Remote View and Remote Control

Lanview includes native remote support features for viewing and controlling managed Windows devices from Lanview Studio.

Remote support is intended for administrators and support teams who manage Windows devices on a local network and need direct, controlled access.

Lanview provides two remote access options:

• Remote Desktop, which uses Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).
• Remote View and Remote Control, which use Lanview’s native remote support system.

Each option serves a different purpose and is configured separately.

Remote Desktop and Remote View

Remote Desktop uses Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). It connects to the target device through the Windows RDP service and provides a traditional remote desktop session.

Remote View is Lanview-native. It allows an authorised Lanview Studio user to view the visible desktop of a managed device from the Device Window.

Remote Control is available from an active Remote View session. A Remote View session starts in view-only mode. Control must be requested separately and can only be used when the Lanview Studio user has the required permission and the current Lanview configuration allows it.

Use Remote Desktop when you need a standard RDP session.

Use Remote View when you need to see the user’s visible desktop through Lanview.

Use Remote Control when you need to interact with the visible session after Remote View has started.

As of the Early Access, remotely viewing a device when no user is logged in, or where the device is locked is not possible. This has not been developed yet.

Before you start

Before using Remote View or Remote Control, check the following:

• Remote View is enabled in the Lanview Server configuration.
• Remote Control is enabled if control will be required.
• The Lanview Studio user has the required permissions.
• Consent or approval requirements have been configured appropriately.
• The Lanview Client and Lanview Agent are installed and running on the target device.

The first connection to a device can take a few seconds while Lanview prepares the session.

Required permissions

Remote View and Remote Control use separate permissions.

Remote Desktop uses its own permissions because it is a separate remote access feature based on Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). An administrator may be allowed to use Remote Desktop without being allowed to use Lanview Remote View or Remote Control, and the reverse may also be true depending on the organisation’s role design.

Remote View policy

Remote View is controlled by Lanview Server configuration.

Remote View is disabled by default. This prevents native remote viewing from being available until an administrator has reviewed and enabled the required configuration.

Changing policy for a group or device

Remote View and Remote Control policy can be set globally and overridden for a group or individual device where supported.

To change a group policy:

1. Open the group in Lanview Studio.
2. Open the group's Settings page.
3. Select the Remote View or Remote Control policy setting.
4. Choose the required value or leave it inherited from the Server default.
5. Save the change.

To change a device policy:

1. Open the Device Window.
2. Select Settings.
3. Open the Remote View or Remote Control policy setting.
4. Choose the required value or leave it inherited.
5. Save the change.

A device override takes precedence over a group value. Use individual overrides for exceptions rather than as the normal configuration method.

Changing policy does not grant permission. The Lanview user still needs remote.view or remote.control as appropriate.

Remote Control policy

Remote Control has its own Lanview Server configuration.

Remote Control can only be requested from an active Remote View session.

Starting a Remote View session

To start a Remote View session:

1. Open Lanview Studio.
2. Go to Devices.
3. Select the device.
4. Open the Device Window.
5. Select Remote View.
6. Click Start.

Lanview checks the user’s permissions, the current Remote View configuration, the device state, and any approval requirements.

If the session is approved, the Remote View starts.

If the session cannot start, this may indicate that Remote View is disabled, the user does not have permission, consent is required, the remote user denied the request, or the device is not available.

Requesting Remote Control

Remote View starts in view-only mode.

To request Remote Control:

1. Start a Remote View session.
2. Click Request Control.
3. Enter a reason if Lanview prompts for one.
4. Complete any approval or consent step required by the current configuration.

When control is granted, the Remote View session changes to an active control session. The Lanview Studio user can then interact with the visible desktop of the target device.

Reasons and audit prompts

Lanview can require a reason before allowing certain administrative actions. This includes sensitive activity such as starting Remote View or requesting Remote Control when reason prompts are enabled.

Reasons are stored with the audit record so that the action can be reviewed later.

The organisation using Lanview decides what is considered a valid reason. Lanview records the reason supplied by the operator and applies the minimum reason length configured on Lanview Server.

What gets audited

Lanview Server records audit events for remote support activity.

Audit records include:

• Remote View requested.
• Remote View started.
• Remote View stopped.
• Remote Control requested.
• Remote Control approved or denied.
• Remote Control started.
• Remote Control ended.
• Remote support blocked by policy.
• Remote support blocked by permissions.
• Consent requested, approved, denied, or timed out.

Audit records are designed to show who requested access, which device was involved, what configuration applied, and what the result was.

Lanview does not record typed text, screen frames, screenshots, or video as part of the Remote View and Remote Control audit record.

Consent and user awareness

Remote View and Remote Control can be configured to require approval or consent.

Consent prompts are useful where remote access should be visible to the person using the device. This is often appropriate for attended devices or support scenarios where the user is present.

Some organisations may allow remote support without user consent for specific roles, device types, or operational scenarios. This should be controlled through Lanview permissions, policy configuration, and internal procedures.

Stopping a session

To stop a Remote View session:

1. Open the active Remote View page.
2. Click Stop.

Users with remote.session.stopOwn can stop sessions started by their own Lanview account.

Users with remote.session.stopAny can stop sessions started by other Lanview users.

If the device disconnects or the session is interrupted, Lanview Studio shows the updated session status. Check the status shown in Studio rather than relying only on the last displayed image.

Common problems

Remote View is disabled

Remote View must be enabled in the Lanview Server configuration before it can be used.

Remote Control is unavailable

Check that:

• Remote Control is enabled in the Lanview Server configuration.
• The Lanview Studio user has remote.control.
• A Remote View session is already active.
• Any required consent or approval has been granted.

The first connection takes a few seconds

The first connection to a device may take a short time while Lanview prepares the remote support session. This is expected.

If the session does not start after a reasonable time, check the status shown in the Remote View page.

The user cannot approve the request

If approval or consent is required, the target device must be able to show the prompt in the logged-in user session.

If no user is logged in, or if the Lanview Agent cannot display the prompt, the approval step may not complete.

Remote Desktop works but Remote View does not

Remote Desktop and Remote View use different Lanview features and different permissions.

Remote Desktop may still work when Lanview Remote View is disabled, blocked by policy, missing permissions, awaiting consent, or unable to communicate with the Lanview Agent.

Windows Firewall, Group Policy or endpoint security software can also block Lanview remote support even when the device remains connected for normal management. Confirm that the Lanview firewall rules created during installation are still enabled and that security software is not blocking the remote support connection.

Remote View works but Remote Control does not

Remote View and Remote Control are configured separately.

Remote Control may be unavailable because it is disabled, the user does not have remote.control, consent was denied, approval timed out, or the current session is not eligible for control.

Security guidance

Remote access permissions should be assigned to roles that genuinely require them.

Recommended controls include:

• Assign remote.view only to users who need to view managed devices.
• Assign remote.control to a smaller group of trusted support users.
• Use approval or consent where user awareness is required.
• Use reason prompts for remote support actions where audit context is required.
• Review remote support audit records as part of normal operational review.
• Avoid giving broad remote access permissions through general purpose roles.

Remote View and Remote Control should be treated as privileged administration features and managed through role design, audit policy, and internal support procedures.

Related topics

• Remote Desktop
• Device Approval
• Security and RBAC Overview
• Audit Log
• Lanview Architecture