I'm looking for a Linux remote-desktop solution that is reliable and requires as little intervention as possible. Sunshine and Moonlight over Tailscale perform extremely well with almost no latency, but after restarting the computer I need to log in locally before I can connect again. On Windows, Chrome Remote Desktop works even at the login screen, as long as the machine is powered on and connected to the internet. I'd like something with the same behavior on Linux. I'm using CachyOS on my laptop, and dependable access to my home desktop is important. What solutions or setups have worked well for this?
5 Answers
TigerVNC with LightDM can provide exactly this kind of pre-login access. The VNC service starts in the background, and when you connect—preferably through SSH with port forwarding—you’re presented with the LightDM login screen. From there you can choose the desktop session you want. The distribution’s documentation usually has instructions for setting up the service.
You can also use Chrome Remote Desktop on Linux, but installation and packaging vary by distribution. If you’re uncomfortable installing an unofficial package from a user-maintained repository, check whether the official Linux package and service setup are available for your system before using it.
RustDesk is worth trying. It can be configured as a system service so it starts at boot and remains available before a user logs in. It’s generally straightforward and works well for remote support, although the Linux desktop integration may not feel as polished as Chrome Remote Desktop.
The simplest option may be enabling automatic login and having Sunshine start automatically at boot. That lets Moonlight connect again after a restart without requiring someone to be at the machine. The downside is that the desktop is unlocked as soon as the computer starts, so it’s worth considering the security and physical-access implications.
There isn’t one universally trouble-free solution right now. Linux remote access depends heavily on whether you’re using Xorg or Wayland, which desktop environment is installed, and whether you want to control the existing console session or start a separate remote session. For the most reliable setup, many people still use a boot-time service such as VNC, or combine automatic login with Sunshine. Remote desktop support is improving, but it’s not as uniform across distributions as it is on Windows.
I’ll look into that setup. Being able to connect to the login screen sounds promising.