How to Monitor a Local or Remote Computer

Most of the time, it becomes necessary for us to monitor our own computer or a remote computer to keep track of the activities going on. This may be for several reasons. Especially it is most necessary for the parents to monitor their computer to keep track of their children’s activities during their absence. Some people may also require to monitor their computer to keep an eye on the activities of their spouse or partner. Today, with the advancement in the field of the software technology, it’s just a cakewalk to monitor the computer. For this all you have to do is, use a PC Monitoring Software.

But the job doesn’t end here. This is because there exists tons of such monitoring softwares on the market and many times we get confused which to choose and how to use them. So I have decided to make this job simpler for you, by writing this post. In this post I’ll give a detailed information about Computer monitoring softwares which include their features, advantages, installation, usage procedure and so on. To make this post , let’s take up each topic in the form of question and answer.

What exactly is a Monitoring Software and how can it help me ?

A computer monitoring software is just like any other software (program) which when installed, secretly monitors each and every activity that takes place on the computer. The activities such as web browsing, chatting, gaming etc. are all recorded and saved. These monitoring softwares can record each and every keystroke. So it is possible to capture usernames and passwords very easily with minimum effort. Monitoring softwares are also commonly known as Keyloggers.

How can I install a monitoring software ?

Installing a monitoring software is too simple. During the installation, you need to setup a secret password and hotkey combination which is required later to see the recorded data ( logs). After the installation is complete the software goes invisible, but keeps running in the background. Whenever you want to see the logs, just press the hotkey combination (ex. Shift+Ctrl+F10). Now a small window will popup asking for a password. Here you need to enter the password that was setup during the installation time. After you enter the password you’ll be able to see all the activities that took place on the computer during your absence.

Can the person using the computer come to know about the presence of the Monitoring Software ?

Most of the time it becomes impossible to detect the presence of the monitoring software. This is because, once installed it hides itself from Start menu, Program Files, Control Panel, Task manager etc. Because of it’s stealth behaviour the user can never come to know that he/she is under the presence of monitoring.

Which Monitoring Software should I use ?

There exists different flavours of these softwares and you have to choose the one that best match your needs. Here is a list of some of the best monitoring programs that I recommend.

For Monitoring a Local PC:

If you want to monitor a local PC (may be your own PC) then the following program is recommended.

Spy Agent Stealth

For Monitoring a Remote PC (Also works on local PC) :

If you want to monitor a remote PC you may use the following programs. These programs works for remote PC as well as local PC.

Win-Spy Monitor

Realtime Spy

Spy Anywhere

Keystroke Spy

For Monitoring a Network :

The following program can be used to monitor an Entire Network of computers from one central location. This becomes handy to monitor the staff in a company or students in a school/college.

NetVizor

For monitoring a PC from Cellphone:

If you want to monitor your PC using your cellphone you can use the following software/program.

Cell PC