ‘No computer activity’ in
the ‘Select schedule’ dropdown menu
and entered 1:00 (one hour) in the
Period box. I then selected Shutdown in
the ‘Select action’ menu^2 , ticked the
‘Force applications to close’ box and
clicked Enable Task.
So now my computer will turn itself
off automatically when it hasn’t been
used for an hour. It’s not as clever as
controlling it from another country, but
at least I’ll be able to relax and enjoy my
holiday. Now, where have I put my
passport?Shut down his PC remotely
Worried he’ll leave his computer running when he
jets off on holiday, Robert Irvine tries to...
A
s I exclusively revealed in last
issue’s column, I’m about to head
off on holiday. This means I’ve
been working through a long list of
things to do, such as changing travel
money, packing bags and taking an
observed Covid test so I can be deemed
‘fit to fly’. As always, I’m sure I’ll be
halfway to the airport when I start
worrying that I haven’t locked the front
door, have left all the taps running and
that my hob is currently filling my flat
with gas (despite being electric). Less
scary, but more likely, is that I’ll have left
my PC on, after spending a few bleary-
eyed minutes checking for flight delays.
Determined not to let an energy-
guzzling computer ruin my long-awaited
trip, I resolved to find a way to shut it
down remotely, should I forget to do so in
person. The ideal solution would be to
switch off my PC using my phone,
whether prior to boarding the plane
or after landing in New York, then not
think about it again for 10 days.Several online articles recommended a
free tool called Unified Remote (www.
snipca.com/41946), which lets you “turn
off, lock or wake up your computer using
WOL (Wake on LAN)”. I installed the
Unified Remote Server software on my
Windows PC and its Android app on my
phone (it’s also available for Linux,
macOS and iOS), and found it very easy
to set up at both ends. The app quickly
detected and connected to the server overmy Wi-Fi network, and presented me
with a list of options, including Power.
I tapped this, pressed the Shutdown
button and my computer switched off.
Problem solved, (suit)case closed!
Except, what I’d failed to realise was
that Unified Remote only works with
devices that are connected to the same
wireless network. Impressive though the
tool is, I seriously doubted that my Wi-Fi
signal was strong enough to stretch across
the Atlantic – it barely reaches my
kitchen at home. So my search for a truly
remote power-off option continued.
I eventually discovered an old program
called Airytec Switch Off (www.snipca.
com/41947), which hasn’t been updated
since January 2015, but promised to
let me shut down my PC “from any
computer or mobile (cell) phone with a
web browser installed”. With only two
days until check-in, I figured it was worth
a try, so downloaded the tiny (240KB)
tool and installed it in Windows 10
without any trouble.
Airytec Switch Off added a power icon
to my taskbar’s system tray, which I
right-clicked and chose Options. I then
clicked the Remote tab and selected
‘Enable web interface’ to allow me to
access the program from my phone’s
browser. I unticked the ‘EnableI seriously doubted
that my Wi-Fi signal
would stretch across
the Atlantic
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8 – 21 June 2022 • Issue 633