Remote control is the feature users fear most — not because it exists, but because they do not know when it is used. Configure consent properly and the same feature becomes the one users ask for by name.
Every IT admin has heard the sentence: 'Can you people watch my screen without telling me?' How you configure Endpoint Central’s remote control decides whether the honest answer is comforting or embarrassing. The technical side is simple — sessions run through the server on ports 8443 (HTTPS) and 8444, pushed as on-demand tasks through the notification port 8027. The trust side is a setting: user consent. This page configures both sides — the encrypted channel and the human promise — because a remote support tool that users distrust will be uninstalled, blocked or complained about until it is useless.
These three toggles are the entire privacy story your users will ever ask about. Set them so the answer to “can you watch me silently” is a truthful no.
Consent settings are not bureaucracy. They are the difference between support and surveillance.
Remote control rides on two channels: the task that starts it (8027) and the session itself (8443/8444). One blocked port gives you a session that is “initiated” forever.
When remote control hangs at connecting, test 8027 and 8443 before blaming the agent.
In the remote control settings, enable the option to ask the user’s permission before connecting. The user sees a prompt, accepts, and support begins with their knowledge. Also enable the notification when a session ends, so the user knows the moment you disconnect. These two prompts convert remote control from something done to users into something done with them — and they cost you about ten seconds per session.
Every consent system has an awkward case: nobody is at the PC. Servers and kiosk machines legitimately need unattended access; a staff member’s desktop does not, just because they stepped away. Configure exceptions by machine type, not by convenience — unattended access for genuinely unattended machines, consent-required for people’s desks — and be able to explain that rule to any user who asks. A rule you can say out loud in the canteen is a rule that will survive scrutiny.
Use the HTTPS route for remote sessions (8443) rather than the non-SSL one, and if the server is reachable from outside the office, ManageEngine explicitly recommends securing remote control communication in its WAN guidance. A remote control session carries a live screen and live keystrokes; treat its encryption as non-negotiable, the same way you would for a banking login.
Technology settings work best when people hear the policy from a human once: support will always ask before connecting to your screen, a prompt will appear, and sessions are logged in the console. Publish that in a short mail or notice when you roll the agent out. Users who know the rules stop fearing the tool — and start calling you earlier, while problems are still small.
Remote sessions in Endpoint Central are recorded in the product’s history and reports. Check them occasionally — not to spy on technicians, but to prove the system works as promised. The day a user claims someone connected without asking, that log is the difference between an argument and an answer.
Every setting on this page is shown live in the ManageEngine configuration video — watch it once and your own setup becomes easy.
▶️ Watch Full VideoIt depends entirely on how you configure it. With the user consent prompt enabled, the user must accept before a session starts, and they can be notified when it ends. Configure consent deliberately — the setting, not a verbal promise, is what protects your users.
Remote desktop sharing uses 8443 over HTTPS (8444 for the non-SSL route), and the session is initiated as an on-demand task through the notification server port 8027. If sessions hang while starting, test both 8027 and 8443.
No. Servers and kiosk machines that have no regular user can be configured for unattended access, while staff desktops should require consent. The honest split is by machine role, and you should be able to explain it to any user.