Olga Weis
Last updated Dec 17, 2020
A while ago accessing a device inserted in a USB port of another computer was a complicated thing to do. However, today’s technologies offer us various ways to reach the contents or functionality of a remote USB device, the most popular being Anywhere USB - a network attached USB hub.
Digi AnywhereUSB is a hardware solution for sharing USB devices over LAN. This product is widely applied in the field of network communications. But despite its many advantages, the major drawbacks of the hub is the inability to work with isochronous devices, including sound cards and webcams, and lack of support for platforms other than Windows.
As an efficient alternative to AnywhereUSB hardware, you can try a dedicated software tool - FlexiHub that will let you easily share virtually any USB device over the Internet and connect to it securely from Mac, Linux, Windows, or Android.
FlexiHub supports a wide range of USB devices, including those not present in Digi AnywhereUSB device list. The functionality FlexiHub offers is very similar to that of USB Anywhere device – access the contents and functionality of remote USB devices over the network. The software works in a real-time mode, i.e. it detects and allows you to connect to available devices the moment they are plugged in and shared.
FlexiHub provides you with a control panel where all serial and USB ports in the network are displayed as nodes – you can see the type of each device. There is a feature that allows inviting others to access a device you have shared.
The tool supports access to USB ports on virtual machines. It is compatible with all popular virtualization applications – VMWare, ESX, Citrix XenDesktop, Microsoft Hyper-V, Windows Virtual PC, QEMU.
FlexiHub allows you to access the contents and functionality of a USB device remotely, from wherever you are, as long as you are connected to the network.
Our overview of software alternatives to the Anywhere USB hub would not be complete without another powerful solution called USB Network Gate. This app has gained popularity for its ability to work over both LAN and the Internet. It gives you an efficient way to forward USB devices to virtual and multi-user environments and supports USB device redirection over the RDP protocol.
Sharing a USB peripheral with USB Network Gate is simple. Here’s what you should do:
Note: The additional settings you may configure when sharing your device include encryption, authorization, and traffic compression.
Video Guide
FlexiHub