FAQ - Support Express

Getting Started

How do I start using BASE?

BASE takes just two minutes to set up and requires no training. Simply register for 14-day free trial account. After the quick, automatic setup is completed, you can immediately begin running support sessions.

Do my customers need to buy or pre-install BASE?

No, your customers join BASE support sessions as your guests for no additional charge. When the session starts, the software installs automatically.

What are the system requirements for using BASE?

Remote computer (Server)
  • "Always on" stable Internet connection (DSL, Cable, ISDN, etc.)
  • Hardware Prerequisites:
    • For Windows: Minimum of Pentium 450 with 128 MB of RAM, running Windows 2000 or newer
    • For Mac: Mac computer with Intel processor and OS X Lion or newer
Local computer (the one that you will use to access the Server):
  • Windows 2000 or newer
  • Minimum of Pentium 300 with 64 MB of RAM
  • Internet connection

How do I customize the logo on the BASE Applet?

You can change the image that your customer sees on the BASE Customer Applet. First, log into your BASE Admin Area. Click "Profile" and select "Company Logo". You can also change the image that appears in the chat window and have it customized for each technician. In your BASE Admin Area, click "Tech manager" and select a technician.

Can I provide support to a Mac? What about a Linux computer?

Currently, BeAnywhere supports Windows 2000 or later and Mac OS X Lion or later.
Providing Support

How do I start a support session?

There are four different ways to start a session with a customer:

1. Generate a pin code or support link
i) Log into your tech console (download it from here) and click on "Start New Session".
This will generate a pin code and a support link that are valid for 12 hours. You can chose which one to use to start the session.

ii) Direct your client to www.startcontrol.com.
To use the pin code, ask your client to enter the pin code and click to connect. This will start a download of a small applet that will be executed (but not installed) with your client's approval.
If you have decided to use the support link instead of the pin code, then all your client has to do is to click on that link to download and execute the applet.

The applet will establish a secure connection between the two computers and you'll be able to gain complete control over their computer.

2. Generate a calling card
The calling card is an applet that will never expire. It's a good solution, for example, to give it to clients that require assistance very often. That way, you don't have to keep giving them pin codes or support links every time they need help.

3. Website integration
You can integrate BeAnywhere with your web site. Please check the instructions in your Admin Area, under the Profile section.
This way your clients just have to click on a button located in your web site to start a new session.

4. Install BeAnywhere as a service in your client's PC
You have the option to install BeAnywhere as a Windows service in your client's PC. This way you can access that PC whenever you want, even when no one is attending it.
To install BeAnywhere as a service just select "My Computers" in your tech console and click on "Add Computer". Generate the installation link and use it in your client's PC.

I do not want to lock Windows after ending a remote session to a computer with the BASE Server installed. How can I do it?

If you really need to do it, double-click the BASE icon on the system tray and press the "Settings" button. In the new window, deselect the option "Lock Windows when session ends". Be advised that on disabling the locking of the computer at the end of the sessions you are effectively turning off one extra security layer of the technology: the computer will be fully accessible to all the technicians registered on your BeAnywhere Support Express account, as well as to anyone with physical access to the computer, even if they do not know the Windows password.

What are the colored values presented on the status bar of the session window?

The Tech Console uses a traffic light system to identify the status of the connection between the technician and the client, which can influence the performance of the solution. Both the Response Time and the Loss Percentage registered in a session are now classified by severity and shown to the technician.

Green means a good performance - No problems are expected due to this indicator.
Yellow means that you may experience slight decreases in performance.
Red The session is being disrupted by connection problems.


What do those two indicators mean?
  • Response: The time that the information takes to travel between the Tech Console and the client's PC, or vice-versa. This value depends on the quality of the Internet connection of both machines, and also on the amount of traffic handled by the ISPs participating on the connection at a given moment (ex. Client ISP + Tech ISP or Client ISP + Intermediary ISP + Tech ISP). Hardware failures on both computers and on ISP devices can also hamper the connection.

    Why it matters: This metric influences the responsiveness of the Remote Control feature (i.e.: the time between the moment the tech moves the mouse in the console and the moment that the command is executed in the client computer and the Tech Console screen is refreshed). The worse the network conditions are, the less good is the user experience. If network conditions are poor, the user's experience may be affected.

  • Loss: The percentage of lost packets during the time of the connection. This value depends on the quality of the Internet connection of both machines, and ideally should be zero even for slow connections. It can be influenced by hardware problems on the machines or with the ISPs participating in the connection. Bad networking is also a large factor (damaged cabling, poor quality signal on Wi-Fi networks…)

         Why it matters: It has influence in the Remote Control user experience (less information correctly transmitted means a slower remote control, or problems with the refresh on the screen) and also on the speed of the File Transfer feature (because all the lost packages have to be resent until everything has been correctly received).

The status bar also shows two more values:
  • UL: It shows the upload speed at a given moment.
  • DL: It shows the download speed at a given moment.

How can I change a technician's password?

