Eltima USB Network Gate Review Plus Giveaway
USB Network Gate allows sharing and accessing USB devices over LAN, WAN and Internet. It facilitates both server and client components. Once you share a USB device, you can perform file operations on them like they are plugged into the local computer.
For example, imagine you need a large file from your friend’s external hard drive. Instead of asking him to upload the file online so you can download it, you can ask him to share the drive with you.
USB Network Gate offers simple sharing. You can connect two or more machines together using the IP address, or host name (LAN) and a preferred port. You do not need hard to configure settings to use it. USB Network Gate offers minimal configuration.
USB Network Gate Setup, User Interface
The setup process is fast and easy. The only place where a user may be asking questions is whether to install it as a server or client. The FAQ section of USB Network Gate answers this. The difference between the two is as followed. The server is the computer where the USB device being shared is attached physically. The computer that connects to the device remotely is the client.
The user interface is simple and easy to use. Just remember, on the server you use the Share local USB devices tab, on the client use the Remote USB devices tab.
Usage
All devices connected to the USB ports in the “server” are listed at startup. By default, USB Network Gate listens for incoming TCP connections on port 17524. You can easily change this port for clients attempting to set up a connection using the public IP address and port number. You can also link the now selected device to a specific client directly, provided the client is configured to allow callback connections on the same port.
You cannot select all devices to share at the same time, but you can get a list with all USB ports to share. This way, you can automatically share that device when plugged in. Although, USB Network Gate is designed to share storage devices connected to USB ports, it identifies all USB ports. It includes human interface devices, like keyboards or mice.
Once connected to a USB storage device, it can be accessed just like a typical drive in Windows Explorer to open files and perform file operations.
USB Network Gate gives many customization options. You can edit device descriptions, apply encryption with optional compression, password protect share, as well as allow remote users to disconnect. These settings can be configured even after sharing the device.
Furthermore, you can enable client automatic connections via the Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and isolate RDP. You can view only shared devices, display the USB port location, view logged activity, and find out the sharing limitations of your license type.
Licensing
USB Network Gate is offered as a trial version which you can test for 14 days. After the trial, you can either uninstall the product or buy the full package for $95.88 / €86.38 (excluding VAT). The trial version allows you to share only one USB device and connect to only one shared USB device during this time. Only USB Network Gate servers need a license; client installations are free and need not be registered.
Conclusion
USB Network Gate can be easily configured to share USB devices via LAN, WAN or Internet. You only need to share the device on the “server” and on the “client” state the IP address or host name, and port number. Security can be increased by requesting a password for authorization. During our tests, we saw minimal system resources usage and connections were established quickly. A must have application for huge file sharers.
Eltima USB Network Gate Giveaway
We are giving away 3 licenses for the full edition of USB Network Gate, each available for 1 shared USB port, valued at $89.95 / €80.96 each. All you have to do is visit this special giveaway page to take part by Friday, April 29, 2016. Make sure to use a valid email address and confirm your entry, so we can contact you if you won.