How to use a desktop pc as a hub for laptops to share a projector?

April 25, 2012 1:39 AM

Can I use a desktop PC connected to a projector as a hub for laptops to present their screens on demand?

Not sure what to Google for this, but hopefully I can explain easily enough to humans...

The set up is a classroom with 28 laptops on the same wireless network as a desktop computer connected to a projector and interactive whiteboard. All computers in question are running Windows 7?

Is there a way to have the laptops connect to the desktop and display their screens through the desktop's connection to the projector? Is there software that will allow the desktop to manage this easily, calling upon the laptops.

It'd be cool to be able to have kids share their work to the projector without having to bring their laptop to the front of the room and mess around with the cables, or having them email work to the teacher for it to be presented.

Does anyone know of ways to achieve this (preferably that less tech savvy teachers would be able to handle)?

posted by man down under to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

Best answer: I can't see any reason why you couldn't do this through Remote Desktop. Connect from the desktop PC to the specific laptop, make it full-screen, and away you go. Might take a spot of setting-up, though - best to ask whoever's responsible for your IT infrastructure what they think. Producing a set of idiot-proof instructions for teachers ought to be straightforward once everything's set up.
posted by pipeski at 2:22 AM on April 25, 2012

If you don't want to get IT involved, try http://join.me. It's a free screen sharing service offered by Logmein and it's very simple to use. The student would go to the site and run the little sharing app. On the desktop, you'd visit the site and type in the code from the student's session. You'd probably want to put your web browser into full screen mode.
posted by reddot at 4:15 AM on April 25, 2012

Netsupport will do this.
posted by davey_darling at 4:22 AM on April 25, 2012

2nd remote desktop. I do this at work all the time (though with the laptop/desktop arrangement in reverse). The laptop users would just need to advise the main operator their hostname or IP.
posted by pompomtom at 4:41 AM on April 25, 2012

Best answer: VNC will do remote desktopping, as a platform-agnostic way to solve this problem.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:03 AM on April 25, 2012

Response by poster: Thanks - I'll direct IT towards this and see if they have any objections.
posted by man down under at 3:52 PM on April 25, 2012

Response by poster: Just tried Remote Desktop - it requires the password of the user (wouldn't want kids giving us those), and also locks usage on the original laptop while the desktop is connected.

I'll try the others.
posted by man down under at 5:48 PM on April 26, 2012

Response by poster: Join.me looks ok, but seems to lag terribly. It won't work in the classroom, but it may help me help other members of staff on our other campus...so thanks for the suggestion.
posted by man down under at 5:56 PM on April 26, 2012