How to Share USB scanner over Network

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A single USB device is to be shared among multiple computers in the network, e.g. a scanner, a printer or a MFD. How does one do it?

If the computers are few and are right next to each other, this does not seem to be an issue – insert and re-insert the device to a USB port of one computer or another. Well, this is not a solution really – the hardware gets worn out, it’s troublesome, there is a cable clutter. And what do you do if the computers that need access are at a distance from each other?

Software solution

There is a software solution to the problem – USB Network Gate enables shared access to USB devices over network.

Here is your step-by-step guide on how to do it:

  1. Get the application. It can be downloaded from the developer’s official website. Install it on all machines that need to connect to the device.
  1. Launch the application on a computer that has the device attached to it. In the list of available USB devices, locate the one you need and click “Share” button next to it.
  1. Launch the application on other computers. The shared device will be displayed as available there. Connect to it using ‘Connect’ button.

USB Network Gate allows adding a password to connect to a shared device. One can use compression feature for data transfer and change the port into which the device is inserted.

Pros:

  • The app is available on Windows, Mac, Linux and Android.
  • It allows working with a wide range of USB devices.
  • There is a 14-day free trial version offered by the developer for you to test the functionality.
  • Reliable support service to answer all your queries .

Cons

  • The application is to be paid for.
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