How to Share USB Port to Another Computer via the Internet?
Internet Tips
There are two types of Internet networks that you can use to share USB ports from your computer to another computer, one is LAN (local area network)/DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) and the other is WAN (wide-area network).
We will use these two network connections to share USB on our router's Internet-connected computers. And forward a port from which we will share the USB connection to any computer in the world via the Internet.
If you want to learn how to share a USB port connected to your computer via the Internet, you need to know about the LAN and WAN Internet connection that you can learn using these steps.
What Is the Difference Between LAN and WAN Internet Connection?
LAN stands for Local Area Network and is a collection of computers and other network devices connected to the same router or Internet connection.WAN stands for Wide Area Network. Worldwide Internet is a WAN network connection that connects all the world's Internet and connected devices.
Below is an example image that helps you clearly understand LAN and WAN network connections.
What's Required to Share a USB Port on the Internet?
Before you can begin the process of USB sharing, you need to download and install the required programs on your computer system. We will use the Open VPN Connect program for port forwarding, the USB Redirector program to share the USB port, and the USB Redirector Client program to access the shared USB port.How to Share a USB Port Over the Internet?
Go to the https://portmap.io/ website and create your account.
After creating your account on the portmap.io website, go to the Configurations menu, and create a new configuration file.
In the configurations, type any custom Name of the file, then choose the type "OpenVPN", and the protocol "TCP", and after this click the Close button.
Go to the Mapping Rules menu and create a new mapping rule.
In the order of mapping rules, type the port number of your computer. (you can choose any five-digit number, you can even write the exact port number that the portmap.io web is providing.) In my case, I will use 12345. And leave the option of Allowed IPs blank, and click the Create button.
Once you have created the mapping roll, copy the IP from the rule, and the ports inside Notepad.
In the image below, I have explained the IP and its ports in Notepad.
Now go back to the Configurations menu, and click on the pencil icon in Actions.
After clicking on the pencil icon, you need to download the OpenVPN ".ovpn" configuration file by clicking on the Download button.
Once the configuration file download process is complete, launch the OpenVPN Connect program and connect by adding the ".ovpn" configuration file.
Launch the USB redirector program, go to the Settings tab > Preferences > Networking, and type your computer port in the "Accept incoming connections on the following TCP port" box and click OK.
Right-click the USB port you want to share, and then click "Share USB Device".
OK now the USB port is shared from your computer to the server, now you have to access it from the client PC. Install and run the USB redirector client program on the computer where you want to access the shared USB port.
Next, click the Add USB Server icon in the upper left corner, and add the IP and port (provided by the portmap.io website) and click OK.
As soon as you add the IP and port, a direct connection to the USB redirect will be established, and your shared USB port will be displayed, right click on it and click on "connect usb device".
Finally, the USB device is now connected to the client computer, and you can now use it as you see fit.
Note! For WAN (wide area network) connections you need to forward the port, and if you want to share a USB port on the LAN (local area network) you do not need to forward/open the port.
I've tried to cover every step of the way in this post, and if you still have a problem or you have an inquiry about it, you can ask me in the comments section below.