Your mouse – even if wireless – isn’t always the most practical thing to use to control your computer. It’s perfect if you’re sat at a desk, but these days more and more people find themselves slightly removed from their PC or Mac – often because it’s been hooked up to the TV, typically to watch video or internet TV.

If the idea of hooking up your laptop via cable to your TV, then faffing about on the floor trying to set things up doesn’t appeal, imagine being able to control everything from the comfort of your chair using your smartphone or tablet.

Remote Mouse is a solution for Android users – you first need to install the trial version of Remote Mouse Server on your PC or Mac, then download the Android app using the link above and manually install the APK file on your phone or tablet. Note you need to be on the same wi-fi network as your computer to use Remote Mouse.

Once installed, and assuming the server software is up and running on your computer, fire up the app. It should detect the server automatically, in which case, tap Auto Connect and you’re able to control your computer – both mouse and keyboard – remotely. Use it like a touchpad – one finger for moving the mouse, with appropriate buttons for clicking and scrolling. You can also experiment with multi-finger swipes – two fingers for zooming and right-clicking, three for drag-and-drop, and four fingers for maximising windows (slide up), moving between windows (slide left and right) and showing the desktop (slide down).

It’s a neat and effective way to control your computer remotely - we're a little miffed the server software isn't advertised up front as only being a trial until you've run it a few times, and because there are other, free alternatives out there, it ultimately detracts from what would otherwise be a neat and inexpensive solution to the problem of controlling your laptop or desktop from the sofa.