USB Redirector Client: Streamline USB Device Access Across C

USB Redirector Client

USB Redirector eliminates the need to swap cables and physically move USB devices to use them on different computers. This software solution enables traffic from USB devices to be sent over a network so remote machines can access them as if they had a direct connection to the peripheral.

USB Network Gate is USB redirector software application that operates by sharing a computer’s USB interfaces rather than individual devices. This allows you to freely plug and unplug devices at will, with each attached device automatically connected to the remote machines. No additional configuration is necessary.

USB Redirector Client and Server sides

USB Network Gate is comprised of two components. The server portion of the software tool needs to be registered in order to share USB ports. There is no requirement to register the client software. With a single server registration, you can install the client on an unlimited number of machines. It is a free USB redirector client.

There are three versions of USB Network Gate that provide USB redirection for the Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems. Cross-platform environments are fully supported so you can have any combination of server and client computers.

USB Redirector Client for Windows

Let's take an in-depth look at how USB Redirector works from the Client-side on the Windows operating system.

After sharing a USB port from the server, you need to perform a USB redirector client download on the computer that will remotely access the port and connected device. Here’s how to complete the connection from the client computer.

Select the Remote USB devices tab in the software’s main window. All devices shared from the server will have been recognized by the client and are automatically added to the list of devices which you can select.

• Select the Remote USB devices tab in the software’s main window. All devices shared from the server will have been recognized by the client and are automatically added to the list of devices which you can select.
• Select the device you wish to use and click Connect.

Connect or the Connect once options

You can choose to the Connect or the Connect once option from the drop-down menu. The two options function differently.

If the Connect option is selected, USB Network Gate attempts to reconnect in the event of a broken connection. This function only pertains to connections broken on the client-side. Connections disabled from the server-side or communication that fails due to incorrect passwords are not re-established.

The Connect once option will not try to restore a connection terminated due to a failed connection.

You will be prompted for a password if the device is being protected in that manner (see How to Secure Connection).

The USB Redirector Client for Windows is compatible with these Windows versions:

• Windows 7 (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Windows 10 (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Windows 11 (32-bit and 64-bit)
• Windows ARM64
• Windows Server 2012/2016/2019/2022

USB Redirector Client for Linux

Once USB Network’s Gate server has shared a device, use the USB redirector free client to connect to it. Follow these steps to enable the connection on your Linux computer.

• Switch to the Remote USB devices tab.
• Click Find on the main toolbar:

• You will be presented with the Add remote USB device dialog.

• The Find all option will display all shared devices available on your local network. You can limit the search to a specific host by selecting Find and typing in its network name or IP address.
• If the search is not successful, it may be that a firewall is blocking access to your server’s network ports. To resolve this issue, select the Add button and enter the designated TCP port that is being used to share the device.

• After adding the device to the list, select it and press Connect or Connect once to establish a connection (see the beginning of this section for the differences between these options).

Devices protected with a password will cause prompt to be displayed before access is granted (see How to Secure a Connection).

USB Redirector Client for Linux was tested on these distributions:

• Ubuntu 16.04-22.04
• Centos 7/8

USB Redirector Client for Mac

Connecting to USB devices shared by USB Network Gate from a macOS machine involves following these steps:

• Launch the USB Network Gate client.
• The client detects the shared USB devices automatically as they are added by the server. You will see them in the list of available devices. You can also use the Add button to conduct a manual search. Another option is to use the menu –> Manage –> Connect to New Server procedure.Note: These ports need to be open on your macOS machine for the application to function correctly: TCP 5473, UDP 5474, UDP 5475.
• Click the Connect button to establish communication with the selected device. You may have to provide a password if prompted when the device is protected from unauthorized access (see How to Secure Connection).

USB Redirector Client for Mac supports these macOS versions:

• macOS 10.14 and later
• M1 and M2