Product Reviews

According to the Office for National Statistics, around 14 per cent of men and eight per cent of women worked from home in 2003. It's easy to see the appeal. By eliminating travel, you help to save both your money and the environment. Better still, you can avoid tedious yapping colleagues and get some work done.

If you've ever spent a day or two working from home, though, the chances are you're aware of the most common pitfall - arriving back in the office the next day to discover you've left the fruit of your labours on your home computer. With no work to show for your absence, a mad dash home could be the only way to avoid looking like a work-shy absentee.

If you have a broadband Internet connection, one way to avoid this problem is to use remote control software, such as Laplink Everywhere 4. This program runs on your PC, and allows you to access your e-mail, files and even your entire desktop from another computer via the Internet. It's easy to install, and runs unobtrusively in the Windows System Tray. Once Everywhere is installed, it communicates with Laplink's servers. When you're out and about, you can connect to the same servers by opening Laplink's Web site at www.ll2go.com.

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. This creates a secure and encrypted connection from your current location, through the Laplink server, to your home PC.

Once connected, you are given several options. The first is to remotely control your computer. This shows your PC's desktop in a window, allowing you to access files as if you were sitting in front of it. This works fine in Microsoft's Internet Explorer, but we couldn't make it work using the Firefox browser, and it's very slow. A similar service from www.logmein.com works far better - and it's free.

What makes Laplink Everywhere unusual is the way it provides fast access to your PC without requiring a full remote control session. It integrates cleverly with Microsoft Outlook, so you can quickly access your e-mail, notes and contact information from any Web browser. You can also transfer files between your PC and your current location.

Cleverer still, you can search your computer for information. If you've installed Google's free Desktop Search program, you can use it from any other PC connected to the Internet. Typing in someone's name, for example, brings up a list of all the e-mail conversations you've held with them. If you have a PDA or smartphone that connects to the Net you can even access your e-mail, contacts and other details wherever you are using a simplified interface.

To get the most out of Everywhere requires a subscription costing £54 per year, or £25 for limited use. If you want to use the remote control service then you should save your money and use www.logmein.com, which is free and easier to use. If you want to be able to access information like your address book from a PDA, Everywhere is superb.