USB Network Gate

Free USB for Remote Desktop

Free USB over Remote Desktop software makes it simple to connect local USB devices to a remote desktop by offering advanced port virtualization features. It allows you to redirect USB peripherals into an RDP session, enabling remote access to any device you need. The tool is user-friendly and fully compatible with both Windows and Linux operating systems.

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OS: Windows 7 SP1/8/8.1/10/11; Windows Server 2008 R2/2012/2012 R2/2016/2019/2022/2025
Architectures: x86, x64, ARM64 macOS 10.9-10.14 Tested on Ubuntu 14.04-18.04, Centos 7. UNG Linux requires kernel version from 2.6.32 to 4.4 Android from 5.0

Download available for: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Android

Integrate the USB Network Gate functionality into your own software or hardware solution. Get the Software Development Kit and embed our USB pass-through technology into your own product.

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Forwarding USB over RDP

Advantages of the Free RDP USB Redirector

Here are just some of the outstanding features you get with USB Redirector for RDP:

Optimization of redirected traffic

The software provides you with the option of traffic compression, which means data can be transferred at a higher speed and with minimum bandwidth utilization. The capability to transport compressed data is really helpful when it comes to remote scanning or working with devices that usually send data uncompressed.

Using a local computer as a USB device server

Any USB port of your local PC can be available for remote connection once you share it with the advanced USB over RDP Redirector. After you share a USB interface, you can connect the required peripheral to this port and establish a connection to the attached device from a remote computer. What’s convenient is that when you unplug one device and plug in another one, the latter will be automatically redirected to the connected remote client.

Access to USB devices over Wi-Fi

If you decide to share your USB device over the Wi-Fi network, the dedicated software will not only make this possible but will help you do this in a safe way. With USB to RDP Redirector, you can encrypt USB port data when forwarding it to a remote computer. Also, the program lets you set a password for you to control access to your local USB devices.

RemoteFX USB redirection

When redirecting USB to a remote desktop, the program lets you use the native RemoteFX protocol. For example, you can share a device on your local Linux machine and forward it to a remote Windows client. In case the peripheral is supported by RemoteFX USB Redirection, you don’t even need to install the software on the remote PC.

Isolation NEW

Effective USB device isolation for Windows

The Windows OS offers users many features which is why it is so popular in the computing community. One capability that Windows lacks is the ability to control the use of USB devices connected to a computer running the operating system. By default, all attached USB devices are available to all users. This may not be desired when a computer is shared or used to host a number of Remote Desktop sessions. USB Network Gate lets you limit the use of connected peripherals.

Per-session isolation

You can limit the availability of connected USB devices to a single RDP session. The peripheral is invisible to other users so they cannot even attempt to access it. This feature ensures that the device is always available in the designated session.

Per-user isolation

Using this option, you can isolate an attached USB device from other Windows users. This can come in handy when you want a device available to a specific account when the user is switching between more than one account as they perform their tasks.

Note: USB device isolation has been verified with all kinds of USB devices. Users running Windows 8 or later or Windows Server can isolate peripherals such as 3D mice, scanners, hard drives, printers, and cameras as well as just about any kind of USB device.

Learn more about USB isolation

Platforms

Share USB devices among multiple platforms

Free USB to Remote Desktop is a versatile cross-platform solution that enables USB device sharing over IP on Windows, macOS, and Linux computers. This means you can easily connect across platforms - from Windows to macOS, macOS to Linux, or any other combination.

Solutions comparison

Compare the top three solutions for USB redirection over RDP

There are many solutions that can redirect USB over the network effortlessly and efficiently. Below you will find the comparison table that will show you the differences in capabilities of the most popular USB sharing software out there. You can have a look at the features offered by the top solutions and decide what will be best for you.

Product to compare:

USB Network Gate

USB/IP

VirtualHere

USB over Network

Want to switch to USB Network Gate with 30% discount? Get 30% discount

USB Network Gate Electronic Team, Inc. electronic.us

USB/IP Takahiro Hirofuchi usbip.sourceforge.net

VirtualHere VirtualHere Pty. Ltd. virtualhere.com

USB over Network FabulaTech, Inc. fabulatech.com

Tested version

v11.0 (Windows)
v11.0 (Linux)
v11.0 (Mac)

v0.2 (Windows)
v0.1.7-3 (Linux)

v3.3.8 (server)
v4.2.3 (client)

v5.2 (Windows)
v5.2 (Linux)

