Access ProCare from Home
Ever wanted to get to your ProCare information from home? Or perhaps you need access from another computer, like a laptop, that is not at your child development center? This is a request we hear more and more. Although there are a number of ways to accomplish this, the most common is to use the “Remote Desktop” capability built into Windows.
How does it work?
Simply put, you use your home computer to take remote control over the computer at the center. Whatever is displayed on screen at the center will show on your screen at home. When you move the mouse at your home computer you’ll be controlling the mouse on the center’s computer. The changes you make are “live”. This means any change made from home will actually change what is on the center’s computer.
Terminology
The computer you want to access is known as the “host”. This is typically a computer at your child-centered business that runs ProCare. You’ll have access to all programs, files, photos, etc. on the host computer, not just ProCare. The computer you connect from, like your laptop or home computer, is known as the “client”. The client connects to the host over the internet. You’ll want a high speed internet connection at both computers.
Windows XP or Vista
The host computer must have Windows XP Professional or Vista Business (or Ultimate) Edition. The client computer can supposedly be an older version of Windows, but for all practical purposes you’ll want to have XP Home, XP Pro, or any edition of Vista.
Things to Remember
Keep in mind that while you’re remotely accessing a computer at the center, that computer cannot be used by anyone else. You’ll be controlling it from home. Also the host computer (at the center) needs to be turned on. So if you want access during evening or weekend hours make sure to leave the center computer turned on.
Do I need a Technician?
Although there is plenty of information online about how to set up Remote Desktop, the truth is, for most people it would make sense to call a local computer professional. Your local technician can get things properly configured and show you how to use it. Since this is a feature of Windows itself, it falls outside the scope of ProCare Technical Support.
Note: There are also third party vendors like GoToMyPC that can provide remote access for a monthly fee.
Additional Resources:
Thanks to Bob Cook and Mark Boicey, two of our senior support technicians, for their input on this article. Good luck with your remote computing and until next time, cheers!
-Phil
If you have questions or comments about this article (or suggestions for another article) I’d be pleased to hear from you. Drop me at note at phil@procaresoftware.com.
11 Responses to Access ProCare from Home
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We have been using GoToMyPC for some time.
It works great; can check to see if the closing
person has all children and employees checked out.
Great for working at home after hours and on the weekend.
ProCare should eventually create a web interface for their software, especially for centers with multiple office locations.
Thanks for your comment, Children’s Garden. We are looking into ways to make it easier for people to access their data remotely, particularly when multiple locations are involved. Look for more blog articles later in the year along these lines.
For anyone wanting remote access, Log Me In (www.logmein.com) is an alternative to Go To My Pc. It actually runs faster, and is less expensive. It works the same way, but is more intuitive.
You can get free software from Logmein.com that works well. It is free. Of course, they will try to sell you the version that cost money, but you can decline and use the free version.
I use Remote Desktop to access the computers at Open Arms (Win2000 works fine too, but you have to install the RDP client), however it gets a little trickier when having to go through the router at the center. I have to set up port forwarding to get RDP port 3389 sent to the right IP address. In this kind of situation, something like GoToMyPC would probably be easier to set up, though I don’t like the 3rd part server getting involved.
I agree with Children’s Garden. Another issue with multiple sites and office locations is the inability of Procare to run combined reports. Also, children/families attending multiple sites must be entered multiple times . . . with multiple attendance records and multiple ledgers. I will be watching for a web version!
Trinity – Thanks for your suggestions. Yes, we are looking toward the future at ways to more easily handle combined reporting and assign children within the same family to different sites.
I have been using procare program for over a year. It has truely assisted with our paper work and records keeping. Now I can work from home on my laptop, that’s wonderful!
THANKS
Team,
Procare is the best thing since apple pie. All childcare facilities should have this program. It’s not just a want for this facility, but a necessity. It’s has unlimited capabilities and I’m sure you all will continue to unharness the power of this software. Thanks for caring.
Procare v10 now offers a Data Hosting option. Your data is securely stored on our servers and you may access it from any Procare computer – home, office, laptop, etc.
Learn more at:
http://www.procaresupport.com/Resources/Knowledge-Base/Data-Hosting/Data-Hosting.aspx