USB over Ethernet software solutions - full guide 2019

USB/IP - free software alternative

USB/IP project is designed to establish a general system for sharing USB peripherals over Ethernet network. This solution is free. Its mission is to convert USB I/O messages to IP packets for their further redirection to a required computer. What’s nice about the project is that you can use original USB device drivers and programs for remote USB peripherals. As for the weaknesses, USB/IP solution hasn't been updated for quite a long time and is recommended for experienced users rather than computer novices.

USB over Network

Another great tool for remote access to USB-based devices is USB over Network software. The utility works perfectly well on Windows and Linux operating systems. It gives you a way to connect to a USB peripheral even if it’s located miles away from you. With this application, you get an effective USB server auto-discovery feature which allows you to find USB servers installed in your local network without specifying their remote IP address.

FlexiHub

FlexiHub also supplies the user with a method of accessing USB devices over Ethernet. It accomplishes this by creating virtual copies of physical USB ports on remote machines that desire access to the USB equipment. When a device is connected to the physical port, FlexiHub connects this real interface with its network-attached virtual copy. Now the remote machine with the virtual port can access the device as if it were physically connected.

FlexiHub supports the Windows, Linux, macOS, and Android operating systems and cross-platform connectivity between any of the supported platforms is easily achieved. The tool also works with many virtual environments including ESX, VMWare, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenDesktop, and Windows Virtual PC. The tool offers users a simple and intuitive method to access USB over the Ethernet.

VirtualHere

VirtualHere is a handy app that eliminates you of the need to physically plug USB devices into your computer when you want to use them. With this solution, your valuable peripherals can be accessed remotely over a local network, the Internet or in the cloud. The app has a clean and friendly GUI and requires minimal effort to be installed. It’s compatible with Windows, macOS, Linux, and Android, which is also a great advantage. Some other benefits you get with VirtualHere include a built-in VPN subscription service and a special version for network attached storages.

USB over Ethernet - KernelPro

Remotely accessing USB devices over any type of IP network is easy with USB over Ethernet. It’s a professional-grade application that enables you to use a network-connected USB device on a remote machine as if were directly attached. The tool accomplishes this without requiring you to install the device’s driver on the computer to which it is connected.

USBDeviceShare

USBDeviceShare is another tool which enables the sharing of USB devices over Ethernet. Network-attached USB devices can be accessed remotely as if they were directly attached to the remote machine. The device can be used to interact with programs even though it is not physically connected to the computer. All varieties of USB are supported by USBDeviceShare. It can handle USB 1.x, 2.0 and 3.0 devices which provide variable speeds of data transmission. This app provides a software solution for accessing USB devices over an IP network