RFDeskWhat unattended access is
A normal RFDesk connection is a request that someone at the computer has to approve. Unattended access is the one exception. You set an unattended password on a computer you own or manage, and from then on you can connect to it with its ID and that password, with nobody there.
The one-time password is not affected. A connection made with it still needs approval, so you can keep using the same computer for ordinary supported sessions.
Setting it up
It takes a minute, and it can only be done at the computer itself.
- Open RFDesk on the computer, go to its settings and then Security.
- Under Unattended access, choose Set password and type a password of at least 8 characters. It is kept on that computer and is never shown again.
- Switch on Allow unattended access and confirm.
A second step with an authenticator app
Switch on Require an authenticator code and scan the code shown with an authenticator app. From then on, anyone connecting with an unattended password is also asked for the current six-digit code. The code itself is not sent. The computer checks a proof made from it, and a wrong code ends the attempt.
Access for other people, without sharing your password
A computer can hold separate access for a named person instead of everyone using one password.
- Each person has their own password, and you choose whether they get control, clipboard and file transfer.
- You can add a start time and an end time, which is how access is scheduled for one visit or made to expire.
- Their sessions are shown under their name on the computer and in its history.
- Removing a person's access stops their password working.
Rules the server checks first
For a computer on your account you can set access rules in My devices: only listed accounts or devices, only during allowed hours, only from allowed networks. The RFDesk server applies them before the computer is even told that someone asked. Whoever gets through still needs a password or your approval.
If one of your computers is asleep, the device list can ask another of your devices on the same network to wake it with a wake-on-LAN signal.
What it cannot do
- The computer has to be switched on, signed in to Windows and unlocked. RFDesk cannot sign in to Windows for you.
- Anyone who knows the ID and the unattended password can get in without approval, so use a password you use nowhere else.
- A team's policy can forbid unattended access on its computers.
- An Android phone cannot be reached unattended. It asks before every connection.