A technician password can only be changed by the Administrator. Just log into your Admin Area, click "Tech Manager" and select the technician.

What is the largest file size that I can transfer between my customer's computer and my own?

There is no size limit on file transfers.

Does BASE leave any files or folders on my client's computer after a session ends?

When you start a session with a client, after the client's approval, a small applet is downloaded and executed (but not installed). After the session, your client can simply delete the applet.

What's a Calling Card?

Unlike the Applet used by the customer, the Calling Card has no expiration date and can stay in the customer's computer indefinitely. The customer has to download it only once and then just reuse it whenever they need to contact your support service. You should be aware that the customer can click on the Calling Card at any time, possibly resulting in out-of-hours calls or support time spikes.

Is there a limit to the number of sessions that I can run?

No, you can run as many sessions as you need. There's also no limit to the number of concurrent sessions, meaning that you can provide support to several clients at the same time. Please note that the free version is subject to additional restrictions. Please check here for more information.

Is there a time limit for how long a session can run?

There is no limit to the duration of a session. Take as much time as you and your customer need to resolve the problem.

Can I put a link on my website to send customers directly to me?

If you would like an alternative to using StartControl.com for getting your customers connected to you, please have a look at our Site Integration feature. Log into your Admin Area, click "Profile" and select "Site Integration".

How does autologon work?

Autologon works by asking the local user or the technician for valid credentials that can be used to log on to the remote machine, caching them on an encrypted format, and then setup the computer to automatically use those on the next reboot.

After usage, for security reasons, the stored username and password are securely erased from the system, and must be inserted again for a new reboot. This feature is available on both 32 and 64-bit operating systems and can be used on servers and applets, but requires administrative privileges because it needs full access to Windows Registry.

Autologon can be restricted on corporate environments by the use of specific group policies or other means of control. In these cases, the restrictions must be lifted by the domain administrator of the remote network for this feature to work correctly.
Billing Questions

Can I try BASE before I buy it?

Yes, you can use our 14-day trial version. It’s a fully functional version and it includes three technician licenses that you are free to use for 14 days. After the trial period you can keep using BASE for free. More information about BASE free version

What’s the pricing of BASE?

Check the latest pricing information.

Can I prevent my subscription from renewing automatically?

If you would like to prevent your subscription from auto-renewing, simply contact us before the subscription renewal date, and we will cancel the renewal.
Technical Questions

What are the system requirements for using BASE?

Remote computer (Server)
  • "Always on" stable Internet connection (DSL, Cable, ISDN, etc.)
  • Hardware Prerequisites:
    • For Windows: Minimum of Pentium 450 with 128 MB of RAM, running Windows 2000 or newer
    • For Mac: Mac computer with Intel processor and OS X Lion or newer
Local computer (the one that you will use to access the Server):
  • Windows 2000 or newer
  • Minimum of Pentium 300 with 64 MB of RAM
  • Internet connection

Can I provide support to a Mac? What about a Linux computer?

Currently, BeAnywhere supports Windows 2000 or later and Mac OS X Lion or later.

Does BASE leave any files or folders on my client's computer after a session ends?

When you start a session with a client, after the client's approval, a small applet is downloaded and executed (but not installed). After the session, your client can simply delete the applet.

What is the largest file size that I can transfer between my customer's computer and my own?

There is no size limit on file transfers.

What should I do if the computer becomes slow or unresponsive when using BeAnywhere Server?

On older hardware or less common configurations, some default Windows settings may interfere with the BeAnywhere graphics driver, causing an increase in the CPU utilization especially after several minutes of usage. If you notice this, open the "Settings" window of the BeAnywhere Support Express Server component (double-click on the icon in the taskbar > choose "Settings"), and select "Enable advanced display optimizations (experimental)". It's recommended that you restart the computer after this procedure.

There’s a blank screen when I try to start remote control. How do I fix this?

Please restart the remote computer and assure that no RDP connection is established to the machine and that no other users are logged on. Terminal Services (a Microsoft Windows core technology, used by Fast User-Switching and Remote Desktop) causes in certain situations the corruption of information needed by remote control solutions like BeAnywhere. In those cases, the connection is correctly established but the BeAnywhere graphics driver cannot capture and send the remote screen to the console. You can use the Restart and Reconnect with Autologon feature to reboot the computer and assure a clean environment.

The remote computer doesn't come out of the screensaver during an agent session that has been idle for some time. What should I do?

In some situations, if the connection between the technician and the remote computer is slow, and the last is running an image intensive screensaver (i.e. Windows Mistify) some perceived latency may occur while all the real time image updates are synchronized between the agent and the viewer, after the session is idle for a variable period of time. This may cause situations in which the technician is trying to send input to the remote computer, the remote computer is responding, but the technician is still viewing the screensaver. This situation should not last more than a few seconds, but if it becomes disruptive, you can simply reconnect the session by using the "Disconnect session" button on the viewer, and then clicking "Reconnect".

 

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