Many of us do not realize that the mobile phone in our pocket can be used as a remote control for a PC. If you use your PC to watch movies, listen to music, or run PowerPoint presentations, read on. In this article I will show you how to control your PC from your mobile phone.

Step 1. Check phone compatibility

To use your mobile phone as a PC remote control, it must support Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connectivity. The software application that I am going to discuss also requires your phone to be Java compatible. Most Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Samsung, Motorola, and Blackberry phones support Java. Unfortunately, there is currently no Java support for iPhone.

Your PC must also support a Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connection.

He passed 2. Install the remote control software for PC

Download and install the Vectir PC remote control software (link at the end of the article). Be sure to install both the PC software and the mobile phone software. There are two versions of the Vectir mobile phone software: one for Bluetooth and one for Wi-Fi. A setup wizard is available when you first install Vectir and it will help you install the mobile software.

He passed 3. Check the Bluetooth or Wi-Fi connections

If you want to use the Bluetooth remote control, now is a good time to make sure your phone is paired with your PC. If you haven’t already, right-click on the Bluetooth icon in the system tray and look for an option that allows you to add a Bluetooth device.

For Wi-Fi remote control, the main requirement is that your Wi-Fi enabled phone is connected to the same TCP-IP network as your PC. You will also need to enable Wi-Fi connections in the Vectir Wi-Fi Remote Control dialog. This is found in Settings> Hardware> WiFi in the right pane of Vectir’s main window.

He passed 4. Connect to your PC from your mobile phone

The next step is to run the Vectir mobile client software and connect to your PC.

If you are using the Bluetooth remote control version of Vectir, select the “Search Server” option from the main menu. Select your PC after it has been discovered.

For the Wi-Fi remote control version, select the “Connect to server” option from the main menu. At this point, you will need to enter the IP address of the Vectir Wi-Fi server. This is found in the WiFi remote control dialog in the Vectir PC software under Settings> Hardware> WiFi. Select OK when done.

He passed 5. Select a remote control profile and start controlling your PC.

You should now be connected to the Vectir server and see a list of remote control profiles on your phone. These are settings that allow you to remotely control different applications or PC functions from your mobile phone. Preloaded remote profiles are included for iTunes, Winamp, Windows Media Player, PowerPoint, XBMC, and VLC player. If a profile is not available for the application you want to control, see the instructions in the Vectir help file for creating a remote profile. There is also a desktop profile that allows you to view and interact with your PC desktop from your phone. And a system profile that allows you to remotely control your keyboard, mouse, and master volume.

If you have a touchscreen phone, press the onscreen buttons to send commands to your PC. If you have a phone with a keypad, open the help dialog to find out which keys on your mobile phone control the different functions of your PC. There should be a message in the profile telling you which key will open the help dialog. On Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, and Motorola phones, this is the # key. On Blackberry phones, is it the? key code.

Your mobile phone should now be a fully functional PC remote control. You can sit back and relax as you browse your music collection from your phone and choose the music to play. Or play and pause the movie you’re watching and adjust the volume without having to get up and click the mouse or use the keyboard.

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