MAIN FEATURES

Ability to share an unlimited number of USB devices

Support for all types of USB devices

USB v1.1 and v2.0 compatible

USB v3.0 compatible

Requires no device driver on the server side to share a device

Auto-connection to new USB devices whenever you plug them in

Ability to share a USB port with no device attached

Monitoring all actions and operations by using Activity log

less detailed

Specifying the exact TCP port which will be used in connection

for each device

for program, not from GUI

for program

Network traffic encryption for secure device sharing

for each device

SSL, not from GUI

SSL, for program

Optional authentication by enabling password authorization when establishing connection to remote USB devices

custom script is required

Password protection of the server side

Traffic compression

not from GUI

Cross-connectivity: ability to mix (32 or 64 bit) Windows, Linux, and macOS servers and clients in different combinations

partially

Version for Windows

only client

Version for Linux

only server

Version for Mac

Version for Android

only server

only server

Version for ARM/Embedded Linux

OEM

Shared USB ports are automatically re-configured every time you boot your PC

only on Windows

Client autoreconnection after PC reboot

Autoreconnection after broken network connection

Ability to disable client connection from the server side

Ability to disable client connection from another client

Inactivity timeout

Troubleshooting options if a device is not working properly

Two types of connection with remote devices - "Connect" and "Connect once". The latter one allows clients to establish one-time connection without trying to restore it if broken

Autofinding shared remote devices

Callback connection feature useful for server computers located behind NAT

per device

less convenient

per device

Connecting over RDP channel

Connecting over Citrix ICA channel

Isolation of certain devices in an RDP session

Autoconnection to RDP devices

Displaying the amount of data transmitted within current connection

Displaying the data transfer speed in current connection

Sharing rule manager

Localization to other languages

Command line options to automate the process of using the program

Integration of the technology into your own application (OEM license only)

OPERATING SYSTEMS SUPPORTED

Windows XP, 2003 32-bit and 64 bit

Windows Vista, 7, 2008 32-bit and 64-bit

Windows 8, 10, 2012, 2016 32-bit and 64-bit

Mac OS X 10.11

macOS 10.12

ADDITIONAL FEATURES

Ability to provide any USB device with a custom name

only on a client

Computer name of the client currently occupying a shared USB device is displayed in the list of available shared USB devices on other clients

Ability to choose devices that will be shared on the server side

Support for high-speed video, audio devices, and web cameras

low data transfer speed

User-friendly and convenient program interface

Program is easy to use

Redirect USB devices to virtual machines (VMWare, Virtual PC, Hyper-V, etc.)

Single installer for server and client

Single installer for 32- and 64-bit OS versions

Single GUI for server and client

Program Autoupdater

only on a client

Drivers have Microsoft WHQL signature

Program is stable

frequent system crashes

Free version

Free version available. 1 shared USB device for non-commercial purposes

Product is free

you can share 1 USB device

15-day trial period, only one USB device from server can be connected at the same time

Connecting via Microsoft RemoteFX without instaling a client software

from Linux USB server

Windows client can connect to a device right after it's been shared on the server

Linux client has to be connected first

Customer support

Regular program updates

Show full chart

How it works

USB device redirection to a remote desktop

In order to enable the remote desktop USB redirection on your computer, just take the following steps:

1

Download the USB redirection software and install it on both computers that will participate in the connection.

2

On the server machine, launch the app and head to the “Local USB devices” tab. Select the required USB device there and click “Share”.

3

On the client machine, open the program and go to the “Remote USB devices” tab. Locate the device you need and hit “Connect”.

4

That’s it! Now the shared device will appear on the remote PC like it was attached directly to that computer.

Video tutorial

Learn how to use the USB redirect over RDP feature with our video tutorial

Frequently asked questions

Here are the answers to the most common question our customers have about the USB redirection software:

If I have no Internet connection, can I share a USB device over LAN?

Yes, USB Network Gate allows sharing USB devices over a local network when the Internet connection is not available.

What is meant by a server and client computers?

USB Network Gate server is a computer to which the USB device you need to share is connected physically. A client is a computer that connects to the networked USB device remotely.

Is it possible to access the same USB device from several remote computers simultaneously?

After being shared over the network, a USB device can be connected to only one computer at a time.

Does USB Network Gate allow creating cross-platform connections?

USB Network Gate is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. That means you can easily connect from Windows to Mac, from Mac to Linux and in any other combination.

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11.0.2772 • 9.33MB, Released 14 Apr, 2026

11.0.1105 • 20.3MB, Released 9 Apr, 2026

11.0.2 • 3.39MB, Released 26 May, 2025

11.0.1 • 12.5MB, Released 18 Dec, 2024

OS: Windows 7 SP1/8/8.1/10/11; Windows Server 2008 R2/2012/2012 R2/2016/2019/2022/2025
Architectures: x86, x64, ARM64 Run on macOS 10.15 or newer CentOS 7-8, Ubuntu 14.04-21.04 Android 5.0 and above

Also available on:

Windows,
macOS,
Linux,
Android

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