Bosco’s Screen Share: FAQ

General Product FAQ

1. What is the difference between Bosco’s Screen Share and the open source VNC?
Bosco’s Screen Share was designed from the ground up to be easy to set up and to use. One motivating experience for developing Bosco’s Screen Share was trying to use VNC to help an 81 year old grandmother with computer questions. It was a non-starter. If VNC works for you and yours, great! If like most people, you need something that just works well without a lot of work, Bosco’s Screen Share is a better solution for you.

2. Can I use Bosco’s Screen Share over a modem?
We strongly recommend DSL or cable modem for both parties. In addition to speed, this usually leaves a phone line free so you can discuss while you work. However, Bosco’s Screen Share can be used over a 56K modem. Expect 10 - 15 seconds of latency (delays) between screens. Driving response is actually quite fast, while visual feedback is slow.

3. Why doesn’t Bosco’s Screen Share use a server or tunneling protocol so that routers do not have to be configured?
There are three reasons... (1) Development of those features is time consuming and expensive. We'd rather ship a solution that works for many than sit on a work in progress. (2) A server between two parties would double the latency (or delay) for screen updates, thus cutting performance in half (or worse). (3) A server would also require dedicated bandwidth, which would preclude us from offering inexpensive software and require us to offer a costly service. Comparable services are charging upwards of $30/month per user.

Router setup is usually easy enough for fairly adept computer users to accomplish. Only one party needs to do it. We offer a service to walk you through the process if you need that.

Router/Firewall FAQ

1. What do I need my router to do?
You need to configure your router to forward port 20229 to your computer. You can change the port in Bosco's Screen Share preferences. Your computer probably needs a static IP address on your LAN as well.

2. Do both parties need to configure their routers?
No. Usually, only the accepting party needs to configure his router to direct port 20229 to his computer. Once the parties are connected, either can view or control the other’s screen.

3. I don't see a setting for port forwarding in my router setup. Where is it?
Many routers have an “advanced settings” area. Port forwarding is often in that area of the setup application.

4. I have a router hooked to my DSL/cable modem, and an Airport connected to my router. My computer connects wirelessly to the Airport. Help!?!
Your router needs to forward port 20229 to the Airport. Your Airport should have a static IP address on the router’s LAN, often of the form 192.168.1.x. Your Aiport should forward port 20229 to your computer. Your computer should have a static IP address on the Airport’s LAN, often of the form 10.0.1.x.

5. Can you set up my router for me?
Absolutely. We offer two services for a fee. We have an inexpensive service to help you configure one computer and one router over the phone. We also offer a more comprehensive service to help you configure your computer and up to three routers on your LAN. We’ll also show you all the tricks to help you get the most out of Bosco’s Screen Share.