Computersight -

Hamachi is a program that creates a virtual network between multiple computers, no matter where they are, without physically being connected. But the virtual network functions the same way as a physical network. So in other words you can chat or play someone many countries away from you. Hamachi can be used to chat, game, file share, print share and remote access. Do you want to know how to use Hamachi? Well this guide explains the basic features of Hamachi.

Opening Hamachi

To open the Hamachi program, double click on the icon in the taskbar with the three green dots. The box below should show up.

Power on/off

Press the power button once to turn it on and press it again to turn it off. Since Windows automatically starts Hamachi each time you log in, you won’t need to turn on Hamachi manually. You might need the power button to restart Hamachi if you have connection problems.

Join an existing network

Press the button with 3 circles forming a triangle. Then select “Join an existing network ..” A box like the one below should show up. Enter the network name and password in the boxes. Note: the network name and password are case-sensitive. Only join an existing network if you know someone who created a network and wants you to join. If you don’t know any networks, simply create a network.

Create a new network

To create a new network, click the button with the three dots forming a triangle, then select “Create a new network” A box like the one below should pop up. Enter the preferred network name and password for your new network. Then press create. Now give your network name and password to people who have Hamachi so they can join your network.

Setting your online status

To set your online status, first click on the button with a gear. Then select preferences. A box like the one below should pop up. Select Presence, check Enable and check “Show peer status in the main list.” I don’t recommend you check the third box. It means that after 300 seconds of inactivity you will be switched to Away mode. Then press ok.

Now that the online presence is activated, you should see a third button which is a paw icon. The point of setting your status is to let others know if you are busy, wanting to chat or not. To set your online status press the paw icon and then choose available, busy, away or custom. Select custom if you want to type your own status. An example would be, “Away at a doctor’s appointment.” Now under your name they will see your status. If you set it to available, there will be nothing under your name. Your online status is automatically set to available if you don’t set one.

Chatting

To chat to a specific peer, right click their name and select chat. You can only chat with someone after you are in a network (created, joined) A box like the one below will pop up. Now you can type your message. The typing notification tells you when the person is typing.

When someone sends you a message, the Hamachi icon flashes and a balloon pops up telling you who the message is from. (Above) To read the message double click the Hamachi icon.

What if you don’t want to chat with a specific peer? Then use group chat. Right click your network and press open chat window.

When a group message is received, the above balloon pops up. To read, double click the Hamachi icon.

Leaving networks and going offline

To leave a network simply right click the network and select leave network. Only choose this option if you don’t want to chat permanently for some reason. For example, you are being made fun of. Don’t choose this if you are going on vacation or shutting down.

To go offline right click the network and press go offline. Going offline doesn’t mean you aren’t leaving permanently but means you don’t want to be disturbed and is temporary. To go back online simply right click the network and select go online.

Banning and evicting members

Note: Banning and evicting members can only be done if you own the network. (You created the network) To ban a member: Right click their name and then select ban. Banning a member means that member will be temporarily out of the network until you unban him/her.

To evict means removing the member from the network permanently. To evict: Right click the member and select evict.

To unban a member, right click the network and select details. A box like the one below should pop up. On the left hand side select banned. Then select the member that was banned and click unban, then click ok.

Hamachi parts

Setting permissions and sending notices

First right click the network and select details. Then select notices on the left hand side. A box similar to the box below should pop up. There should be two spaces. There is one for a welcome message and another for an announcement. The welcome message is a notice sent to every new joiner of your network. The announcement is a notice sent to every member in your network each time it is modified. After typing the messages press ok.

To set permissions, also right click the network and select details. Then instead of selecting notices, select administrators. A box like the one below should pop up.

Now you can set the permissions for administrators. Check the permissions you want the administrators to be able to have. Then under that you get to choose who the administrators are in your network. Double click the peer to make him/her an administrator. Choose wisely! Then press ok.

Status Indicators

A status indicator is a small icon (usually a star or circle) in front of each peer that indicates the status of the connection to that peer. Below is a small guide telling you what each indicator means.

 A grey star indicates the peer is offline

 A green star indicates that you have a direct connection to the peer. This happens 95% of the time

 A blinking star indicates that Hamachi is trying to establish a direct connection with the peer. It usually takes under a minute to establish a direct connection

 A cyan down arrow indicates that Hamachi can’t establish a direct connection with the peer. A low-speed relay is used to connect instead

A cyan star indicates that Hamachi can’t establish a direct connection with the peer.

A high-speed relay is used to connect instead. It is used to connect peers to premium Hamachi users. Premium Hamachi accounts are paid options giving you access to more advanced features

 A yellow star indicates that Hamachi can’t connect to the peer directly or with relay. This means you can’t chat with this peer or reach him. This peer is unreachable.

 A red indicates that you are blocking the peer. This doesn’t mean blocking the peer from sending you a message. It blocks network traffic to and from this peer but still enabling you to chat with him/her. You would use this option if you wish to chat with a non-trustable peer.

To block a peer, right click the peer and select block. Now their status indicator will be a red star.

Often Hamachi will be able to establish a direct connection with your peers. But sometimes a low/high speed relay is used. A direct connection is the best connection type and the fastest. The best way to ensure you have direct connections is having the same version and account type with all your peers. Also make sure that your firewall isn’t blocking any connections.

Now that you know the basics of Hamachi, start using it. Think about using it for chatting, gaming, file sharing or remote accessing.