If we loose connection due to data link or simply a reboot, the auto reconnect creates a whole new session and all notes are on the other connection (hard to keep info together) are not included as part of the current connection. Also, during these situations, no email summary is received (if setup). This requires us to pull notes/chat info from website which does not look the say as the email. Also, when this happens, the chat window continues to be present on specialist side, specialist can type in the chat window but it never post on customer side. When you close the chat window on specialist side, it closes the window on remote PC.

Would it be possible to resize and rearrange the tiles? By this I mean shrink and move the Feedback and Admin tiles out to the right, shrink the Waiting tile to a respectable size, and similarly the Unattended Access tiles, bringing them into a more prominent position. This would eliminate the need to go full screen just to see them. At the moment the interface may well be best suited for high res, low size touch screens, but rather awkward on a desktop client.

Great work on the service though - I just used it to fix a Windows 10 laptop that wouldn't boot into normal mode - 3000 miles away - awesome !

It would be fantastic to have a REST API for Housecall data. Most specifically, I would like to be able to store the computer's ID (suid perhaps?) along with that computer's record in my CRM. That way, when I or an employee views that computer in the CRM we can make an API call to see if the device is online and potentially pull in any data or history of remote sessions and notes related to that computer.

The API would probably need two calls available. First, a call to list all of the computers that have Instant Housecall installed under the requestor's account. Something like https://api.instanthousecall.com/devices. This could return a simple list of computer names and corresponding SUIDs Then something simple like https://api.instanthousecall.com/<suid> could return the specific information about the device itself.

Great product here! I'm very impressed so far and looking forward to using it more!

If you're thinking about buying a Windows 8 device, here are my suggestions:

1) there are two types of keyboards: Type and Touch. I strongly recommend the Type keyboard.

2) there are two different flavours of the operating system: RT and Pro. Microsoft no longer refers to RT as "RT", they just call it "Windows". I'll call it RT here for the sake of clarity.

RT allows you to run Windows 8 apps, but not legacy desktop apps (standard EXEs) -- just like how a Mac can't run iPad apps. The difference with Windows is that a Windows 8 desktop can run Windows 8 apps, and a tablet can run the exact same app.

I have both. I like the RT a lot for day-to-day stuff, and it includes Office, so for the price of Office you get a free tablet. The app ecosystem is limited ... for now. The Surface 1 RT is woefully underpowered, but it includes a full-sized USB, and it's good enough for Office and remote support. Surface 2 offers a lot more oomph, but it's pricier.

If you're just using a browser, Office, and Instant Housecall, RT will be exactly what you need. If you want to run a network analyzer or some of your older tools, you'll need Pro.

3) There are different manufacturers out there for Windows 8.1. As someone who has several models, (ASUS, Microsoft, Dell), I prefer the Surface, even though they're not the cheapest. Having said that, for remote support the Dell Venue Pro looks appealing because of its small form factor, LTE, and it has Windows 8 Pro for your legacy tools. I haven't tried the Venue beyond a quick tinker at the store and I'm a little wary of its keyboard.

TL;DR: For normal business stuff, my recommendations are: RT (Surface 1 or Surface 2) w/ Type Keyboard. Need legacy tools? Buy a Surface Pro (1 or 2) and consider getting a docking station, or look at Dell Venue Pro.

-- Corey.