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USB sharing on macOS
Olga Weis Olga Weis Last updated Nov 23, 2022

USB sharing on macOS

The remote operation grows in popularity with every passing day, so it’s essential to put together the right toolset to ensure a safe and smooth workflow. And on macOS, of all operating systems, extending USB via Ethernet can be tricky, especially for USB peripherals that are no dongles or storage devices.

In this article, we’re going to have a good and proper look at the easiest and most convenient method of sharing USB devices over any network via specifically developed extension software. Plus, we'll discuss the most common issues you can face while sharing a USB through Ethernet and how to address them.

The easiest way to share USB over Ethernet on Mac

FlexiHub offers you a very convenient way to extend a USB over Ethernet on Mac.
FlexiHub
4.8 Rank based on 386+ Reviews

Here is a step-by-step guide for macOS:

  • 1.
    First off, sign up for your FlexiHub account to get a free demo. blank
  • 2.
    Download and install FlexiHub for Mac on your server - a machine directly connected to your printers, webcams, dongle keys, scanners, security cameras, and/or other USB devices you want to extend across the network. blank
  • 3.
    Once installation is complete, every device plugged into your server’s USB port becomes instantly available for remote connections unless you choose to hide some of them. To do that, run FlexiHub on your server and log in using your account credentials:
    log in using your account credentials
  • 4.
    Now, pick the device you want to make inaccessible for other users from the list (the one on the top pane), and click the Lock button next to its name:
    pick the device you want to make inaccessible
  • 5.
    Repeat step 2 on all the computers that will need to access an extended USB device remotely. Make sure to get the suitable FlexiHub versions for their operating systems.

    Note: This method can help you to extend USB over Ethernet in OSX of any version, and also in Windows (including Win 10), Linux (Ubuntu), and Android.

    blank
  • 6.
    To connect a remote device extended from another PC to your machine, find it on the bottom-pane list and click the Connect button next to its name:
    connect a remote device extended from another PC
In a couple of seconds (maybe faster), you’ll see the remote peripheral in your machine’s device manager and will be able to use all its features like if it was physically connected to your machine’s USB port.

Top benefits you'll get with FlexiHub for Mac

Pretty soon, you’ll find out that FlexiHub is not just a very easy-to-use USB-Ethernet connector but has a very high bandwidth too. In order to ensure maximum connection speed during your FlexiHub sessions, you’ll need to check if the app’s connection priority is set up in this order: direct connection → RDP connection → UDP connection → Tunnel Server connection.

Direct connection → RDP connection → UDP connection → Tunnel Server connection.

In this way, you’ll be able to use any type of USB device, including the most latency-sensitive ones, over any distance without any noticeable lag, even if you don’t have a high-speed 100 Mbps network. But for the high-speed direct connection to work, both server and client machines must have a public IP address, be in the same network, and not hidden behind a NAT or some third-party firewall.

FlexiHub for Mac
30-day demo period

Known USB-Ethernet connectivity issues and how to fix them on Mac

In some rare cases, after you’ve installed FlexiHub on High Sierra 10.13 version (or newer ones) and launched the app for the first time, you may see this message:

message

This situation mainly happens because FlexyHub is an advanced professional-grade app that contains multiple third-party kernel extensions (KEXTs). And all of those KEXTs must be manually approved by the machine’s user, or else they won’t be even downloaded, let alone installed or used.

To fix this minor nuisance once and for all, open your machine’s System Preferences and choose Security & Privacy. Now, at the very bottom of the General tab, find the message saying ‘System software from developer Electronic Team was block from loading.’ Click the Allow button next to this message, and the required FlexiHub’s kernel extensions will be automatically downloaded and install. You’ll be able to use the app whenever you need to extend a USB peripheral across your network or use some device attached to a remote PC with no error messages popping up.

In any case, it’s good to have the debug logs in hand, so you can check them and see what the problem is. To enable ten, open the Terminal and execute these commands:

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/us.electronic.flexihub.plist daemon_log_level 4

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/us.electronic.flexihub.plist eveusb_log_level 4

sudo defaults write /Library/Preferences/us.electronic.flexihub.plist eveusb_log_trace_urb 1

sudo launchctl unload -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/us.electronic.flexihub.daemon.plist

sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/us.electronic.flexihub.daemon.plist

Share USB on macOS
  • 4.8 overall rank based on 386+ Reviews
  • Requirements: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and Raspberry Pi.
  • 10.45MB Size.
  • Version 6.1.15025. (19 Feb, 2024).
  • Pricing starts $14 per month billed annually