Is there a software that can capture real time video feed from another computers screen on your home network?
January 21, 2012 9:45 PM   Subscribe

Is there software that can capture real time video feed from another computers screen on your home network?

I work at home with my sister but we are in different rooms and I want to know weather she's working or not because I've caught her on eBay and many other sites that has made me lose trust in her.
posted by Bacillus to Computers & Internet (9 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
The question needs clarification........

Are you in total control of the network and the computer she is working on? If so, there is no shortage of options. If it is not your computer to monitor, that changes the type of answer to your question.

You can do it if you own the gear, she works for you, etc. Otherwise you are basically invading a person's privacy, possibly altering their hardware/OS and messing with gear that is not yours to mess with.
posted by lampshade at 10:09 PM on January 21, 2012


Yes, there is a ton of software that will do this. A VNC install would be your simplest option.

But a better question is why do you want to do this? Everyone dislikes a manager who looks over their shoulder constantly. If your sister is not finishing her tasks on time it would be better to make that your central complaint instead of micromanaging her work day.
posted by sbutler at 10:09 PM on January 21, 2012


Response by poster: Yes I'm in total control of the network...
posted by Bacillus at 11:02 PM on January 21, 2012


I work at home with my sister but we are in different rooms and I want to know weather she's working or not

Unless you're ready to destroy your professional and personal relationship here, I would find some other way to manage this situation rather than start spying on a family member and coworker like this. It's not going to help, and if you think you had trust issues before, wait until she finds out.
posted by mhoye at 11:18 PM on January 21, 2012


Otherwise you are basically invading a person's privacy

No 'otherwise' about it from my point of view—even if your sister is an employee, and you decide to do this, you still need to have an up-front conversation about what you will be doing so that she's aware of it. (And can therefore decide whether this is a workplace she still wants to be in, I guess.)
posted by impluvium at 11:50 PM on January 21, 2012


Yes I'm in total control of the network..

Well then, I am going to leave you with this link and this link. The wiki entry contains the basics you need to know to do this type of workplace spying. The other one is a commercial site with some paragraphs about real life application of this practice.

Personally, I am not at all into this sort of thing and really with the others on the issue. However, in the spirit answering a question on an ask site, there it is.
posted by lampshade at 12:51 AM on January 22, 2012 [1 favorite]


UltraVNC is probably your best option if you're on Windows. You'd want to install the Mirror Driver, turn off "Remove Aero (Vista)" and "Remove wallpaper for viewers" and turn on "Disable Tray Icon" options on the server PC (hers) to make it stealthy, and use the "View only (inputs ignored)" mode on the client PC (yours) to avoid giving the game away by accidentally moving her mouse cursor.

That said, I agree with everybody who says that this is a bad technical solution to a management problem, and that if I ever caught a manager doing this to me, they wouldn't be my manager for very long.
posted by flabdablet at 1:56 AM on January 22, 2012


This sounds like it might be illegal computer hacking (assuming she doesn't know and consent to the monitoring). That's something to consider before doing this.
posted by J. Wilson at 9:00 AM on January 22, 2012


You should stop working with your sister instead.
posted by rhizome at 2:17 PM on January 22, 2012


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