The Microsoft RDP apps for iOS, Android, Mac and Windows Phone allow you to connect remotely to your PC. The purpose of this article is to enable you to setup your Windows PC for remote access from the Microsoft RDP apps.

Requirements

To connect to your computer a supported edition of Windows is required. Remote Desktop is available on the following editions of Windows:

• Professional
• Ultimate
• Enterprise

Note: You can't use Remote Desktop Connection to connect to computers running Starter, Home Basic, or Home Premium editions of Windows.

Getting Started Configuring your PC

To access your computer from any of the Microsoft RDP apps you need to perform the steps below:

   1.  Allow remote connections on your Windows computer.

   2.  Configure Remote Desktop connections through a Windows Firewall.

   3.  Configure your PC not to sleep or hibernate.

   4.  Ensure your phone/tablet is on your home Wi-Fi network. 

          a. Turn on your Wi-Fi and ensure that your phone/tablet is on the same network as your computer.

   5.  Finding the name or IP address of your PC.

Allow Remote Connections On Your Windows Computer

The first step is to allow remote connections to your computer. Below are instructions for Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 7.

   1.  Click Start or tap the Windows button on your keyboard.

   2.  Type allow remote access to this computer.

   3.  Click the result Allow remote access to this computer.

   4.  In the System Properties dialog box, Remote tab, under Remote Desktop, choose the option Allow remote connections to this computer button.

           a. On Windows 7 choose the option Allow connections from computers running any version of Remote Desktop [..]

   5.  Optionally, click Select Users or Groups to allow other users accounts remote access.

          a. Note: Administrators have remote access rights by default. If your user account does not have administrator rights needs you will need to add your user to that list.

   6.  Click Apply to save the changes and OK to close the dialog.

Configure Remote Desktop Connections through a Windows Firewall

   1.  Click Start or tap the Windows button on your keyboard.

   2.  Type Control Panel.

   3.  Click the result Control Panel.

   4.  Click System and Security.

   5.  Under Windows Firewall, click Allow a program through Windows Firewall.

   6.  Click Change settings and check the boxes to enable an exception for Remote Desktop for Domain and Privatea. 

          a. Note: Enable Public only if the network your PC is connected to is a public network.

   7.  Click OK to save the changes.

Optional: Configuring your PC Not to Sleep or Hibernate

You cant connect to a computer that's asleep or hibernating, so make sure the settings for sleep and hibernation on the remote computer are set to Never. (Hibernation isn't available on all computers.).

   1.  Click Start or tap the Windows button on your keyboard.

   2.  Type Control Panel.

   3.  Click the result Control Panel.

   4.  Click System and Security, and then Power Options.

   5.  Under the plan that you want to change, click Change plan settings.

   6.  On the Change settings for the plan page, choose the display and sleep settings that you want to use when your computer is running on battery (if applicable) and when it's plugged in. For the setting Put the computer to sleep, select Never to prevent you PC from turning off either when on battery or when plugged in.

Finding the Name or IP Address of Your PC

Once you have you PC configured, you need your PC name or IP address to connect to it.

Note: In many home networks, an IP address will be the best way to guarantee a successful connection.

Computer Name

   1.  Click Start or tap the Windows button on your keyboard.

   2.  Type Control Panel.

   3.  Click the result Control Panel.

   4.  Click System and Security, and then under System, click See the name of this computer. The full PC name is listed under Computer name, domain, and workgroup settings.

IP Address

   1.  Click Start or tap the Windows button on your keyboard.

   2.  Type Control Panel.

   3.  Click the result Control Panel.

   4.  In the search box, type adapter, and then from the results, under Network and Sharing Center, click View network connections.

   5.  Select an active network connection, and then, in the toolbar, click View status of this connection. (You might need to click the chevron  to find this command.)

   6.  Click Details. Your computer's IP address appears in the Value column, next to IPv4 Address.

and what to do if my pc is behind NAT?

You'll need to forward the RDP ports to the internal IP address of your computer.  These settings would be on your router.

Create a static IP on the machine you wish to access. Forward port 3389 with TCP protocol to the aforementioned machine's IP address. To access it from the outside of your network use WAN IP address, aka public IP address. You can also use a DDNS to use a hot name instead. Asus routers come with this option which is very handy. You may want to change the RDP port as described here http://tweaks.com/windows/50743/change-remote-desktop-rdp-port/

when I select the computer to access it remotely on the android device, the computer goes to the logon screen and disconnect from the wi-fi network while the android device is trying to connect making it impossible to connect. What can I do to prevent it of disconnecting the wi-fi while going to the logon screen?