I need to be able to play online poker on someone else?s computer in
another country.  Right now, I only know to use GoToMyPC, Radmin,
LogMeOn, etc.  These may get the job done, but I would much prefer something
faster and higher quality.  I can download software on both computers
? maybe some kind of a VPN or something.  I'm looking for someone to
tell me a way to achieve my goal materially better than GoToMyPC
(i.e., my backup plan).  I?m much more concerned with speed/quality
than I am cost.  For example, a great solution for me would be
something that costs $150/year, but is 3x as fast as GoToMyPC.

Getting a T1 in both places is possible.  I have T1 type connect at
one site, but I don?t think I?ll be able to have better than DSL/cable
modem at the other site.

---

Request for Question Clarification by keystroke-ga on 16 Aug 2006 04:15 PDT

I would advise you to use Remote Desktop.

I personally use remote desktop all of the time. My setup is as follows.

Windows XP as server machine.
A router/firewall that houses the Internet connection.
I configure port forwarding on port 3389 to allow traffic to directly
pass through the firewall to the machine housing the Remote Desktop
Session.
I use www.no-ip.org to give myself a pseudo static IP address that I
can resolve from where I am located.
I then use the Remote Desktop client (built into windows XP and 2003
as default) to connect to the no-ip.org address I created for myself.
I then log onto the machine using my local username and password and I
can know use the PC as though I was sat at home.

Remote desktop is encrypted and so is safe for general browsing and
using on exposed networks.
The best news is all of this is free (except for the hardware costs).

Does give you enough information to work on?
I have found remote desktop on a 2MB SDSL line connecting to a 512Kbps
ADSL to work almost perfectly. I use my RD on a 1Mbps ADSL line to a
512Mbps ADSL line. I have no problems unless someone else starts a
download or sends a large email.

--Keystroke-ga

Hi sharpshooter2006,

Remote Desktop will suit your needs. The best news is that this is not
a costly program but is free.

I personally use Remote Desktop all of the time. My setup is as follows.

Windows XP as server machine.
A router/firewall that houses the Internet connection.
I configure port forwarding on port 3389 to allow traffic to directly
pass through the firewall to the machine housing the Remote Desktop
Session.
I use http://www.no-ip.com/ to give myself a pseudo static IP address that I
can resolve from where I am located. (Pseudo-static is a mixture of
static and dynamic IP and is best for someone who usually uses the
same computer but changes sometimes. It gives you a static IP address
when you don't have one. Another site that gives the same service are
http://www.dyndns.com/ and I have also used that one with great
success.)

I then use the Remote Desktop client (built into Windows XP and 2003
as default) to connect to the no-ip.org or dyndns.org address I created for myself.
I then log onto the machine using my local username and password and I
can now use the PC as though I was at home.

Remote Desktop is encrypted and so is safe for general browsing and
using on exposed networks.
The best news is all of this is free (except for the hardware costs).

I have found remote desktop on a 2MB SDSL line connecting to a 512Kbps
ADSL to work almost perfectly. I use my RD on a 1Mbps ADSL line to a
512Mbps ADSL line. I have no problems unless someone else starts a
download or sends a large email.

Here are some additional sources on Remote Desktop:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/tools/rdclientdl.mspx
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/getstarted/remoteintro.mspx
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_Desktop_Protocol

Search terms:
remote desktop
pseudo-static ip address

If you need any additional help or clarifications, let me know and
I'll be glad to assist you with what you need. Thank you for your
question.

--Keystroke-ga

What operating system are the computers running and are there
firewalls in between them?

The difference between a T1 and a consumer broadband connection is
upload speed. so if you decide to get a T1 you would only need to get
that at the remote location this would give you the best upload speed
there. but at other end dsl or cable would work better since its
cheeper and you can get 9meg download speeds with it.

I would suggest using realvnc, I used it while I was in israel and
worked perfect. I also use it while I am in school. Basically you get
to access your gui from anywhere, so what you would see on your
monitor at home, you see via vnc. (no sound or video)