{"id":8629,"date":"2022-02-28T08:52:21","date_gmt":"2022-02-28T13:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/?p=8629"},"modified":"2023-04-11T22:07:20","modified_gmt":"2023-04-12T02:07:20","slug":"pi-10-virtualhere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dronebotworkshop.com\/pi-10-virtualhere\/","title":{"rendered":"Extend your USB with VirtualHere"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Download \"Parts<\/a> \"View \"Download<\/p>\n

Have you ever wanted to connect to a USB device, such as a webcam or a printer, but you were in a different room? With VirtualHere you can connect to remote USB devices over your wired or wireless network, and your computer will think they are directly attached.<\/span><\/p>\n

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VirtualHere<\/span><\/h2>\n

VirtualHere is the perfect solution to connecting USB devices over your network, be it Ethernet or WiFi. It works seamlessly with Windows, Linux, or macOS, and it\u2019s very easy to set up.<\/span><\/p>\n

All you need to do is to run a VirtualHere server on a Raspberry Pi, any Raspberry Pi will work as long as it can connect to your network.\u00a0 You plug your USB device into the Raspberry Pi and then use a VirtualHere client on your workstation to connect to the server over your existing network.<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you\u2019d like to run a remote camera, this is an ideal solution. So let\u2019s get it installed!<\/span><\/p>\n

Installing the VirtualHere Server<\/span><\/h2>\n

You will need to have a network-attached Raspberry Pi that is running the current version of the Raspberry Pi OS for this to work. Any type of network connection will suffice, including WiFi, so you can even use a Raspberry Pi Zero W or Zero 2 W.<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting the Server Software<\/span><\/h3>\n

Once you have your Raspberry Pi connected to the network, use it to go to the<\/span> VirtualHere website<\/span><\/a>. You might want to read some of the home page text to learn more about the capabilities of VirtualHere.<\/span><\/p>\n

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After that, head over to the <\/span>Linux Server download page<\/span><\/a>. Scroll down until you get to the Generic VirtualHere USB Server Builds. Download the \u201cVirtualHere USB Server for Linux (ARM)\u201d file to your Raspberry Pi.<\/span><\/p>\n

Once the file has been downloaded you can close the web browser on the Pi, you\u2019ll need to revisit it on your client computer later.<\/span><\/p>\n

Installing and Running the Server<\/span><\/h3>\n

Open your terminal and navigate to the Downloads folder.<\/span><\/p>\n

cd Downloads<\/pre>\n
The next step is to make the file you downloaded, which is named <\/span>vhusbdam<\/span><\/i>, executable:<\/span><\/p>\n
sudo chmod +x vhusbdarm<\/pre>\n
And finally, you can run the server file:<\/span><\/p>\n
sudo .\/vhusbdarm<\/pre>\n
When you run the VirtualHere server, you\u2019ll get a message on your terminal saying that it is active. You can press <\/span>Ctrl-C<\/span><\/i> to stop it if you need to.<\/span><\/p>\n
Run Automatically on Boot<\/span><\/h3>\n
If you plan on dedicating a Raspberry Pi to being a VirtualHere server, then you\u2019ll likely want to have it run automatically every time the Pi is powered up. This way, you can run it in \u201cheadless mode\u201d, without a keyboard or monitor.<\/span><\/p>\n
You can do this by editing your<\/span> rc.local<\/span><\/i> file to contain an entry for VirtualHere.\u00a0 Open your terminal and type the following command:<\/span><\/p>\n
sudo nano \/etc\/rc.local<\/pre>\n
This will open the Nano text editor, and you can now modify the file. Scroll down to the line before the \u201cexit 0\u201d statement and type the following:<\/span><\/p>\n
\/home\/pi\/Downloads\/vhusbdarm -b<\/pre>\n
Now save the file using Ctrl-X and then respond \u201cY\u201d to overwrite the existing file.<\/span><\/p>\n
You\u2019ll need to reboot your Raspberry Pi for the change to come into effect.<\/span><\/p>\n
Installing the VirtualHere Client<\/span><\/h2>\n
Now that you have a VirtualHere server working on your Raspberry Pi you\u2019ll need to install a VirtualHere client on your target workstation.<\/span><\/p>\n
On the workstation that you want to use with VirtualHere visit the <\/span>VirtualHere client page<\/span><\/a>. You will find clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux.<\/span>
\n<\/span>Download the client that suits your machine. The installation procedure will depend upon the operating system:<\/span><\/p>\n