Help › Functions
Guests in your network
Share a few devices with a person who has their own account: they reach only what you share, and a code you compare by voice lets their device in. This version does not switch it on yet.
A guest is a device of another person, with their own account, that you let into one of your networks. The guest reaches only what you share with them, for example a NAS or a printer. Your devices never reach the guest's device. This article belongs to “Network”.
Not switched on yet: Guests cannot be invited in this version. The tab and the buttons described here are greyed and marked “Coming later”.
macOS
How you invite a guest on the Mac
- Open the tab “Guests” of the network and choose “Invite a guest”.
- Type the person's e-mail address, choose how long the guest stays (“No end” is preselected) and what the guest may reach: all your devices, single devices, or a printer or NAS in a local network.
- The app always says “Invitation sent”, whether or not there is an account behind the address.
- The person accepts the invitation on the device that is to be the guest. That device shows six digits on a card titled “Guest in …”.
- Ask the person to read the digits out to you themselves, on the phone or in the room, and type them on your card. Never type digits that someone else reads out to you. If you closed the card in between, “Type code” on the open invitation brings it back.
- When the digits match, one sheet lists what the guest will reach. “Add as a guest” signs it as one step.
What the tab shows
“Guests” lists every guest with the date since when, when they last connected and until when they stay. “Extend” moves the end without a new code. “Remove” ends the access at once; coming back needs a new invitation and a new code. Open invitations are listed below with “Withdraw”; an invitation that is withdrawn or declined is over for both sides and can no longer be accepted. “Extend” and “Remove” do not work while someone from another account, from a browser or with a support code is controlling this device; when only your own devices control it, both work.
If you are the guest
An invitation to your device shows as a banner above your devices; it names the person and the network as the inviting device wrote them. Accepting is your own consent on this device; it shows six digits on a card titled “Guest in …” and you read them out to the person who invited you, and to nobody else. The networks you are a guest in appear under “Shared with me”, with “Leave”.
Rules for guests
In the tab “Rules” the guests appear under “Who” as their own group, so a rule can name a guest.
Windows
How you invite a guest on the PC
- Open the tab “Guests” of the network and choose “Invite a guest”.
- Type the person's e-mail address, choose how long the guest stays (“No end” is preselected) and what the guest may reach: all your devices, single devices, or a printer or NAS in a local network.
- The app always says “Invitation sent”, whether or not there is an account behind the address.
- The person accepts the invitation on the device that is to be the guest. That device shows six digits on a card titled “Guest in …”.
- Ask the person to read the digits out to you themselves, on the phone or in the room, and type them on your card. Never type digits that someone else reads out to you. If you closed the card in between, “Type code” on the open invitation brings it back.
- When the digits match, one sheet lists what the guest will reach. “Add as a guest” signs it as one step; Windows Hello asks for your confirmation where DeskRanger Secure is on.
The digits are not shown or typed while a remote session runs on this PC, and never beside another number card; a click or keys from a remote session are not accepted.
What the tab shows
“Guests” lists every guest with the date since when, when they last connected and until when they stay. “Extend” moves the end without a new code. “Remove” ends the access at once; coming back needs a new invitation and a new code. Open invitations are listed below with “Withdraw”; an invitation that is withdrawn or declined is over for both sides and can no longer be accepted. “Extend” and “Remove” do not work while someone from another account, from a browser or with a support code is controlling this device; when only your own devices control it, both work.
If you are the guest
An invitation to this PC shows as a banner above your devices; it names the person and the network as the inviting device wrote them. Accepting is your own consent on this PC; it shows six digits on a card titled “Guest in …” and you read them out to the person who invited you, and to nobody else. The networks you are a guest in appear under “Shared with me”, with “Leave”.
Rules for guests
In the tab “Rules” the guests appear under “Who” as their own group, so a rule can name a guest.
iPhone & iPad
On iPhone and iPad
A phone is a guest, not a host: an invitation to it shows as a banner above your devices naming the person and the network as the inviting device wrote them, “Accept” is your own consent, and the six digits on the card are not shown while a remote session runs; the networks shared with you appear under “Shared with me” with “Leave”. Inviting a guest from a phone is not available. The phone needs no network of its own for this: when its network is off, “Accept” switches it on, and the first time iOS asks whether DeskRanger may add a VPN configuration.
Android
On Android
A phone is a guest, not a host: an invitation to it shows as a banner above your devices naming the person and the network as the inviting device wrote them, “Accept” is your own consent, and the six digits on the card are not shown while a remote session runs; the networks shared with you appear under “Shared with me” with “Leave”. Inviting a guest from a phone is not available. The phone needs no network of its own for this: when its network is off, “Accept” switches it on, and the first time Android asks whether DeskRanger may set up a VPN connection.