But that's exactly what we're going to talk about today. Now, I'm sure that you're not looking for the best remote access software because you're as desperate as I was three years ago for a remote PC solution, but I think that this little review is going to help you nonetheless.

First, I just want to give you a little bit of background and what my story and relationship is with remote access software, and then we're going to get into how to choose the specific software package that's going to be best for your situation.

So just hang in there for a minute while we cover the basics and the background first. I promise it will be worth it.

My own experience with remote access software came about reluctantly when I had to give up my beloved home office and turn it into a nursery for my second child. I used to do a lot of work at night, and running my home-based business basically depended on having access to my computer whenever I needed it.

Now for any of you out there who happen to have small children, you know that they don't often stick to an adult's sleep schedule. That's putting it mildly, right parents? Anyway, what I needed was a solution that would allow me to access my work computer whenever I needed it, without having to disrupt the new baby's sleep.

The perfect solution? Remote access software, of course.

Now, I will say that I was more than a bit skeptical that this stuff would even work at all. When it comes to me and computers, Murphy's Law definitely applies. There's always some sort of missing driver or misconfigured file that conflicts with this other missing driver and that other misconfigured file and I usually have to spend hours on the phone with tech support before I finally get frustrated and just give up.

But I have to admit that with the software package I wound up choosing there was none of this hassle. It was as close to plug-and-play as you can get. And for me, that was pretty important.

I would say it took me definitely less than 15 minutes, and probably less than 10, to download and install the software and to be controlling my computer remotely. I'm not kidding.

If you've never used good remote access software, prepare to be stunned. I have to admit that it is quite honestly probably the most useful piece of software I've used in years. The only thing that rivals it, in my opinion, is some really good voice-recognition software. But that's an article for a different day.

As long as you get a quality package -- and we'll get to where to find those in a second -- you honestly shouldn't have a problem whatsoever even if you're a complete computer knucklehead like I am.