Remote Access - FastTrek Docs

Remote Access allows you to monitor FastTrek from anywhere in the world. This is useful if you need to check on the bot while away from your computer, such as when on holiday or on a business trip.

Possible uses:

• Login remotely
• Watch what FastTrek is doing
• Make changes on-the-fly without disrupting any automations
• Set up today’s event grinds

All from your phone or another computer.

Reinventing the wheel

FastTrek does not natively support remote access, but I highly recommend a remote desktop tool for this purpose. Fantastic free tools already exist, so we should use them to their full potential.

Advantages of remote-desktop

Here are just a few:

Stable Connection

Star Trek® Fleet Command likes a stable internet connection. It fires dozens of network requests every minute and has a tendency to disconnect at the slightest sign of instability. This can lead to a lot of frustration when in a hotel or remote location with poor connectivity.

Remote desktop tools are designed to work well even on slow or unstable connections, and will automatically adjust the quality of the stream to ensure a smooth experience. Let STFC use your stable home connection, while your remote desktop tool will update its image even over high latency/low bandwidth.

No fighting for control

Avoid frustration surrounding reconnects. As clever as FastTrek’s automatic reconnects are, they’re admittedly not perfect.

Security

Remote desktop tools are designed to be secure, with features like end-to-end encryption and two-factor authentication. This means that you can access your computer from anywhere without worrying about unauthorised access.

Ease of use

In a competitive remote support market, remote desktop tools are designed to be user-friendly and easy to set up, even for those who are not tech-savvy. You can usually get up and running in just a few minutes.

Cost benefit

I don’t need to maintain a custom remote access website or app, which would be significant work, have security implications, and detract from adding other core features to FastTrek.

RealVNC

I strongly recommend trying RealVNC. I have no affiliation or incentive here, it’s just the one that I’ve always used and had a decent experience with. It can be hosted on Windows and MacOS, and mobile apps for Apple devices and Android are available as well.

RealVNC is free for personal use on the Lite plan, and allows you to securely access your computer from anywhere with an internet connection.

Alternative tools

There are many other remote desktop tools available, such as:

Tool	Platform (connect to)	Login/Control from	Free for personal use?
Microsoft Remote Desktop	Windows Pro only	Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS	Yes
RealVNC	Windows, MacOS, Linux	Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android, iOS, Raspberry Pi	Yes
TeamViewer	Windows, MacOS, Linux	as above + ChromeOS	Yes
AnyDesk	Windows, MacOS, Linux	All the above + Apple TV	Yes

Features and functionality vary, so I recommend doing some research to find the one that best suits your needs.